Anacortes Sister Cities Association 

Newsletter

February 2006

From the President

The Joys of Travel

By Duane Clark

Members of ASCA are attracted to and motivated by the opportunities to travel to various foreign lands, including, but not limited to, our four Sister Cities. We love to get to where we are going and enjoy our stay. However, at times we are troubled by the various challenges that may attend the air travel getting there. I've spent some time exploring the observations of travelers and have chosen just a few to share with you:

Mark Russell shares a thought that all of us can relate to. "The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage.^"

Someone who obviously knows what they are talking about said, "If you look like your passport photo, you're too ill to travel."

And then there are the actual quotations of flight attendants:

"Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only four ways out of this airplane."

"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation, and in the event of an emergency water landing, please take them with our compliments."

"Last one off the plane must clean it."

"We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of us here at U.S. Airways."

"Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but they'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."

Just some useful thoughts to keep in mind if, during 2006, you travel to Lomonosov, Kisakata, Sidney, Vela Luka, or any other destination.

And, one more thing, 2006 will be a high flying year for ASCA, so fasten your seatbelt, hold the armrests firmly, and get ready for a life changing ride. Bon Voyage.

From the Vice President

By John Lovric

The year ahead of us will be dedicated to promoting ASCA even more than ever. The biggest tool will be using Channel 10. We haven't had anything new on there for quite some time, and in fact the information has become fewer and far between. There are still too many people who don't know about ASCA, and it is our job to let them know what our community organization has accomplished over the years. For those of you who do know about us, this will be a way to promote upcoming events, share pictures from past events, and possibly get same new members and more involvement.

We are looking into having a display board at the library as well, which will more than likely have only paper flyers and membership forms. We do, however, still have the display cases in the city chambers, and we will be updating those as time permits, with the addition of our newest Sister City, Vela Luka. Everyone can help by promoting ASCA people just need to be informed to keep what we have and in the end make it stronger.

ASCA Trip to Romania

By Don Lapworth, Assistant to the President

At a presentation in the Library on January 18, 26 interested travelers listened to the plans and description of the trip that will leave SeaTac on September 5 for Cluj Napoca, Romania, where Robert Geczi, who gave our membership such a marvelous presentation on Transylvania at our May meeting, will meet us and start a two week tour of "HIS ROMANIA." This will include six days of bed and breakfasts in his home town of Savadisla with day trips by minibus into the sur­rounding province, and about an equal number of trips to more distant towns and cities with accommodations and meals at country hotels along the way, returning to Savadisla for the last few days of the tour. Along the way we will see the famous "Dracula Castle" at Bran, travel through the beautiful Olt Valley, and stop at both Comarnic and Curtea de Arges. Both towns have applied for Sister City status with a city in the U.S.

This trip will be limited to 20+ people and 18 have already signed up for air reservations that will return on September 19. Additional reservations are pending so if you are interested in going, let Don Lapworth or Sam Gebala know soon. Preparations for the trip will include language instruction in the spring by Mr. Florin Harabagin, a native of Romania who lives in Anacortes. Cost estimate for the trip, including $1,189 airfare, is about $2,000, including meals and lodging. Upon our return we are planning another great presentation for the ASCA membership with photos and stories about the trip.

Sidney, B.C.

By David Rapella

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!...But, before I talk about the new year, I would like to thank Judy Jewell for the many hours she spent during the last four years as our chairperson of Sidney, B.C. She did an excellent job, but also remember, it was a twofold job. Not only was she our chairperson for Sidney but was also very, very busy with the Town Criers from all over the world. She set a very high standard for all of us. She changed the color of her hair a time or two...but we still knew it was you! THANK YOU, JUDY!

Now for 2006...As most of you know, Judy and Andy are retiring soon. She is stepping down as Sidney chairperson, and I am stepping up to take her job as Sidney chair. It was a tough campaign but I think I won by a LANDSLIDE! And, NOW FOR 2006. I know that there will be great things happening with our cousins to the north. Sue Simosko is doing a bang up job as their new president. The enthusiasm has skyrocketed and there is great interest from all of the members, which number upwards of 50 plus. I have had two meetings with Sue Simosko and chairperson Lillian Vincent. There will be many more as soon as the ferry starts running again in April. That's when I will give you an update for 2006. Until then, I will give my best to do as good a job as Don Lapworth and Judy have done. Until then, HAVE A GREAT YEAR. Thank you, and God bless.

Lomonosov

By Suzanne Harris

S Novym Godom! In words other than Russian, Happy New Year! A "winter sabbatical" was en­joyed by this committee. I hope each committee member has spent time re-energizing so that we may continue our relationship with our friends in Lomonosov.

The Lomonosov Kalinka has extended an invitation for Anacortes citizens to visit them in June. Any ASCA members interested in an excellent opportunity to return to Lomonosov, or to visit it for the first time, please contact me by February 28. Previous visits have been exciting! The Kalinka always plans much to see and experience, and their country possesses so many beautiful sights to behold.

 The publication of our "Among Friends" cookbook was such a success that a second order was placed. The second shipment has arrived and books are available for purchase at Cap Sante Court Retirement Community, One World Books, and the Anne Martin McCool Gallery. There is talk of a "second edition" once we sell our second order. These books make wonderful gifts and are a great advertisement for introducing ASCA to potential members. Please share this publication with those who cross your path each day. It is a wonderful cookbook. I will contact the library about donating one of our books in hopes that they will allow us to place a sticker in it to show how to purchase the book.

Although technology has provided us with a wonderful opportunity for communicating, it might be nice to begin a letter writing campaign with our Russian friends. Many in Lomonosov are without computer access and there is nothing better than receiving a letter via the mail these days! Hopefully, committee members will volunteer so that we can send out a letter each month.

It may also be time to consider organizing a "student cultural exchange," similar to our successful Kisakata and Croatia programs.

A meeting is scheduled for the Lomonosov committee on Monday, February 27. It will be held at the home of Cliff and Suzanne Harris and begin at 7 p.m. All committee members are encouraged to attend. As well, any ASCA members interested in Lomonosov are invited to join us that evening. Test the waters to see if you would like to join our committee. We have a great deal of camaraderie to share.

Kisakata

By Cora Lijek

On August 2, twelve middle school students, three chaperones, and five other adult visitors from Kisakata, began their journey to Anacortes on the biannual middle school cultural exchange. Flying out of Akita (about one hour from Kisakata) to Tokyo; their plane was one of 90 diverted to Nagoya because of a power outage at Haneda Airport, the domestic airport in Tokyo. The delay caused them to miss their international flight. Once they were able to land at Narita International Airport in Tokyo, they had to find a flight that could take 21 passengers, not an easy task during the summer when so many people are traveling. The only flight available was one that went to New York City, where they cleared customs, changed planes, and headed back west to Seattle.

Thirty six hours later than originally expected, the exhausted group was met by the host students from Anacortes holding signs they had made, (some written in Japanese), our four chaperones, and a few parents. The whole group went to baggage claim where everyone^'s suitcase except for one student's arrived. After waiting for some time, it was obvious that it was not on the flight. A report was made, and the tired group boarded the Anacortes school bus driven by Randy Wills. As we headed back to Anacortes, the bus began to over heat, and the driver pulled off I-5. After several stops and consultations with a school district mechanic, the bus driver got us and the very tired travelers to Anacortes middle school at 1 a.m. where they were met by their host families, who so generously opened their homes to our visitors.

The students who visited were Momoko Ito hosted by Erin Dolan, Tomoe Saito hosted by Dana Garrett, Ryoma Saito hosted by Michael Giacolone, Moeko Takahashi hosted by Jenny Ives, Motomu Kajiwara hosted by David Jonas, Hatusumi Sato hosted by Maika Mattson, Sonomi Saito hosted by Kirsten Mullen, Kiyoka Sasaki hosted by Bettina Patterson, Syunya Narita hosted by Zack Purcer, Takuma Saito hosted by Anders Rodin, Masahiro Konno hosted by Peter Schlegle, and Rina Saruta hosted by Jillian Whitney.

The Kisakata chaperones were Superintendent of Education Keiichi Okubo, Middle School Principal Masami Sato, and KISA Vice President Kyoko Honma. The five adult visitors were Ei Doi, Kiyoko Kikuchi, Hiroko Kurita, Yasuko Okubo, Hitoshi Sasaki; and Yumiko Takashima. Many thanks to Linda and Loren Means, Jo Fuqua,

Gregg and Dawn Greenfield, Pat Paget, Dolores and Rudy Gahler, Vicky and Rick Auston, Rob and Joyce MacKay, and Diane and Rick Davidson for homestaying for the adult visitors.

The visitors were officially welcomed at a potluck at the Senior Center on August 6. Entertainment included singing by John Parker of the Anachords, juggling by Zach Purcer, a traditional dance by the Kisakata students, and a karate demonstration by Ryoma Saito. The students spent most of their short six day visit with their host families. However, they also went on a hike with Denise Crowe in an old growth forest along with two visiting Croatian students, participated at a calligraphy and origami booth in the children's area of the Anacortes Arts Festival, went to a Mariners game, participated in a group discussion about cultural differences, and toured the middle school.

The chaperones met with Mayor Maxwell and School Superintendent Chris Borgen, and visited the middle school, the Girls and Boys club, the Best Self program at Mt. Erie elementary school, the Senior Center, the pool, the museum, and the library. During the Anacortes Arts Festival, Ei Doi, Kyoko Honma, Kiyoko Kikuchi, and Hiroko Kurita demonstrated a tea ceremony and prepared tea for visitors. There was a lot of interest by those who attended. At the same time Hitoshi Sasaki, a calligraphy teacher, and his helper, Yumiko Takashima, gave calligraphy demonstrations and lessons, and sold fans and scrolls with his work on them. Several local volunteers headed up by Diane Davidson, who had lots of help from her husband Rick, assisted with both activities. Donations were accepted for these two activities, and were given to the Anacortes students traveling to Kisakata next summer. When the adult visitors had free time, their wonderful host families and other volunteer showed them around the area, and they were hosted at a lunch at Cap Sante Court Retirement Community. The visit culminated with a farewell potluck party held at a private home, where there was an air castle, lots of food, music, dancing, and singing. Everyone had a great time.

On the morning of August 10, all of the visitors and their host families and other friends gathered at the middle school once more for a final good bye. One host family's dad drove his fire truck to the middle school to the delight of the group. There were lots of photos taken, tears, hugs, and farewells. The visitors then boarded a bus to begin their journey back to Kisakata.

The twelve Anacortes students and their four chaperones, Bob MacKay, Dawn Greenfield, Vicky Auston, and Cora Lijek will travel to Kisakata this summer for approximately ten days. While there, the group will go to the Kanto and Lantern Festivals. The trip will be open to about five additional adults. If you are interested in participating in the trip, please contact Cora in the evenings or on weekends at 299-4335.

The ASCA Kisakata Committee is co-chaired by Cora Lijeck and Anne Martin McCool. If you are interested in more information about the Kisakata student and/or adult cultural exchange, or about ASCA in general, you may want to visit the ASCA website:www.anacortessistercities.com

VISITORS FROM KISAKATA

Kiyoko Kikuchi performing the tea ceremony

Youth Sports Auction/Dinner

The Anacortes Youth Sports Coalition Auction /Dinner will be held on Saturday, March 18 at the Port warehouse. The theme this year is western. The AYSC provides approximately $3,0000 each year from its auction to underwrite our annual golf tournament.

The ASCA Kisakata exchange students and their families help at the auction and the golf tournament, so receive these funds in addition to funds from ASCA depending upon the success of the golf tournament. We hope that you will participate in the auction by donating auction items or attending the event and purchasing auction items. Cora will have tickets available at the February 2 ASCA meeting.

Tickets are $35 for dinner and an open bar. Checks should be made payable to either Anacortes Youth Sports Coalition of AYSC. Thank you for your support.

Vela Luka
Kumpanija and Klapa Vela Luka

By Duane Clark and Nikki Lovric

The Vela Luka committee has made arrangements to bring a very unique group of performers to Anacortes from Vela Luka, Croatia. They are a very talented, energetic, well rehearsed group of young men who perform very traditional dance routines. The Kumpanija Sword Dancers regularly perform, at times in connection with a group of well known singers who are also from Vela Luka, known as Klapa Vela Luka.

In late September and October, 2006, Kumpanija and Klapa Vela Luka, along with local Croatian music groups will perform in several locations in the Puget Sound area. There will be paid performances in Anacortes at Broniak Hall, in Bellingham at the Mt. Baker Theater, in Everett at the Everett Performance Center, and in Seattle at Town Hall. In addition, Kumpanija and Klapa will be at the annual CoatiaFest held in October at the Seattle Center. They will also perform at several venues designed to provide a unique cultural experience to elementary, middle school, and high school students.

The cost to bring 30 folks from Vela Luka to the U.S., provide lodging, transportation, and cover promotional costs, is quite significant. Funds will come from a number of sources including grants, private gifts, and fundraising events. The Croatian visitors will be in the U.S. for two weeks. More information is available online. The web site address for this unique experience is: www.kumpanija.org

The website provides information regarding Kumpanija's schedule and purchasing tickets, along with interesting information regarding Kumpanija and sponsorship information. If you would like to get involved please call of e-mail Nikki Lovric at: 360-293-8530 or lovric@comcast.net>

Vela Luka Student Exchange Program
By Nikki Lovric

The Anacortes Sister Cities' Vela Luka committee is very excited to announce that we have selected ten high schools students to participate in a cultural exchange between Vela Luka and Anacortes.

In June, 2006, each of the five Anacortes students will host a student from Vela Luka. The Vela Luka students were selected by their English teacher and head of the Vela Luka exchange program, Lena Marinovic. The Vela Luka students are Jan Nypl, Ante Borovina, Ivana Ljubic, Ivana Gugic, and Nina Anreis.

The Anacortes students are Brianna Bikker, Caitlin Dolan, Lauren Gong, Sonja Kassa, and Krys Lijek. They will be traveling to Vela Luka in July, 2006. The Anacortes students will be hosted by some of our past students as well as the students coming in June.

We have already been working hard on fund raising. Starting us off this winter was a Croatian chocolate and ornament sale. They sold their products at Safeway, Food Pavilion, St. Nicholas Festival, Anacortes Sister Cities Christmas dinner, and the Cap Sante Court Bazaar. We were so successful that we had to restock our chocolates three times!

The students are required to create their own fundraiser that has a Croatian theme. They will also be required to take 16 Croatian classes. The classes will consist of language, culture, history, dance, and food. They are all very excited about this experience.

We hope to continue this exchange for many years to come. For more information please contact Nikki Lovric at:

<lovric@comcast.net> or 360-293-8530

Tax Time Tips

From the Treasurer

By Mark Lijek

The ASCA People-to-People (PTP) fund is a 501(c)(3) charity and all donations to the fund can generally be deducted by individuals who itemize their deductions. Any single contribution of $250 or more requires written acknowledgment from ASCA. If you have made such a contribution and require the documentation, please contact me. Dues paid to ASCA are all credited to the PTP fund and therefore are deductible.

Another area of possible interest to some members is contributions in the form of un-reimbursed expenses. For example, if you travel on behalf of ASCA, you may be entitled to claim a 14 cent per mile deduction for vehicle usage. Other contributions may also be deductible. Because only the PTP fund is a charity and certain ASCA activities are not related to the fund , not all activities will necessarily qualify. As usual, the IRS requires that the donor maintain adequate records (for example, a vehicle log) and that the association provide a written acknowledgment.

As we all know, tax laws are very complex. While your treasurer has been doing a lot of on-the-job training since we created the PTP fund, and is very willing to discuss any questions you might have, he can't provide individual tax advice.

HELLO ASCA MEMBERS
It's time to pay your dues for 2006
If you have not done so, there is a form on page 6
Join us for another exciting year!

ANACORTES SISTER CITIES ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
Send copy to editor:

Jack Greenwald

Please Note: The editor has a new e-mail address: jackgreen@copper.net

Anacortes Sister Cities Association
2006 DUES NOTICE

Names________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________

City, State, Zip_______________________________________________

Phone: Res.__________________ Bus. ________________________

Fax__________________________ E-Mail_______________________

Type of Annual Membership

Individual $25	Family $35	Youth (to age 21) $15
Organization $35		Business $50
Individual Sustaining $85		Individual Patron $300
Family Sustaining $150		Family Patron $500

(Dues are tax-deductible)