Good evening. I would like to welcome you to the Sister Cities Commission meeting Monday, June 2nd, 5:15. And can we I'll call to order. Roll call. Oh, do I say it? No, I asked for roll call. Ron Wendinger, Ellie Sweeney,
Carolyn Marty Smith, Larry Mack, Jane M Hokei, Dick Seabol, John Vorwick, Kathleen Backer. The next on the agenda is the approval of the minutes for 5525. And has everybody had an
opportunity to look at them? I move to accept as presented. Second. Any discussion? If none all in favor I I opposed. Motion carried. The next item on the agenda is
the financial report. We have an expense on the month for 26576 and that expense was for the recognition award reception and the award plaque.
And on the for the month ending, we also had expenses in January for our international membership of $440. Our flight to Germany for our in turn going out was
$187 $1,8171. And then a little stiple for her was $150. So, our balance um is $1,162.99 and total on hand is $7,947.
I'll have a motion to approve as presented. I'll second. Is there any discussion? If not, all in favor? I oppose. Motion carried. Then we'll move on to se um
section 5.1 outborn outbound um inter Martha Bald should already be in Germany and should be settling in. She left on the 26th and she'll return on the 15th. Um she's going to be working at the Danube office helping organize a big
event in July. And then she'll move on to her second position to be with the city of Alm to support the school child care and vacation program for the kids um which begins in mid July. Has anybody heard from her um that she made it and
everything went okay? I'll have to ask Lisa. I'll follow up with Lisa and see if she's heard anything. 5.2 two is our intern that's coming in, Samuel, and he is going to
show um arrive on September 2nd and we'll be here through November 24th. Um he's going to be working at Shell's Brewery and we'll be um we have two host families already for um Samuel when he gets here. Um the host families are
Sharon and Dick Seabbo. Um September 2nd through October 13th and from October 14th through November 24th is Jim and Connie Bartles. They have volunteered too. Did we form up the date with them? Yes. Okay. I Yeah, I did. I had they
said they they would and we were um they have one week um where they're going to be gone actually. Um they're going on a trip and um their daughter is going to come home and stay with um at Sam with Samuel while he's there. So okay,
they've got it all taken care of. Okay. Does anyone have an update relating to Jensen Motors or Chuck Spaith for Samuel's rental car? Has anybody does anybody remember who was going to check on that? Brian was supposed to, but he wasn't at the last
meeting, so he maybe didn't know he was supposed to. I think it was in the minutes. So, yeah. Okay. I'll reach out to Brian. I'll send him a a message and see if he can report for the um next meeting because we really need to get that wrapped up so
that we have it all ready to go um for Samuel. All right. Um they also need somebody to pick Samuel up from the um MSP airport and I'm willing to do that. Okay. Great. Great. Thank you for volunteering. would
also be available if something comes up for you. Okay, thank you. Um so, um that takes care of that. Um we can move on to old business, the broadstand,
we're still in need of a few people to help on that second Monday, August 25th. Um, I can fill in, but it just means that there would be just two of us on the two spots where we have two. It would be nice if there's an extra
person. I realize that's on a Monday. Um, we'll make it work. Um, maybe I can recoup a a grandchild to help me anything. Yeah. So, I'll I'll And you could come. I could Okay. I'm sure we'll get it. We always seem to. That's a lifetime away and I'll probably be able
to jump in. But uh right now I Anner I like to have things ahead of time. Um and I will also um check with Lisa to make sure we've got all the supplies that we need for our first brat stand on the 22nd of June. Um so that we have
everything ready to go. Did we find the the signs are here? Okay. They're upstairs um in the storage. So um we know where they are and stuff. So, okay. We'll just need to get them ahead of time, Larry, and make sure we can get
them out there. Since we're on that topic, you might want to check. I don't know if we have any boats up there, but I do think it's it speeds things up if you have some on hand as opposed to just using napkins. No, that'll be the supplies that I'll check on to make sure we have and I'll make sure we have
gloves and I'll actually need supplies and stuff as well. Are you doing the roasters? Um, I can bring one. I have one. church one. And then we'll need a crock pot for the sauerkraut. And I have
one roster. One roster and a crockpot for sauerkraut. Yeah. And I have I have both those. So it's just easy if one person just brings them, put them in, get rid of them. All right. Um, next on the old business, we have an update from the Narens relating to their trip to
Germany in February of 2025. And who is going to speak on that? Would you like to Hi. Hi. I'm V Plaggy and I was the one that was here a year ago. Presented the idea to you all that we were going to
make this trip to uh M and uh other parts of Germany, namely the Black Forest. And so, first of all, I want to say thank you, Mayor um Backer for your prompt and continued support of the NAR.
Uh she had followed up with a letter to uh own the city and it didn't take long that we had received an invitation uh for our reception, which at that time seemed like a long time away. Um and uh
uh when we were there, we were treated to a royal reception both and I'm going to ask some by Narn to help bring some things out that I'm probably forgetting because it seems like a lifetime ago now. I and I'm ready to go again. But we
were re uh I cannot uh I can't express how well we were treated and we were in our mask and we were walking in and all the people you know both the Lord mayors of man Naome were there and there was a
band and there was the the dancing carnival group. I'm trying to think of what they are called, but they do the kicks and so on. And then there is royalty in Naome where they're there seeming to be a blend of what is fashing
and carnival as we learned in our museum trips in uh the Black Forest. It used to be that you know they were sort of separate but now in M they have a princessen and a prince and they have
their own event. Uh so the city council was there, media, newspaper, TV was interviewing all of us and Breida the our founder was a you know spoke and
um former sister city exchange Anna I don't Nesser and Nesser was it Nesser or Coler or short coler [Laughter] came and talk to us. Not me. I think I
was visiting or on TV or something. Uh and then uh I want to mention that the 2024 yeah sister city exchange AIA invited us to her city sended and we had
a grand mini party in their little clubhouse that went beyond. We we really connected with them. Uh pizza, beer, and schnaps. and and the mayor was there as
well. Um so uh then on Sunday, the day of the big parade of the mass groups that we went for this event and all the bands, we were the honored guests on the TV station who the host was Martin
Mishnake. uh and he was really in instrumental in helping us in the Black Forest because of his immediate connection when we were able to be in a we were invited to be in a parade in the Black Forest in a small village called
Goutak. uh the Julia Narnzump uh were there and when we came by the media was there and they were talking here we are from New Minnesota and so on but Martin was the one and then there's also another man who does all the
photographing he in uh in in so um let's see I think that's all I'm going to say I do want to say but one of I invited the Narn here members that they could also share their thoughts because I have been there while before.
Um she said uh we're we were treated very well and made feel so welcome. They entertained us with their dancers, treated us to refreshments and treats at the big parade. The TV host was always putting an emphasis on us with the
various NAR groups which also made us feel quite important. Uh looking forward to if we can invite them to our city. the the NARN groups from M itself were very busy in planning this whole event. Uh how many people were
there? I don't know 20,000. I'm just going to say it was huge. It was huge. So they worked a lot. Um but uh I do have to say that the president Giggy Vice would like to come to NewM. So
maybe we can invite him. Uh that's for the the whole NAR group. So Denise, do you have something you want to say? Maybe you want to show. Well, I can just kind of tell you some of our paraphernalia from the trip. And I don't know if you want to pass around. We did
put together a a photo book from the trip. Okay. And mine in the beginning, Joel Meyer was our guide and he put together a book. So that's in there. And also from the
parade in M. They actually what was called intrapin. So they put it they put actually have a book put together and as they march in the parade you have to yell their slogan and I can't think of like we always say in the arena you have to yell back and then they give you
candy or they come around with shots or it was it was quite fascinating. So I've got a few of those things in there too if you want to pass that around. Um collecting pins was a big deal. So especially in M you know we
collected a lot of pins from all the different Narn groups. The point that we went to is approximately 4 hours long and it just nar group upon Narn group bands and they have a lot of the grass yet which is so cool. You know we don't see that in the United States anymore.
So that was really fun. Um, one of the things we did learn over there, we visited a wood carver in Titusy, but they had already talked about it when we were in Ghog, but they have what they call clackers, and you clack them together, and as you dance, you're going
up and down and all over. What have you practiced? No, I haven't. I was gathering things, but quite a few nar brought them. So I would think at the very last he'll probably come out and we'll try to figure out how to do them, but it's an old thing in the wood
car over there. I think he may probably make about 20 to 30 sets and sent them back. Then um we also went to the sty museum, the teddy bear, except I got a rabbit. So that was kind of fun and he's really
soft. Uh the nar before we went we all purchased kind of similar. We all wore it. We had a jacket and hat that we wore so that we all identified together and that was even our guests that were along. We all kind of looked and it was
fantastic. Um some of the nights we had hats made, you know, and this is a crazy time in Germany, you know, all the parades they love to celebrate. So we just fit right in with our goofy little hats and and as gifts and I don't know if I
grabbed things, but Rita went through and I don't know how many of you are familiar with our Narin group, but you know, we have all individual characters. They all have an individual story. So, we gave that out to I don't know how many did we just give about probably 10
to 15 as we traveled with and then um Chamber had just framed her in the German and those out. I think Al went to the uh as a president, he got to go to a
special gig, breakfast thing and he gave out uh we had some that was in our homes the city of New Brick brick blocks we the brick,
right? Yeah. From Yeah. Yeah. So, we had a few of those. We bricks over. Yeah. a couple times. Sent a couple back with guests as well. It's amazing what you can get, you know,
and then on there too and then we had our normal button. So, we had a great time. It was fantastic. Thank you for your uh the the monetary donation that you gave us was used for marketing as we had
said uh and the journal and KUJ did a great job in um in our promotion of our even just our group and Sweet Haven Tonics as you know ho hosted us and we uh had an event that sort of kicked it
off. So we had four guests who came and so that was partly what we used and then we also used towards our bandanas uh and gifts that we gave. So um any other questions? How many went all
together? Uh there was 15 narn and four guests. Are you going to plan another tour? Never know. think uh every couple years or five years, 10 years or never know some of the members of the group that
have not been there. Uh Joe, what do you do you have anything you want to say about the trip that impressed you? I want to invite the groups here. That's what I really want to do. Uh and to have an exchange that way. There's
been an ongoing contact. I'm going to work on sending thank you step up to the mic. That way we can get you filmed and people hear you. Smile on camera. Thank you.
Uh I guess uh the trip isn't over yet. Uh there's still ongoing things contact with the various groups that hosted us over there. Uh this one uh Narn group in uh the Black Forest
um they made contact with VI uh through the internet or Facebook or something like that. uh it was so unusual to them that uh there was a group from the United States uh coming
over and that was involved in the NARN festivities and stuff like that. Uh so this continued and grew and uh we got into the parade got a spot in the parade
in this little town and uh the evening festivities it was just nuts. uh intense is what I would say the celebration and uh the families involve little kids. They're pulling little kids
in like little red wagons and stuff like that and they're all dressed up too and and stuff. Um we uh participated in the uh narinbomb putting up the the narin tree and this is a long almost hour-long
event of them uh okay lifting it up. There's there's drinking in between resting and drinking but uh these guys uh they're very capable of doing it. It's a it's a team, you know, like a group of
lumberjacks come in, you know, and they got crossed um uh polls and they're they're lifting this thing up in stages and it's it's really fantastic and uh like the they
rolled out the red carpet for us. everybody, you know, wanted to come up and, you know, first greet us, welcome us, and then ask uh where we're from. And um I gave at the reception that
night when we were gradu congratulating the host Narin Group uh my twominut presentation after about two sentences you could tell the the buzz in
the room quieted down because this was uh something unique and different. a group coming over. So I tied the whole thing together with the what the 48ers fleeing Germany coming over here
establishing a utopia in the middle of America and that uh emphasizing that we uh still keep the traditions uh music and art you know like the goss
uh there's been bands in new, you know, ever since the founding of Newom and uh also the Narn tradition. And so we brought it up to date and uh so I'm going to send them a thank you note along with a book for the little town
museum, Narin Museum there that uh really hosted us. So it was a good trip. Thank you. Just one question. Uh during the trip, how many nights were hotel and how
many nights were actually hosted with uh German families? All of them were hotels. Okay. Thank you. Uh Mercur Hotel in Fryburgg right downtown. Uh where else? Yep. Uh we uh
in Rotvile uh we stayed at a hotel that we were at in 23 with the new M sister city tour. Um and M uh was was a different hotel, but it was right off of the square. So
if the people got cold, they could uh go into the hotel and warm up. It was just uh right opposite the B minster. So Thank you very much. I just I just have one more thing to say
that um Rita pointed out to me, our founder. Uh the thing about that we observe over there is that the whole town goes out for the NAR and the NAR groups. I mean, the city, you know, all the the
the I should say they they've got all the emergency the the police, the fire, and the the people who clean up and uh the restaurants and the it it's they just all really support their their nar
groups, but they've been doing this for so many years that it's like second nature and it's very family orientated. So this is what we like to do at our fashing is to really get down and get
kids and family involved. It's parent parents and children. That would be a goal. Thank you. Be great to have them come here and have the people of New Alm see that there's a bigger group of people that do this unique thing. You know, I
think some of our people think, why do they have these people going around in the wooden mass? But if they could see all the ones that are from Germany, it would make it a more global. Uh I think our our thing is to see they will not come in fashing season. So when do we
invite them? I see you know October Fest or when it's 95 in Bavarian blast via are you the only group in Minnesota or Yes. Okay. There is a group in uh
called the Mullers in Milwaukee and they're only men and they started their group oh uh back in the late 90s when we were in room we had a group here that
had performed at Heritage uh it was Heritage Fest. Uh we went to room by Insbrook and there they have the sh platters that wear masks and a group from uh his it was a
Mr. Berg he knew Leo Bberg and he had brought the group there and they were starting their group and so that's another group and Omaha had a group for a while but they found out how hard it is to keep the momentum going. Right.
Sure. Yeah. So, well, thank you for doing this. Thank you very much. Thank you. Yes. Thank you. Joe, did you have something? Just one more um idea. I had the light bulb go on. Um just wanted to draw the
parallel connection uh between u fashing and the celebrations over there. Vi had talked about where the city helps um in the festivities like with police and fire department stuff like that. We
do that here with uh Hermanfest and I think that's a really good uh thing to bring to your attention that uh you know the city has to work together with the people and and the various groups to to sell our town as far as tourism
goes. That's another hook to bring the people in. Thank you. Thank you, Joe. Thank you. I want to back up just a little bit. Um to do you have an update on Jensen's or
um car for Samuel? Have you Brian? I I do not. I do not. Okay. Are you going to I can talk to Jensen. Okay. either them or Chuck Spaith and see if they're willing and then have something for us by the next meeting, please. Thank you.
Thank you. Okay, let's move on to new business. Um, one thing I have is that we need to start thinking about our welcome for Samuel and the date will be September 8th. Okay, we have a couple months, but um, it'll come faster than we we think. So,
just keep that on the thing and I'll ask um Lisa to put it on the agenda for the next meeting so we can see. So, you want to do a a thing at the bowling have in the past? Yeah. A welcome on the September 8th. Okay. Is there anything else for new business?
I just like to say Jane, thank you for taking the chairmanship again. That we've been struggling with it and you've stepped up and we appreciate it. I know we all do. Every single one of us. Thank you. Okay. So, if there's nothing more, um I'd like to
say that the next meeting will be h will be held on Monday, um July 7th at 5:15 p.m. here in city hall. And if there's nothing else, then I will adjourn the meeting.