Sister act: Palatine to receive visit from French mayor

It remains to be seen whether Ludovic Hocbon finds similarities between Palatine and his hometown Fontenay-Le-Comte in France.

He will certainly find out when Hocbon, the mayor of Palatine’s sister city of Fontenay-Le-Comte, visits his sibling town next month.

Parlez-vous Francais? You will have a chance to use it as you meet Mayor Hocbon and the members of his city council for the 25th annual Street Fest Aug. 22-24.

You might even get a chance to share a croissant with them at the farmers market Aug. 23.

The exchange is an initiative of the Sister Cities Association of Palatine.

Last month, marking 30 years of the sister city relationship, about 30 delegates from Palatine were hosted in Fontenay-Le-Comte for a week. The visit was highlighted by a concert blending the voices of Palatine’s Brotherhood of Harmony Chorus with French Gospel singers, inspired by a visit years ago to a concert at Chicago’s House of Blues

The repertoire included “Stand By Me” and “My Wild Irish Rose.”

Joining in the June festivities was Vibha Ranganathan of Hoffman Estates, who won the association’s annual scholarship honoring Dr. Elizabeth Hull, Palatine educator and founding member of the association. The scholarship is awarded to a high school senior graduating with honors in French from Districts 214, 211 and U-46.

Another highlight of the visit was a large community-wide quilt exhibition starring the mosaic quilt created in Palatine for the 2001 quilt exchange between the two cities.

Palatine residents contributed cloth from wedding dresses, silk ties, and their favorite shirts that were incorporated into the quilt for Fontenay-Le-Comte. Their quilt, a cityscape of Fontenay-Le-Comte, is on permanent display in the Passport Room of the village hall.

The Sister Cities group also visited the port of La Rochelle, the Vouvant forested region with its ancient castle towers, and the Puy du Fou theme park in nearby Les Epesses, where they stepped back in time to the Viking Village, thrilled to Roman chariot races, and went through historical, immersive experiences with sights and sounds of World War I trenches.

Travel between the two cities is arranged through the Sister Cities Association of Palatine.

For information, visit palatinesistercities.org.