| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, Bodo Gsedl, born in Taufkirchen (Vils), Germany, | ||||||
| 3 | attended West Chicago Community High School as an AFS exchange | ||||||
| 4 | student and is a proud graduate; during one of his visits to | ||||||
| 5 | West Chicago, he brought his twin brother, Uwe, who fell in | ||||||
| 6 | love with a woman, married her, and settled in West Chicago; | ||||||
| 7 | and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, When Taufkirchen (Vils) was exploring a sister | ||||||
| 9 | city relationship, Bodo Gsedl suggested West Chicago; an | ||||||
| 10 | exploratory visit was made, and the two cities made a | ||||||
| 11 | proclamation declaring the relationship in 1999; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, A sister city or a twin town relationship is a | ||||||
| 13 | form of legal or social agreement between two geographically | ||||||
| 14 | and politically distinct localities for the purpose of | ||||||
| 15 | promoting cultural and commercial ties; and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, In 1999, a group of West Chicagoans traveled to | ||||||
| 17 | Taufkirchen, Germany to sign the official partnership papers | ||||||
| 18 | to become sister cities; Nancy Smith, City Clerk of West | ||||||
| 19 | Chicago, signed on behalf of the City of West Chicago, and | ||||||
| 20 | Franz Hofstetter, Burgermeister of Taufkirchen, signed on | ||||||
| 21 | behalf of the municipality of Taufkirchen; and | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | WHEREAS, Over the past 25 years, there have been over 20 | ||||||
| 2 | exchanges of visitors between the two cities, introducing | ||||||
| 3 | participants to the customs of each country and exploring | ||||||
| 4 | German and American cultures, including musical and dance | ||||||
| 5 | groups that have performed in the other country; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Visitors are hosted in family homes in each | ||||||
| 7 | community, honoring the social agreement set forth in 1999; | ||||||
| 8 | the families participate in welcome dinners, tourist | ||||||
| 9 | attractions, and unique opportunities to visit facilities that | ||||||
| 10 | are not open to the public; and | ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, In 2019, the West Chicago sister cities group | ||||||
| 12 | celebrated the partnership's 20th anniversary with a visit to | ||||||
| 13 | Taufkirchen, Germany, which included the 20th anniversary | ||||||
| 14 | celebration dinner with the signing of a proclamation and an | ||||||
| 15 | exchange of gifts; and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, West Chicago and Taufkirchen share a similar | ||||||
| 17 | focus on enriching regional goods and businesses through | ||||||
| 18 | annual festivals and markets; Blooming Fest is DuPage County's | ||||||
| 19 | official welcoming committee of spring; it is held in West | ||||||
| 20 | Chicago's downtown and features one of the region's largest | ||||||
| 21 | plant sales, live music, and a variety of craft and food | ||||||
| 22 | vendors; in Taufkirchen, the Adlberger Market transforms the | ||||||
| 23 | town center into a merchant and entertainment mile with | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | open-air concerts, and all kinds of delicacies are offered by | ||||||
| 2 | local hosts and butchers; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 3 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
| 4 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF | ||||||
| 5 | REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we declare May 15, | ||||||
| 6 | 2024 as Sister City Partnership Day in the State of Illinois in | ||||||
| 7 | honor of the 25th anniversary of the West Chicago and | ||||||
| 8 | Taufkirchen sister city relationship; and be it further | ||||||
| 9 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of the resolution be | ||||||
| 10 | presented to the mayor of West Chicago as a symbol of our | ||||||
| 11 | respect and esteem. | ||||||