Fairhope, Alabama
CULTURAL EXCHANGE
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| Rhos-On-Sea Wales |
A new committee has been discussing which cities in other countries would be appropriate to partner with under the international
Sister Cities program; towns in
Wales and
Norway are the front runners so far.
Sister City Committee members include: Judy Culbreth,; Tod Jonson; Ed Lamonte; DeeDee Litaker; Jeanine Normand; Dennis Sherrin; Linda Speed; Cynthia Wilson; Sherry Sullivan. Jack Burrell represents the city council.
Rhos-on-Sea is a community of 7,100 on the northern coast of
Wales and is usually described as a seaside resort. According to their local legend, a prince,
Madoc, discovered America 300 years before Columbus by sailing into Mobile Bay in the year 1170. A plaque was installed at Fort Morgan in 1953 commemorating the event. (Rhos is not an independent entity itself, but part of the greater
Colwyn Bay area government).
Another possibility is
Alesund, on the western coast of
Norway. a major seaport with a population of over 41,000. Alesund is closely associated with the
Art Nouveau Architecture movement of the late 19th century. (Oslo was also mentioned as a possibility.)
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| Plaque at Fort Morgan |
Since
Rhos-On-Sea has already expressed interest in partnering with Fairhope, after a lengthy discussion it was decided as a first step to send them a letter formally seeking pertinent data and information about their city.
(A city may have more than one "sister".)
According to Wikipedia:
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of "sister cities". More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world.[1] The organization "strives to build global cooperation at the municipal level, promote cultural understanding and stimulate economic development"
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| Alesund, Norway |
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| Sister City Committee |
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