Hanover Park to celebrate 20th anniversary with Sister City

Next month marks the 20th anniversary of an unlikely bond between Hanover Park and a West African nation.

In July 1992, the village signed the Hanover Park Sister Cities Friendship Agreement with Cape Coast, the capital of the Central Region of Ghana. Since then, officials from both municipalities have forged an international friendship with occasional visits.

To celebrate the milestone, the Hanover Park Sister Cities Committee will host a luncheon Saturday, July 21, at the Seville, 700 S. Barrington Road, Streamwood.

The public is invited to the event, which will feature Elgin Community College President David Sam as master of ceremonies. The keynote speaker will be Samuel Akainyah, an internationally recognized artist and author who was born and raised in Ghana.

Doors open at noon, and lunch will be served at 1 p.m. There will be entertainment from 2 to 4 p.m. including music, singing and cultural dancing. Door prizes and raffles will benefit Hanover Park’s Sister Cities projects in Cape Coast.

The cost is $25. Reservations are required.

In 2010, Hanover Park welcomed the Mexican city of Valparaiso, Zacatecas, as its second Sister City.

The village’s Sister Cities committee meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the police headquarters community room, 2011 Lake St. For more information, call the village at (630) 823-5600 or visit hpil.org.