Bellingham Sister Cities Association

17^th International Cultural Festival

“Culturally Linked in a Diverse World”

May 10, 2013

Whatcom Community College

Syre Student Center

6:00 – 8:30 pm

Free admission, desserts, and prizes

 Sponsored by Whatcom Community College Music Department & the Japanese Club

Supported by the WCC Ethnic Student Association

For information please contact [email protected]

There are a couple of important and fun events coming up you won’t want to miss! Put them on your calendar.

First, it’s time again for our BSCA Annual Meeting and Potluck! Here are the details:

When: Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 6:00pm

Where: Bellingham Technical College Cafeteria (Building G)

What to bring: A dish to share and a FRIEND! Visitors are welcome. [Last name of A-F, bring a salad; G-M, bring a main dish; N-S, bring a dessert; T-Z bring appetizers.]

Why to come? Well, this is the meeting where we highlight all the fun we had in 2012 and tell you about upcoming opportunities to be involved with the Sister Cities Association. Also, it’s a fun event. You get to meet our Sister Cities Representatives and learn more about Bellingham’s SEVEN sister cities.

Cost: FREE

Next, The Bellingham Yacht Club would like to extend an invitation…

to the members of the Bellingham Sister Cities Association to join them for their informal “Friday’s At Five” on April 19. During this “Friday’s At Five” the joint BSCA/BYC Pacific Rim Regatta Planning Committee will be presenting images of past Regattas and giving a short presentation on the plans for the 2014 Pacific Rim Regatta which will be held here in Bellingham in September of 2014.

The Pacific Rim Regatta is a joint effort of the Bellingham Sister Cities Association and the Bellingham Yacht Club and brings over 100 visitors from our Sister Cities that we will be hosting.

When: Friday, April 19th. The club will open at 5:00 and the short presentation will be around 6:00.

Where: Bellingham Yacht Club, 2625 S Harbor Loop Dr Bellingham, WA 98225

What to bring: Just yourself. The BYC will have appetizers for snacking.

Cost: No cost but there is a no host lounge.

Contact: For more information please contact John Gargett, Pacrim 2014 Co-Chair, 360-656-5700.

Hope to see you soon!!!

Punta Arenas Skyline

Teresa Van Haalen, Bellingham Sister City Association chair for Punta Arenas, Chile, traveled to our Sister City Punta Arenas, Chile with her husband, John in February of this year.  They spent nine days there at the end of their month long South American tour.  One of Teresa’s key objectives of the visit was to reestablish Bellingham’s relationship with the schools and community of Punta Arenas as well as seeking new partnership opportunities.

Punta Arenas is the capital city of Chile’s southernmost region, Magallanes and Antartica Chilena. Located on the north shore of the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas was originally established in 1848 as a tiny penal colony. During the remainder of the 1800s Punta Arenas grew in size and importance due to the increasing maritime traffic and trade destined to the west coast of both South and North America. This period of growth also coincided with the gold rush and sheep farming boom in the 1880s and early 1900s. Chile used Punta Arenas to firm up its sovereignty in this southernmost part of South America, which led to the Strait of Magellan being recognized subsequently as Chilean territory in the Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina. The geopolitical importance of Punta Arenas has remained high in the 20th and 21st centuries because of its logistic importance in accessing the Antarctic Peninsula.

Torres del Paine National Park & A Penguin On Isla Magdalena

Punta Arenas is located in Patagonia’s Tierra Del Fuego, surrounded by spectacular scenery, hiking and numerous photo ops.  Torres del Paine National Park is part of the National System of Protected Forested Areas of Chile. It is one of the largest and most important parks in Chile, and the third most visited park. 75% of visitors are foreign tourists, and many come from Europe. The landscape of the park is dominated by the Paine massif, which is an eastern spur of the Andes located on the east side of the Grey Glacier. Small valleys separate the spectacular granite spires and mountains of the massif. Torres del Paine National Park is certainly a must-see!

Punta Arenas is also a 2-hour ferry ride from Isla Magdalena, where thousands of penguins spend the summer before making their fall swim to southern Brazil through the Straight of Magellan.  It is home to more than 150,000 of Magellanic penguins. These penguins make this spot on the shoreline of the Strait of Magellan their home. They return annually to this place between October and March to lay eggs and raise their youngsters. ”Magellanic Penguins are often seen performing the “ecstatic display”. This can either be part of the mating ritual or can merely be indicative of territory ownership. Birds performing this display stretch their neck and point their beaks skywards whilst spreading their wings and making a braying noise. The display is often performed repetitively over periods of up to an hour or more.”

Punta Arenas Mayor Emilio Boccazzi & His Wife (Left) with Teresa & John Van Haalen (Right)

During their visit to Punta Arenas, they connected with Maria Angelia Mimica, (Director of the Miguel De Cervantes School), which annually sends students to study at Sehome High School here in Bellingham.  They were also able to meet with the new Mayor, Emilio Boccazzi, who expressed an enthusiastic interest in visiting Bellingham.

And for all you Ski to Sea enthusiasts, look forward to meeting the Punta Arenas representative to the BSCA team for Ski-to-Sea, world class athlete, Silvana Camelio!!