sister cities Spring 2018NEWSLETTER

Promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation — one individual, one community at a time. www.ketteringsistercities.com

A Message from the ChairBy Al Fullenkamp

Al Fullenkamp

www.sister-cities.org

Kettering Sister Cities Celebrating 50 YearsBy Joyce Conner

It was on March 28, 1967, that Kettering City Council passed an ordinance signed by Mayor R. J. Haverstick establishing the Kettering Sister Cities Committee. The duty of the committee was “to study, formulate and develop plans for an active cultural exchange between the City of Kettering and a foreign city to be adopted.”

The members p r o c e e d e d c a u t i o u s l y t o i d e n t i f y a city which would attract the interest, s u p p o r t and st i r the imagination of the people of Kettering. After four years of diligent work, the committee made a recommendation and City Council selected Steyr, Austria as our Sister City. It was made official when Mayor Charles Horn and Councilmember Gerald Busch met with Burgermeister Josef Fellinger in Steyr in October 1971. This pairing was so successful that in February 1978, Kettering, England was officially invited to be our second Sister City.

During the early years, the Sister Cities Committee established the Sister Cities Association to help with fundraising events and support various projects and activities, many of which are continuing today. The first float in the Holiday at Home parade was built in 1971 and won the Queen’s Award. The first Spass Nacht was held in 1975 at Town and Country Shopping Center. The pen pal program was initiated in the schools as well as essay contests and art exhibits. There were Austrian dinners and English teas that promoted cultural understanding of our Sister Cities.

In 1972 the Sister Cities Committee received an award for Best Overall Program from Sister Cities International, the first of many prestigious awards received over the years for outstanding projects and exemplary leadership.

A delegation from Steyr, led by Burgermeister Franz Weiss, visited Kettering in 1975 and was

honored with a Gala Dinner and Dance. In 1976 Mayor Horn led a delegation of 42 Kettering citizens for a wonderful visit to Steyr. Later visits to Kettering, England were also initiated. Groups from Steyr and Kettering, England were hosted by local families when they visited here. There are numerous examples of long-standing friendships fostered by the exchanges.

T h e f i r s t S t u d e n t E x c h a n g e was in 1976 w h e n F r a u Anneliese Clar and Tony Hofer accompanied 1 0 s t u d e n t s f r o m S t e y r w h o v i s i t e d Kettering and s t a y e d w i t h host families. Then in 1977, Al Laughrey

chaperoned 14 Kettering students to Steyr. Their experience was invaluable and the student exchanges have been continuous for 42 years—a true testament to the success of the program.

Professional work exchanges and teacher exchanges were initiated in later years. The Kettering Civic Band,the Kettering Children's Choir and the Kettering Youth Ballet have performed in both Sister Cities. Our guests like to visit during Holiday at Home weekend and participate in all of the festivities, especially the parade. A popular event and enriching experience was the New York Theatre Tour when members of Kettering, England joined us.

A membership drive was held in 1977 to promote and sustain Sister Cities programs and activities This is the first time dues were established. The campaign was very successful and 170 citizens became sustaining members of the Kettering Sister Cities Association. Some of them have continued their support every year since.

The Kettering Sister Cities Committee appreciates the Board Chairs who gave of their time and talent to pave the way for 50 years of outstanding achievements.

Sister Cities Executive Committee 2017

We are off to another great year h e r e a t K e t t e r i n g Sister Cities. First of all, a big thanks t o o u r p r e v i o u s C h a i r ( fo r t h e p a s t s e v e r a l

years), Emily Zimmer, for leading us through a very successful time. Fortunately, she remains an active Board member who will be helping to lead this year’s Student Exchange traveling to Steyr, Austria.

We are also off to a wonderful start again this year with a very well attended Annual Meeting in March at Mamma DiSalvo’s restaurant. We have a very busy year planned beginning with the City Block Party on June 11 at Lincoln Park Civic Commons from 6 to 8 p.m. Please come out and see the many things the City and Kettering Sister Cities have to offer.

Then, mark your calendars for Wednesday, June 20 and come out to Spass Nacht (the Austrian Festival) which is our major fundraiser. This will take place at Lincoln Park Civic Commons from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Net proceeds from this fundraiser help us to defray the costs of students wishing to travel to Steyr, Austria and, in off years, to assist in hosting/entertaining students from Steyr visiting our City. This Student Exchange is in its 43rd consecutive year. Our students will be traveling to Germany and Austria, leaving in late June, and will be traveling for about two and a

(continued on page 2)

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Kettering Mayor & CouncilDon Patterson, Mayor Don.Patterson@ketteringoh.org .................299.5512

Bill Lautar, Vice Mayor, At Large Bill.Lautar@ketteringoh.org ........................689.2205

Jacqueline Fisher, At Large Jacque.Fisher@ketteringoh.org ................... 232.1637

Robert Scott, District 1 Rob.Scott@ketteringoh.org ........................776.2315

Joseph D. Wanamaker, District 2 Joe.Wanamaker@ketteringoh.org ...............296.1712

Tony Klepacz, District 3 Tony.Klepacz@ketteringoh.org ..................435.9830

Bruce E. Duke, District 4 Bruce.Duke@ketteringoh.org .....................299.2259

Mark Schwieterman, City Manager Mark.Schwieterman@ketteringoh.org ........296.2412

Steven Bergstresser, Assistant City Manager Steven.Bergstresser@ketteringoh.org ..........296.2412

Council Office Phone Number: 296.2416Council Email: KetteringMayorCouncil@ketteringoh.org

Kettering Home Page: www.ketteringoh.org

KETTERING GOVERNMENT CENTER3600 Shroyer Road, Kettering, OH 45429

(937) 296-2416www.ketteringsistercities.com

2018 Events Calendar

Fourth Monday Monthly Sister Cities Committee Meeting 7:30 p.m. Locations Upon AvailabilityWednesday, March 14 Annual Sister Cities Dinner Meeting5:45 – 8:30 p.m. Mama DiSalvo’sMonday, June 11 Kettering Community Block Party 6 – 8 p.m. Lincoln Park Civic Commons7 p.m. Kettering Civic Band ConcertWednesday, June 20 Spass Nacht – An Austrian Festival 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. Kettering Sister Cities Fundraiser Lincoln Park Civic CommonsWednesday, July 4 Kettering’s Go 4th! Celebration6 – 10 p.m. Children’s Activities, Festival Food, Live Entertainment and the Biggest and Best Fireworks in the Region Delco Park Thursday, August 2 International Sister Cities Conferencethrough Saturday, August 4 Aurora, ColoradoJune 30 – July 17 Kettering Youth Visit SteyrMonday, September 3 Holiday at Home Labor Day Family Day, Sister Cities Beer Booth, Arts & Crafts and Auto Show Lincoln Park Civic CommonsTBD Pub Night Celebration of our Relationship with Kettering, England

If you would like to participate or have ideas to share, we would like to hear from you! Please write or contact:

• Kettering City Council Office at 937-296-2416

• Al Fullenkamp, Chairperson at 937-293-6263

• Ed Hatch, Steyr, Austria Subcommittee at 937-298-6124

• Janet Bolton, Kettering, England Subcommittee at 937-293-6556

Kettering Sister Cities CommitteeKettering Government Center

3600 Shroyer RoadKettering, OH 45429

www.sistercities.com Kettering Sister Cities

Sister Cities Board MembersWelcomeWe welcome the following new board members added in the past year:

• Bloom Beloved

• Alexis Ignatiou

• Don Timmer

Thank YouWe thank the fol lowing board members who retired during the year:

• Sherry Baker

• Michael Brandt

• Gary Busch

• Monica Meyer

• Sheila Magnuson

By Al Fullenkamp

A Message from the Chair(continued from page 1)

half weeks helping to share our culture and bring back a multitude of experiences to share with all of us.

As we approach fall, we again will be joining in Holiday at Home with participation in the parade; and please stop by our booth at the Arts and Crafts show at Lincoln Park for support, pretzels and cool refreshments.

Later in the fall, we will focus more to our other Sister City, Kettering, England, with Pub Night; the date is to yet be determined. We will have a Board member visiting Kettering, England this June to reinvigorate our relationship with them.

We also will be focusing on membership this year and will have applications available at all of our events. We hope you, our present members, will be our advocates in increasing membership and ask interested friends to join in an effort to spread opportunities for our community youth to experience our worldwide effort in bringing us all closer together.

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Continuous Sustaining Members from 1977

Carl and Roberta BeyerGerald and Irene Busch

Julie GilmoreRobert and Judith Hadley

Edward and Elke HatchMarty HibbsJean Judge

Joe and Pat MastbaumDinah Miller

Correne MoranThomas and Marilou Smith

Richard and Constance ThomasContinuous Sustaining Members in attendance at 50th Anniversary Celebration

Committee Chairpersons1967 – 2017

1967 – 1968 Gary Shepherd1969 – 1970 E. Beryl Ketchen1971 – 1973 Jocelyn Feeman1974 – 1976 Betty Jane Silas1977 – 1979 Al Laughrey1980 Helen M. Drummond1981 Correne Patterson1982 William Merrell1983 Correne Patterson1984 Donald Hibbs1985 David Abbot1986 Patricia Mastbaum1987 Walter Pettit1988 Paul Doty1989 Janet Niekamp Bolton1990 – 1991 Helen Smith1992 – 1993 William Gray1994 Cynda Kehl1995 – 1996 Janet Niekamp Bolton1997 – 1998 Patricia Mastbaum1999 – 2000 John Rininger2001 Phyllis Worthman2002 – 2003 Lynda Hohnhorst2004 Sue Dabbelt2005 – 2006 Vernon Hentz2007 – 2008 Gary Busch2009 – 2011 Robert Van Leeuwen2012 – 2013 Paul Fleitz2014 – 2017 Emily Zimmer2018 Al Fullenkamp

Committee Chairpersons in attendance at 50th Anniversary Celebration

Allen, Will and KimBaker, Earl and SherryBarber, John and SusanBayless, George and CharleneBeyer, Carl and RobertaBolton, James and JanetBrandt, Michael and MariaBusch, Gary and SusanBusch, Gerald and IreneConner, JoyceDailey, Richard and BrynneFullenkamp, Albert and SueHadley, Robert and JudithHartmann, Richard and Mona

Hatch, Edward and ElkeHeffner, MargieHoge, Franz and MargaretHohnhorst, LyndaHovey, Pete and JaneJudge, JeanKettering Moraine Oakwood Chamber of CommerceLaughrey, JohnLautar, Bill and JulieLawless, Bill and JackieMagnuson, SheilaMastbaum, Joe and Pat

Thank You to Our Patrons!Meers, Bill and Mary LouMiller, DinahMoran, CorreneMurphy, BarbaraNiekamp, DavidNordin, CarolPokorski, Joseph and LindaRathweg, Andrew and CourtneySchneider, Carl and JudyShaw, BrianWebb, Ashley and EmilyWittman, Robert and RobinZimmer, Robert and Emily

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Ke t t e r i n g S i s t e r C i t i e s 5 0 t h A n n i ve r s a r y Ce l e b ra t i o nBy Joyce Conner

The 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Kettering Sister Cities Committee was kicked off at a Kettering City Council meeting. Mayor Donald Patterson issued a Proclamation congratulating Kettering Sister Cities for 50 years of promoting cultural understanding with our Sister Cities abroad. It was accepted by Dr. Darrell Apt, a member of the first Sister Cities Committee in 1967 and by Emily Zimmer, Chair of the 2017 Sister Cities Committee.

Also at the meeting, Janet Bolton, Lynda Hohnhorst and Joyce Conner presented Mayor Patterson the prestigious award Kettering Sister Cities received from Sister Cities International. This award was for the Best Overall Program for cities of Kettering’s size.

T h e n M a y o r P a t t e r s o n welcomed 14 students from Steyr, Austria to Kettering. The chaperones from Steyr, Gaby Geretschlager and Andrea H a u g a u e r - R i m l , b ro u g h t

As guests arrived at Polen Farm last summer, they saw that the upstairs room in the barn had been transformed into a beautiful dining room with glittering lights and lovely flowers. The Sister Cities Committee had invited members who were involved in the early years and they were greeted enthusiastically by current members. Excitement was in the air and the

City Council Meeting

Gala Celebration at Polen Farm

Former Mayors Gerald Busch and Marilou Smith and Current Mayor Donald Patterson

Dr. Darrell Apt and Emily Zimmer

room was filled with conversation and laughter. More than a hundred guests of all ages enjoyed the festivities, including a fabulous buffet of delicious food and beverages.

The Committee was honored that all five mayors who have been suppor tive of Kettering Sister Cities through the years were

greetings from Mayor Hackl. This was the 41st Student Exchange between Kettering and Steyr. The host families were thanked for opening their homes to the students. This is how people-to-people relationships are built.

present. They were Mayors Charles Horn, Gerald Busch, Richard Hartmann, Marilou Smith and Donald Patterson.

During the program, tribute was paid to those who have been loyal members of the Kettering Sister Cities Association for 40 continuous years. They gave of their time to initiate programs that would create interest in the Sister Cities program.

Recognition was given to those who were Committee Chairs over the 50 years. Their leadership continued the tradition of excellence of the Kettering Sister Cities.

The Steyr guests, dressed in Austrian attire, presented an entertaining slide show of their activities. The youth from Kettering and the youth from Steyr had become good friends as they shared common interests and activities. It showed that the mission of Sister Cities International to promote peace begins at the local level, one person at a time.

Also attending were former Mayors Richard Hartmann and Charles Horn.

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Ke t t e r i n g S i s t e r C i t i e s 5 0 t h A n n i ve r s a r y Ce l e b ra t i o n

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Brats, Metts, Hot Dogs, Potato Salad,

Sauerkraut, Soft Pretzels, Baked Goods, Wine,

Imported & Domestic Beer, Soft Drinks & Water

available for purchase.

An Austrian Festival!

Music at 6 p.m. - Lawn chairs welcome - Family Friendly - 50 / 50 Raffle - Balloon Animals !

Wednesday, June 20, 2018Lincoln Park Civic Commons

695 Lincoln Park Boulevard Kettering, Ohio

5:30pm to 9:30pm Free Admission!

Event supports the Youth Exchange program to Steyr, Austria.

Present this flyer at Spass Nacht and get 2 pretzels for the price of 1!

Visit the Pretzel Booth to redeem coupon

New this YearWine!

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Upon arrival at Mamma DiSalvo’s on March 14, guests were greeted with bruschetta (some said it was the best they had ever eaten) while socializing. A cash bar was also available. After everyone was seated, a salad and freshly baked warm bread was served. A buffet followed with both meat lasagna and fettuccine alfredo. Fancy cookies topped off the delicious meal.

Chairman Albert Fullenkamp welcomed everyone and introduced Mayor Patterson, Council members, former Mayor Gerald Busch, the three newly appointed Board Members and asked other Board Members to stand. A short business meeting was then held with information about upcoming activities. Emily Zimmer, former chairperson, introduced Joe Yuppa who will be her co-chaperone for this year’s student trip to Steyr. Door prizes were then given. Albert thanked those on the committee who made the event possible— Janet Bolton, Sue Fullenkamp, Lynda Hohnhorst and Sherry Baker who took pictures. As the evening ended, many lingered, chatting with old friends and getting to know new ones.

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Name ..............................Title ................................................................................................................. Email Address .....................................Phone (area code 937)

Albert Fullenkamp ...........Chairperson.......................................................................................................................... alfullen@aol.com .......................................................................293-6263

Mary Lou Meers ..................Vice Chairperson, Kettering, England Subcommittee ............................................... meersworld@yahoo.com ............................................................294-7585

Sue Fullenkamp ................Treasurer ............................................................................................................................... fullsue@aol.com .........................................................................293-6263

Jackie Lawless ....................Secretary ............................................................................................................................... jackie_lawless@hotmail.com ................................................434-6970

Tony Klepacz ......................Council Liaison .................................................................................................................... tony.klepacz@ketteringoh.org .............................................435-9830

Susan Barber ......................................................................................................................................................................... sbarber3@woh.rr.com ..............................................................298-6274

Bloom Beloved ..................................................................................................................................................................... bloombeloved@gmail.com....................................................567-0536

Janet Bolton .......................Chairperson Kettering, England Subcommittee .................................................... janbolton@aol.com ...................................................................293-6556

Joyce Conner ......................Historian ................................................................................................................................ connerconsult@aol.com .........................................................434-4156

Ed Hatch ...............................Chairperson, Steyr Subcommittee .............................................................................. edward.hatch@gmail.com .....................................................298-6124

Lynda Hohnhorst ..............Chairperson Annual Meeting, Kettering, England Subcommittee ..................... lhohnhorst@yahoo.com ..........................................................434-0512

Alex Ignatiou ......................Kettering, England Subcommittee .............................................................................. alexis_ignatiou@yahoo.com ........................................513-238-3711

Andrew Rathweg ..............Chairperson, Spass Nacht ............................................................................................... andrewr@rathweginsurance.com .......................................350-7142

Donald Timmer .................................................................................................................................................................... timmer.don@gmail.com..........................................................299-3136

Robin Wittman ..................Membership ........................................................................................................................ r-wittman@sbcglobal.net .......................................................829-7173

Emily Zimmer .....................Steyr Subcommittee, Publicity ..................................................................................... emilyczimmer@gmail.com ............................................513-478-3385

Rob Zimmer ........................Spass Nacht, Holiday at Home ...................................................................................... roblzimmer@yahoo.com .........................................................527-9993

Kettering Sister Cities CommitteeGovernment Center3600 Shroyer RoadKettering, OH 45429

Kettering, Ohio, Sister Cities Newsletterwww.ketteringsistercities.com

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