Full Text of SJR0063 103rd General Assembly
SJ0063 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SJ0063 | | LRB103 40637 LAW 73338 r |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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. |
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