Elk Grove officials to visit Bulgaria
Two Elk Grove Village officials will visit Pernik, Bulgaria, later this month in what's become a burgeoning relationship between the two towns more than 5,000 miles apart.
In November, a delegation of leaders from the second largest city in western Bulgaria visited Elk Grove to sign a friendship agreement, which could pave the way to the municipalities eventually becoming Sister Cities. On Jan. 22, Elk Grove Trustee Pat Feichter and Police Chief Chuck Walsh will travel to Pernik for a four-day trip, when they're expected to tour the city and attend a local festival.
The traditional folk festival will feature kukeri, costumed performers who will dance and perform rituals. The performances go back to ancient times when kukeri were meant to scare aware evil spirits.
"They wanted some of our officials to come," Feichter said of the Pernik delegation. "I've been to a lot of places, but I've never been to Bulgaria."
Officials from Pernik, an industrial town once heavily-reliant on coal mining, toured Elk Grove to get ideas and advice as they develop a new industrial zone of their own.