Recent Activities
Sister Cities Association of Sarasota
Citizen Diplomats – Carving a Path Toward Peace since 1963
Dunfermline, Scotland – Hamilton, Canada – Perpignan, France – Mérida, Mexico
Xiamen (Siming Disrict), China – Tel Mond, Israel – Treviso, Italy – Vladimir, Russia
Updated February 2016
General Activities Involving ALL of our Sister Cities
- Our annual One-World Gala honors community leaders such as Nick Bollitieri, Bob Roskamp, Linda Rosenbluth & Dolly Jacobs and Pedro Reis
- Sponsored Meet & Greets, our monthly social/cocktail hours for membership and friends at various local venues
- Monthly lecture series/speakers bureau on a variety of topics (e.g. The Golden Age of Sarasota, Perfumes and their composition, The Sarasota/Tel Mond, Israel, Connection, China Behind the Posters)
- Co-Sponsored the Thistle Ball with the Caledonian Club
- Yearly Young Playwrights’ Festival in conjunction with the Florida Studio Theatre
- Yearly Arts Contests in conjunction with Embracing Our Differences (electronic transmission)
- The Circus Arts Conservatory, one of our Alliance member, sponsored our Board to an evening at Sailor Circus
- Sustainability Conference with 400 attendees and scholars from 8 foreign countries
- La Musica holds a 50th Anniversary concert in honor of Sarasota Sister Cities
- Twinning our elementary and secondary schools with those in some of our Sister Cities
- Visits of foreign Sister Cities’ mayors and delegations
- Our visits by the mayor and delegations to our Sister Cities
- Beginning the friendship process with Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland, part of the process toward becoming a twin with Sarasota
Dunfermline, Scotland (Sister City Since 2002)
- Sarasota Geneological Society members (20) go to Scotland to study their geneology and tour
- Dunfermline Boy Scouts come to Sarasota twice
- Sarasota Boy Scouts go to Dunfermline
- Dunfermline youths win Young Playwrights’ Festival several times
- Joint meeting between Sarasota’s Caledonian Club and our organization
- Sarasota hosts parish and business leaders from Dunfermline
- Dunfermline’s 35-member Fiddle Orchestra visits Sarasota and performs for a week
- Sponsor The Caledons, three Scottish tenors
- Embracing Our Differences winner David Ewles, noted Scottish photographer, visits here
- Principal of Carnegie College and his wife visit Sarasota
- Carnegie College students visit here for three-week entrepreneurship course
- Several biennial golf tournaments are held both in Sarasota and Dunfermline
- Dunfermline hosted the designer of our own Sarasota tartan and his family
- YMCA’s Sarasota Sharks compete in Dunfermline and the U.K.
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (Sister City Since 1990)
- The Jason Project was participated in with Mote Marine Laboratory
- TV new anchor exchanges between Hamilton and Sarasota
- Three Hamilton women reenactors from the Wetfield Heritage village visit and make a presentation at Historic Spanish Point
- Video Boot Camp
- Three Westfield Village docents visit to speak and make maple sugar at Spanish Point
Mérida, Mexico (Sister City Since 2010)
- Became our Sister City in an elegant signing ceremony in the courtyard of Ringling Museum
- State College of Mérida Embassy Photo Exhibit hosted by the State College of Florida
- Various business deals between Sarasotans and Méridianos have taken place in, among other things, yachts and cattle
- Sponsor monthly tertullias in Sarasota to discuss events relating to Mérida and the Latino community, carried out both in English and Spanish
- Nineteen-member delegation goes to Mérida to meet with city economic development officials and tour
- An economic development team from Mérida came to Sarasota and talked about economic development ideas with similar staff from the city of Sarasota and Sarasota County.
Perpignan, France (Sister City Since 1994)
- Twenty-seven member Sarasota delegation tours Perpignan, including a dinner reception dinner with city officials, educational tours to historic, art, and architectural sites
- Economic Development Brochure: Created a 4pp. brochure with information facilitation economic development in Perpignan and Sarasota. Is published both in French and English
- Hosted a student pilot from France who was in Sarasota to study English and take flight instruction
- A seven Sister Cities member delegation is invited to the dedication and opening of the new Perpignan Performing Arts Center, The Archipelago. During the visit, the delegates also met with the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, department heads of the University of Perpignan interested in solar energy, various business leaders, and representatives of Perpignan’s other Sister Cities (in Israel, Algeria, Germany and England)
- Hosted a representative of the Perpignan Department of Tourism on a visit and tour of Sarasota
- Eight students from Sarasota high schools and two chaperones were guests for a week-long Catalan Festival. The students presented an original composition at the festival.
- Delegation from Perpignan comes to the Sarasota Film Festival.
- In collaboration with one of our Alliance members, the Alliance Francaise de Sarasota, an intern from Perpignan spent four months working in Sarasota in the office of the Alliance Francaise.
- Perpignan gave a gift of children’s books to Sarasota’s Island Village Montessori School
- Exchanged tourist brochures with Perpignan
- Hosted families and students from Perpignan
- Twenty-four Perpignan students and four professors come to Sarasota as part of a project on renewal energy and conservation. The exchange won a Department of Energy award for an innovative sustainable energy program
- Sixteen students from Riverview High School visit Perpignan and present their study/report on American culture
- “Elaboration en Signature” signed by the University of Perpignan and New College. Three New College students attended.
- Exchange of World War II historical information to assist French author Pieter Kohnstam
- Facilitated the Computer Art Exchange between l’Ecole Supereure d’Art and Manatee Community College
- Facilitated the gift of art books from Perpignan Museum to the Ringling Library
Siming District, Xiamen, China (Sister City Since 2007)
- Seminar on conducting business in Asia
- Long-running Chinese Film Series in conjunction with Ringling College of Art and Design
- An economic development program was developed with Xiamen, China (in cooperation with Florida State University) as a prototype for future economic development efforts
- Beijing Magazine, an international Chinese magazine, write an article on Sarasota Sister City innovations in culture and business involving Xiamen
- Two Xiamen, China, artists come to Sarasota for painting demonstration
- Two Sarasota artists go to Xiamen to demonstrate their painting style
- A painting of a Chinese student was a winner in the Embracing Our Differences art contest
- Our member, Irene Leung, a Xiamenese, continues to make business connections with Siming
Tel Mond, Israel (Sister City Since 1999)
- Project Renewal of the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation provides a close relationship with Tel Mond
- Tel Mond dancers performed at “Coexistence” opening-day celebration at the bayfront
- Tel Mond dancers came to Sarasota and performed for the Girl Scouts, Sister Cities, Booker High School, the Jewish Community Center, and the Goldie Feldman Academy
- Pen Pal Exchange between Sarasota and Tel Mond, involving over 60 students in Ashton, Pineview, and Goldie Feldman Academy
- The Tel Mond Singers perform in Sarasota
- Tel Mond Dancers combine with alumni from the Perlman Music Institute for a Night of Music and Culture
- Delegation visits Tel Mond to meet with city officials and tour
- Mayor of Tel Mond, Ronny Golan, discusses economic development opportunities with Michael Crosby, CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory
Treviso, Italy (Sister City Since 2007)
- Gala Ball for combined Italian groups in the area
- Taste of Treviso, an SCAS luncheon honoring Richard Storm for his vestment to Knighthood of the Italian Republic.
- “The Province of Treviso seen through the Works of Canova and Palladio” created by photographer Cristina Madeyeski. The exhibit was co-sponsored by Sister Cities and the University of South Florida – Sarasota/Manatee
- Provided a presentation of the architecture of Venice, the capital city of Veneto, where our Sister City of Treviso Province is located
- Sponsored an art exhibit at University of South Florida-Sarasota/Manatee entitled “Mostra Sarmede – Le immagini della Fantasia,” featuring some 300 illustrations of over 150 artists. This is a travelling exhibit begun in 1983 and frequently updated. Three international relations representatives from the Province of Treviso were present
Vladimir, Russia (Sister City Since 1994)
- Sponsored an Electronic Art Exchange between Manatee Community College and Vladimir Pedagogical University
- Facilitated a link between Sarasota Bay Rotary and Vladimir Rotary
- Participated in Hands of Heritage, a multicultural art exchange with Vladimir
- Help establish classroom pen pals between Vladimir School #7 and Sarasota elementary school students
- Helped Sarasota County Environmental Services (Solid Waste Unit) to provide blueprints for a new municipal landfill for Vladimir
- The Vladimir CD worked with the Moscow Nights Agency to bring Russian dancers to Sarasota for performances at several local venues.