Gilroy Sister Cities hosts visitors from several sister cities during Garlic Festival week. Here the group is on a tour of Gilroy Gardens (2008)
Gilroy Sister Cities
Portugal
Angra do Heroismo is located in the Azores, an archipelago of
nine islands off the coast of Portugal with stunning landscapes
and mild climate tempered by the Gulf Stream. Angra holds its
annual garlic festival in June.
“A few years ago one of our board members, Al Pinheiro,
attended the festival along with former Mayor Don Gage and
the Gilroy Garlic Festival Queen,” Smith said. “This year, we’re
discussing the possibility of setting up a future student exchange
program with them.”
Mexico
Tecate is nestled in a valley at the foot of the Sierra Juarez
Mountains in Baja California, Mexico. Smith said that Gilroy has
been pleased to host Tecate’s mayor and his delegation to the
Gilroy Garlic Festival. He noted that Tecate is home to Rancho la
Puerta, an award-winning resort and health spa founded in 1940
and spanning 3,000 acres. Also famous is the Tecate Brewery,
where its namesake cerveza has been brewed for nearly 50 years.
Tecate also happens to be the starting point of the grueling but
popular Baja Bike Race (73 miles through baja wine country from
Tecate to Ensenada).
High school students visiting from Takko-machi, Japan (2017)
Local Landmarks
The City of Gilroy has named local streets to honor its relation-
ships with cities around the globe, including: Sister City Way,
Koror Lane, Takko-machi Way, Saint-Clar Avenue, Tecate Lane,
Angra Way, and Monitcelli Drive/Court.
According to Smith, “I’m not typically a joiner, but I made an
exception for Sister Cities. It has not only been fun, but very
worthwhile for the experience of knowing that while the cultures
of our cities may be different, as people, we’re all the same
underneath.”
Annual International Dinner & Auction
Each year the Gilroy Sister Cities Association hosts an
International Dinner. This year the dinner was held on March
14th at the Portugese Hall in Gilroy. It featured Japanese dishes
prepared by guest chefs from Takko-machi.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Takko-machi visitors tour historic downtown Gilroy (2016)
Gilroy Sister Cities
Meet Second Tuesday of every month at 6 pm
Brownell Middle School
Membership: $15 per year ($25 family)
gilroysistercities.org
Gilroy Takko Student Exchange
Program Information: gilroytakkosep.org
MARCH/APRIL 2017
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