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Sister Cities Reno Mayor Peter Sferrazza was in San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa on January 21, 1990 to attend a ceremony formally linking Reno and San Sebastián as Sister Cities. In August 1989 officials from San Sebastián and the Basque Country attended parallel ceremonies in the city of Reno, Nevada. The ceremony was hosted by San Sebastián mayor Xabier Albistur at city hall. Mayor Sferrazza was received on the steps of city hall by an honor guard. He then passed through an arch formed by dancers from the group "Erdizka." Inside, a city orchestra and more than fifty children drummers from the San Ignacio School treated the mayor to the traditional music of the tamborada, an annual celebration in which nearly 5,000 children dressed in traditional military uniforms march through the city. Also attending the sister cities ceremony were representatives of other sister cities of San Sebastián: Weisbaden, Germany; Plymouth, England; Trent, Italy; and Daira of Bojador (Africa). The lieutenant mayor of Plymouth, Mr. Mackinen, presented Mayor Sferrazza with a plaque from his city. Mayor Albistur gave Reno's mayor a silver-handled makila, the traditional Basque symbol of authority, and in turn Mayor Sferrazza presented San Sebastián with a framed 1888 Carson City silver dollar. Mayor Albistur, speaking in Basque, Spanish, and English, summed up the ceremony by stating, "Two cities separated by thousands of miles are now more united than ever, because the strong relationship that has existed between our universities has now expanded to include all of our citizens." Afterwards, the mayor of San Sebastián hosted a lunch at the palace of Ayete which was attended by more than fifty dignitaries, including the Governor of Guipúzcoa; the Minister of Culture of the Basque Government, Joseba Arregui; sculptor Nestor Basterretxea, creator of the National Basque Monument which was inaugurated in Reno this past August; and numerous city councilors and senators. The cities of Reno and San Sebastián have had a close relationship over the years, primarily through the University Studies Abroad Consortium program which has more than a hundred American students participating each year in its university program in San Sebastián. Carmelo Urza, Coordinator of the USAC, accompanied Mayor Sferrazza on his trip to the Basque Country. |
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