September 2, 2016



All the news that´s fit to print—Some newspaper ought to adopt this as its motto….
 
And Then There Was Quiet - New York After 9/11” Photographic Exhibit by David Gordon.  Sponsored by Sarasota Sister Cities September 7at 6 om - Opening Reception, Artist’s Talk at the Manatee County Public Library at 1301 Barcarrota Ave, Bradenton.  These photographs chronicle the horror in NYC of 15 years ago.  The exhibit will run through September 30.
 
SEPTEMBER LUNCHEON at the Bird Key Yacht Club, Sept. 19
           Olga Pliner and Craig Hullinger will speak on Using Facebook, Blogs, Linkedin and other social media for your Organization, Family, or Business.  Register to attend online at www.sarasotasistercities.org. You can RSVP by email to craighullinger@sarasotasistercities.com  
       
A CUBAN TALKS ON CUBA BC-AC
          Sister Cities member Eladio Amores will provide an insiders look at Cuba before and after Castro.  This promises to be a fascinating talk……..
                    September 29, 4pm, Selby Library
After Eladio´s talk, we will  adjourn to Louie´s Modern on Palm Avenue for our Meet & Greet at 5pm.  If you can´t get there for Eladio´s talk, just come to the Meet &
Greet.  We’ll be glad to see you.
 
OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME INVOLVED WITH LAWN BOWLING
          What is it?  New member Daniel Jittu knows all about it and would like for Sister Cities folk to get to know it as well.
          On
 November 5-19, and November 4-18, 2017, The City of Sarasota will be holding the US Lawn Bowling Open.  The 2017 Open marks the Club’s 90th anniversary in Sarasota.  Few clubs have been in our community as long as the bowling club. 
          The Club is located just north of the Memorial Auditorium.
          Bowls or lawn bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green which may be flat or convex or uneven. It is normally played outdoors and the outdoor surface is either natural grass or artificial turf.  Today the sport is played in over 40 countries with more than 50 member national authorities. The home of the modern game is still Scotland with the World Bowls center in Edinborough.
          We are exploring ways to help the Sarasota Lawn Bowling Club with its US Open.
          For more information:


--How to play the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PonGXrse4MU

--How lawn bowling balls are made:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU30zrbLagk


--Bowls England: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150326/ARTICLE/150329778
 
NEW OFFICERS YOU SHOULD KNOW
 
Olga Pliner, City Director for Vladimir
          Olga was born in Moscow and took her degree at Moscow Sate Pedagogical University in Special Education.  She soon moved to Germany where she earned an MBA at Hagen University where she majored in Marketing.  She worked in companies managing sales, customer care, acquisitions, and account management.
          In May, 2012, she moved to the US and founded P&P Media Partners in Venice.  This trilingual lady is the publisher and manager of the German-language newspaper in Florida.  Pick up a copy at Geier’s and other fine stores.  Welcome Olga!
 
Isabelle Eidet, Assistant City Director for Treviso Province
          Isabelle grew up in Seattle, WA, and was employed by the State Department and the US Agency for International Development. She worked overseas for more than 30 years. She was also an Executive Director with R.H. Macy & Co.  She has lived and worked in Manila, Nairobi, New Delhi, Jakarta, Rome, Geneva, Vienna and has had several stints in Washington, DC in between foreign assignments. She has also served as a Board member with several NGO’s overseas.  Isabelle has lived in Rome for five years and traveled extensively throughout Italy.
          Isabelle moved to Sarasota with her husband Gary from Vienna, Austria, in 2011. They have 3 children and 2 grandchildren.  Welcome Isabelle¡
 


August 14, 2016



All the summer news that’s fit to print about Sarasota Sister Cities…….
 
OUR MEET AND GREET FOR WEDNEDAY, AUGUST 17
          Our August Meet and Greet will be at the Sarasota Vineyard Wine Bar and Bistro in downtown Sarasota:

1528 Main Street
Sarasota Florida
5:00 - 7:00 pm
sarasotawinebar.com
 
SARASOTA CONTINGENT RETURNS FROM DUNFERMLINE SCOTLAND
          Our fellow Sister Cities colleagues seem to have had a good time, based on the pictures of Edinburg Castle, the Tattoo, and single-malt distilleries that are now trickling onto Facebook and other places.  Wish we all had been with you, but you represented us well!  Thanks Pauline Mitchell for planning a super trip.
 
“AND THEN THERE WAS QUIET—NEW YORK AFTER 9/11” PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBIT BY DAVID GORDON
          In 2017, Sarasota Sister Cities and many of its twin cities are sponsoring a poignant photographic exhibit about lower Manhattan after the Twin Towers fell.  
          To generate interest for the 2017 exhibit, David wanted to have a showing outside of Sarasota but close that would be available to local media—and he succeeded. 
          The show will be mounted at the Manatee County Public Library at 1301 Barcarrota Ave., right by the water.

Wednesday, September 7
             Opening Reception at 5:30pm
            Artist’s Talk at 6:30pm
Saturday, September 10 – Community 9/11 Memorial Event from 2-4:30pm
            (sharing thoughts…….writing remembrances)
September 30 – Show closes
 
INFO ON NEW SISTER CITIES LEADERS
As I mentioned in the last info@sarasotasistercities, we have several NEW CDs and VCDs THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT.   In the past I have just announced their appointments.  But you should know what high-quality people are leading our efforts.
 
NELLY CAMARDO, FRIENDSHIP CITY DIRECTOR, RAPPERSWIL-JONA, SWITZERLAND
          Nelly is a Zurich native who is not bi- or tri- but quatro-lingual.  She pursued a career in information technology.  She worked for GE and the Royal Bank of Canada in Montreal where she travelled across Canada training bank personnel.  She later transferred to RBC New York City and retired after 30 years of service.  All the while she vacationed in Sarasota.
          Here in Sarasota she has worked for Intertape Polymer Group and the Sarasota Sailing Squadron.  Her work here allows her to meet people from all walks of life and parts of the globe, thus helping keep her language skills sharp.  We are sure she will serve well as CD for the City of Roses on the northern shore of Lake Zurich.
 
CHARLOTTE HULL, FRIENDSHIP ASSISTANT CITY DIRECTOR, RAPPERSWIL-JONA, SWITZERLAND
          Charlotte was born in Schmerikon, a small village five miles east of Rapperswil-Jona.  After school in Schmerikon, she attended the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce in Fribourg.  She honed her English language skills with a year of study at Oxford, UK.  Charlotte was then a flight attendant for Swissair.
          From 1976 to 2003, she was co-owner and manager of Hotel Bellevue in Rapperswil.  In 2009 she emigrated to Florida.  We are happy to have her here, helping establish Rapperswil as our next sister city.  Thanks Charlotte.
 
NANCY TSEKOU, ASSISTANT CITY DIRECTOR FOR VLADIMIR, RUSSIA
          Nancy left the US when 30 and lived both in Greece and Italy for 27 years.  Her husband was Greek, and their daughter is a bilingual, cross-cultural American diplomat who has lived in many countries.  Nancy taught American children at our military bases for 27 years before returning to the US in 2002.  Missing overseas life, she returned to Cairo to teach Egyptian children at an independent international school.  She retired in 2007 and moved to Sarasota in 2011.
          Nancy has travelled Europe extensively and visited Korea, India, Venezuela and Ghana, often for months at a time.  She will soon be going to Cuba and Zimbabwe.  Welcome Nancy! You bring a wealth of international experience to your work with Vladimir.
 
READ ABOUT OLGA PLINER, NEW CITY DIRECTOR FOR VLADIMIR, RUSSIA, AND ISABELLE EIDET, NEW ASSISTANT CITY DIRECTOR FOR TREVISO, ITALY, IN OUR NEXT ISSUE.
 
Questions and Comments to
DAVE HARRALSON
Yr Faithful Editor and Olympics watcher
dharralson7@gmail.com
941-870-5516

June 30, 2016


INFO @ SARASOTA SISTER CITIES  June 30, 2016   (9)
 All the hot news that’s fit to print at the beginning of a hot Summer………..

 MEET AND GREET, WEDNESDAY, JULY 20
Our Monthly Meet and Greets during the summer of 2016 are held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Sarasota Vineyard Wine Bar and Bistro in downtown Sarasota,  1528 Main Street
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
sarasotawinebar.com              JOIN US!!!
 MICHAEL PATRICK FEHILY, CD FOR MERIDA, MEXICO, RETURNS WITH RESULTS
What did he do?
  1. In 2017, Mérida is “the Cultural Capital of the Americas”  with a huge year-long celebration.  The Mérida mayor has written our Mayor Shaw asking for Sarasota to participate.  Some ideas….Have a performing group from the Circus Conservatory be feature in Mérida.  The head of the Mexican organizing committee is a former ballet dancer.  Possibly a ballet group from Sarasota could participate.
  2. Michael also met with Christian Rivero, Director of Cultural Affairs for Mérida, taking the first steps to getting the FST/SCAS Write-A-Play and Embracing Our Differences programs started in Mérida.  He will also work with our CYD Board member, Morgan Bortz, Gabriella Hazan and others to help initiate our Youth Networking Project there.
  3. Fellow Sister Cities member, Dr. Jane Rose, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at USFSM, also visited there to review USFSM’s study abroad program there headed by Senor Fehily.
  4. On the economic development scene, Miguelito has also been working with a Sarasota manufacturer of automotive tow trucks to have various parts made in Mérida.  He has established an ongoing connection between the two.
  5. While Michael was in Mérida, he invited SCAS member Eladio Amores, our local Goodwill Director of Training, to meet with economic development people in Mérida to establish mutual work possibilities.
Michael, with all this going on, did you have time to teach your courses there?!?!  Good job!
 
WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT TO HONOR SARASOTA MAYORS WHO HELPED SARASOTA SISTER CITIES OVER THE YEARS?  Stay Tuned!  Things are in the works.
 
AN EXHIBITION OF PHOTOS OF  9/11 BOTH IN SARASOTA AND IN OUR SISTER CITIES
          Under the aegis of Gloria Grenier, VP for Arts & CultureCarolyn Bloomer, VP for Cities and Candidate Cities, and the other CDs, have approved bringing a moving exhibit of photos taken right after 9/11 in New York City by photographer David Gordon.
          We not only want to exhibit these poignant photographs here in Sarasota, we also want to exhibit them in our other Sister Cities.  Plans are underway to make this happen soon.  Date and time to be announced soon.
 
MORE INFO ON NEW SISTER CITIES LEADERS
As I mentioned in the last info@sarasotasistercities, we have several NEW CDs and VCDs THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT.   In the past I have just announced their appointments.  But maybe you should know what high-quality people are leading our efforts.
 
MARLIES GLUCK, MSW, CD for TEL MOND
          Marlies was born in The Netherlands and came to the US as a young girl.  She earner her bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York and her MSW from Fordham University.  For 17 years she worked at Letchworth Village Developmental Center, ending as social work supervisor and treatment team leader.  She is active in the Jewish community here in Sarasota.  Welcome Marlies!
 
MARIE DES NEIGES GROSSAS, Ph.D., CD for PERPIGNAN
          Marie des Neiges was educated in France from her undergrad degree through the Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at the Sorbonne.  She has taught French and Spanish in various places.  At the World Bank in Washington, DC, she was program manager for the joint Japan/World Bank Scholarship program.  She spends a good bit of each year in Perpignan.  Welcome, Marie des Neiges!
 
HONGYING LIU, Ph.D.,  ACD for XIAMEN
          Hongying was born in Beijing and took her undergraduate degree at Anhui University in Hefei, China.  Her MLS and Ph.D. were earned at Villanova and Temple.
She has been a professor of journalism at Nanjing University and Zhejiang University.  She has authored numerous books and articles.  Her scholarship has centered on various subjects, among them Internet culture, Chinese cartoons, and the interplay between mass communications and Chinese culture.  Welcome, Hongying!

Information on 
Olga Pliner, Isabelle Eidet, Nelly Camardo, Nancy Tsekou, and Charlotte Hull will appear in the next few issues.
 
Address comments and questions to
Dave Harralson, Newsletter Editor
daveharralson@sarasotasistercities.com
941-870-5516



May 15, 2016


INFO @ SARASOTA SISTER CITIES May 15, 2016 (8)
 
This issue of INFO is more a “mark your calendars” issue than hard news.  Like Lily Tomlin, moisten your pencil with the tip of your tongut so it’ll write real dark--and get ready to fill in your calendar.
 
Modern Pentathlon & Irene Morningstar
          Kudos, kudos, and kudos—I love those candy bars--to Irene Morningstar, Vice President for Sports, for her work in the just concluded successful Modern Pentathlon.  Many Sister Cities members volunteered.  Athletes from all over the world competed, and all who volunteered made Sarasota look good.  Great Job!
 
Good People
          Dear Members, Sister Cities is always looking for good people—not ole soreheads—to help make our organization better.  Bring someone with you to the next Sister City event you attend.  We are too good not to share.
 
See BELOW for stories about the Russian student who can’t come to the SCAS/FST  Play Festival and thedeteriorating mosaic dedicated in 2010 to commemorate our relationship with Mérida.
 
Meet & Greets for the Summer
Although other things slow down over the summer, we still get thirsty. Therefore we will meet for imbibables and comestibles as follows:
 
          May 18 - Meet and Greet 5tpm Sarasota Wine Club on Main St. [This one is coming right up.  Be there or else……. (smile)]
 
          June 15  Meet and Gree
t 5tpm Sarasota Wine Club on Main St
 
          July 20  Meet and Gree
t 5tpm Sarasota Wine Club on Main St
 
          Aug 17  Meet and Gree
t 5tpm Sarasota Wine Club on Main St
 
The Speakers Bureau for Fall: who, what, when & where
Each speaker will speak at 4pm, followed at 5pm by a Meet & Greet as a location close by.  Meet & Greet locations will be announced later.
 
Sept. 29, 2016    Cuba AC/BC (after Castro/Before Castro) Eladio Amores
          Selby Library


Oct. 18, 2016  Our Friendship City: Rapperswil-Jona: Its History & Culture
          Primo Bader & Colleagues
          Herald-Tribune Community Room


Nov. 15, 2016  War & Peace, Beth Ruyle, Craig Hullinger, and Troy Scott with the Military Officers Assn.
          Community Foundation of Sarasota, 2635 Fruitville Rd.


Dec. 13, 2016  Holidays in Our Sister Cities – Unique Festivities, Sister City Directors Carolyn Bloomer, Marlies Gluck, Michael Fehily, Marie des Neiges Grossas,  Anna Madeschi, Pauline Mitchell (5-10 minutes each)
          Vineyard Wine Bar, 1528 Main St.
 
All Sister Cities members and the general public are invited.  A small donation of $5 is suggested (except at Selby Library).  For more information, contact Ray Young at aloharay4@gmail.com or phone 941-225-1268.



 
Next Year’s Sister City Luncheon Meetings
 
            Mark your calendars for next year’s luncheon meetings at the Bird Key Yacht Club at 11:30am, lunch served at 12pm.
 
Sept. 14, 2016
Oct. 19
Nov. 9
Jan. 12, 2017
Feb.  8
March 15
April 12
 
Don’t be like me!  Write ‘em down.  I KNOW I won’t remember ‘em!
         
The Sister City/Florida Studio Theater Write-A Play Contest:  


          BAD  NEWS
 
The students and chaperones from Tel Mond and Dunfermline will arrive this coming week for a week full of activities planned by Gloria Grenier, Vice President of Arts & Culture, but we recently received bad news from Tatyana Chebotar in Vladimir.  I quote her letter to Sister Cities in full because it pulls on our heartstrings.
          

  Dear Sarasota Sister City Members:


I am sorry that I cannot come to your "WRITE A PLAY!" festival. My mother lost her job, we didn't expect that it could happen and now we will need money for our family while she is looking for work. We cannot afford to spend money on my tickets, I am very thankful for your attention, I am sorry that all that you organized for me and my teacher is not necessary now, I am very very sorry. I wish your festival great success. My dream didn't come true but I had such a wonderful time when I was preparing for the trip, so many expectations, that I am still very happy that I am the winner of your project.


With best wishes,


Tatyana


What a well-mannered, conscientious young lady to write us such a letter--when I’m sure she was upset due to the disappointment of not being able to come to see her work performed.  We will miss you, Tatyana!
 
The Mosaic to Commemorate our Relationship with Mérida in Bayfront Park
          On December 10, 2010—some six years ago—Englewood Elementary students with their art teacher, Dawn Hinck, and with the help of Luis Manuel May Ku, Mayan artist from Mérida, Mexico, presented the City with a mosaic signifying the friendship between Sarasota and Mérida. 
            We learned a few weeks ago that the mosaic in Bayfront Park was deteriorating and we immediately looked into having it restored.  Afer being examined, it turns out that the mosaic has deteriorated to the point where it cannot be repaired.  We are now investigating whether to have it rebuilt, change the medium but keep the same them, or –generally—what to do with it.  Stay tuned…….
 
Dat’s All, Folks!
 
Comments or Corrections  to 

Dave Harralson
Editor & General Gossip
dharralson7@gmail.com
941-870-5516


March 7, 2016



All the recent news that’s fit to print at Sarasota Sister Cities…………..
 
**important**ANNUAL MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT**important**


11:30am
April 5, 2016
Sarasota Yacht Club
(register & pay at sarasotasistercities.org/payments)


This meeting elects the officers for the coming year and recaps the current year.  Hope to see you there!
 
IN RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTIONS……
I have been called and emailed, asking where the next two speakers bureau talks will take place.  Although more complete announcements are out, here’s the info you asked for:
 
March 16 (Wednesday)
     OUR SISTER CITY PERPIGNAN
     Emile Langlois, Barbara Frey, Eva Frank & Gloria Grenier
     Meeting Room at the Herald-Tribune Building, 1741 Main St., Sarasota
 
April 20 (Wednesday)
     POLYNESIAN CULTURES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC
     Ray Young, Ph.D.
     Sarasota Audubon Center, The Celery Fields
     (Presentation and Wine & Cheese Event at the same location)
 
THE ONE WORLD AWARD LUNCHEON last Sunday at Michaels
     Pauline Mitchell outdid herself once again with this spectacular luncheon.  The Board of Directors was impressively bagpiped into the hall.  The military tribute and the tables of uniformed servicemen were wonderful.  It was enjoyable to hear from Dolly Jacobs and Pedro Reis, recipients of the One World Award for their individual talents and the Circus Arts Conservatory.
     The surprise of the luncheon was Gary Reinstrom and the Musicians, and the Riverview H S Highland Dancers.  The enthusiastic Scottish singing and dancing concluded with the Scottish sword dance.  Just great fun!
 
NEW CITY DIRECTOR FOR PERIGNAN, FRANCE.
     Marie des Nieges Grossas (Sorbonne Ph.D.) was approved at the February Board meeting. Welcome Aboard, Marie!
 
VISITING DIGNITARY FROM DUNFERMLINE, SCOTLAND.
     Roz Graham, the Committee Chair for Sister Cities there, visited our February Board meeting, and is working with Pauline Mitchell(our City Director for Dunfermline),  is planning join activities between the two cities.  She also joined us for our One World Award luncheon at Michaels on East last Sunday.
 
NEW MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
     For the last six months, your SCAS Board has been working on a new Membership Development Program.  We brainstormed and created many ideas for specific thing we could do.  We then narrowed the list to three areas:  attracting members, improving our retention of members, and enhancing our monthly luncheon meetings.  At the moment, each Board member is in the process of choosing and implementing two of these ideas.
     We are working slowly and deliberately, looking to make small but significant improvements.  When we have incorporated the first set of ideas, we will move to a second set, and so on.  We are working to make your experience as a Sister City member a good one! If you have questions, contact Dave Harralson at dharralson7@gmail.com or 941-870-5516.
 
PLAQUES FOR OUR SISTER CITIES IN BAYFRONT PARK.
     GREAT NEWS!  The concrete pedestals for the plaques for each of our Sister Cities have been repositioned and the plaques are being refinished.  The City of Sarasota has been really helpful in this effort.  A new plaque for is being made and installed for Vladimir, Russia.  Also signs are being placed at each end of the tree walk indicating that these plaques commemorate the signings with each of our Sister Cities and indicating our mission.  This job is virtually done.  Excellent job, Ray Young and his committee (Gloria Grenier & Bill Wallace) with some additional help by Kenney DeCamp.
 
 
Dat’s all for now, Folks!  Comments or questions to Dave Harralson, 941-870-5516 or dharralson7@gmail.com


Nov / Dec 2015



As our membership renewal campaign is in full swing, a number of members have asked me why we no longer have a Newsletter—and have expressed a desire for one.  Nationwide, newsletters have dwindled in the Internet age. Postage and paper are expensive.  We do have a blog, a web site, a Facebook Page, a Pinterest site, and so on where you can go to see our latest activities, pictures, by-laws, and so on.  And these sites are doing an excellent job.  But maybe you members would like more regular communication to be pushed directly to you????

What follows IS NOT a newsletter, but it is modeled on the local info@srqmagazine.com and info@biz941.com idea.  Short snippets of what is going on in the Sarasota Sister City world sent to you as things happen.

At this point, this is not an official organ of Sarasota Sister Cities.  It is strictly what strikes Dave Harralson, your Membership VP, as being newsworthy. At this point info@sarasotasistercities is strictly unofficial—and may or may not last.  We’re just trying out something new.



***** NOVEMBER / DECEMBER, 2015  ISSUE *****


NEW MEMBERSHIPS AND RENEWALS

Your Membership Vice President is calling or emailing each of you to tell you we have received your check or PayPal statement.  But remember……..it takes a while for your check to get from City Hall to our new office in the Federal Building.  Then the treasurer has to pick up your checks / PayPal, log them, forward them to me, and ONLY THEN can I let you know they have been received.  Thanks for your patience.


THE PASSING OF RON GOSSETT

Board member Ron Gossett suddenly became ill this last summer and passed away on October 9 after a short illness.  Ron organized the Playwriting Festival we sponsor with Florida Studio Theatre and was a board member of Sister Cities International.  He will be greatly missed—and we send our warm regards to his wife, Shirley.


OUR LECTURE SERIES/SPEAKERS BUREAU 

We began this Sister City lecture series last Fall, and it has been a bit hit so far.  Talks on everything from Sarasota history, the creation of perfumes, to the relationship of the Sarasota Jewish community to Israel (and particularly our sister city, Tel Mond). 

They will begin again in the New Year, and each is followed by a Meet & Greet, a social hour where we can discuss the talk over wine and munchies.  You will receive specific details about locations before each event.  Hope to see you there!


Feb. 8 – Flub-dub and Farfetchedness:  China Behind the
Travel Posters

Mar. 16 – France:  A Tale of Two Cities—Paris and Perpignan

Apr. 20 – Polynesian Cultures of the South Pacific



A NEW SISTER CITY FROM SWITZERLAND?

New sister cities are not suggested—and immediately accepted.  Getting a new sister city is a courtship process.  After both Sarasota and a candidate city visit back and forth, determine likenesses that would insure a successful twinning, a city then becomes a “Friendship City.” Sarasota and our potential sister city are engaged, but not yet married. 

We explore possible educational, tourist, cultural, and economic development exchanges and activities.  Is there enough interest in Sarasota to support a prospective new sister city?  Is the foreign city strongly interested in contributing to the success of this twining.  Only then, after this long process, is a city recommended for twinning with us.
I tell you all this to let you know that we have made a new friend.  Under the careful tutelage of Primo and Ruth Bader and the Swiss-American Club,  Rapperswil-Jona has been proposed as a new friendship city from Switzerland.
Welcome Nelly Camardo, Provisional City Director for Rapperswil-Jona and Charlotte Hull, Assistant City Director.


SISTER CITY PLAQUES IN BAYFRONT PARK ARE CRUMBLING?!?!

On Island Park, a part of Bayfront Park, A tree has been planted by the city each time we twinned with new Sister City.  Each tree has a plaque in front of it telling which Sister City it was planted for and the date. 

A recent letter from the city suggested that the plaques before each tree were in bad shape.  To that end, Ray Young (chair), Gloria Grenier, Dave Harralson, and Bill Wallace visited Island Park to examine the condition of the plaques.
We found that as the trees have grown, their roots are pushing the plaques (on a concrete base) out of the ground, and most of them are now askew.  Our committee has suggested that the City reseat the plaques.  We have offered to replace the one plaque that is missing.  Some on the committee even suggested that a small sign be mounted at each end of the walk indicating that this is the Sarasota Sister Cities Walk of Trees.  Stay tuned for what happens……………..


A NEW SISTER CITY OFFICE

Office space has grown increasingly tight at City Hall, but the city manager (with the strong encouragement of Kenney DeCamp) has found us a new office in the old, beautiful Federal Building at the corner of Ringling Blvd. and Orange.

We now have a much larger office with storage space. We moved in late October. Thanks for your effort Kenney.

WHEN I COLLECT A LITTLE MORE NEWS, YOU’LL HEAR FROM ME AGAIN!   THAT IS—IF YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM ME AGAIN!

David Harralson
VP Membership