Anacortes Sister Cities President Duane Clark and Don and Joyce Lapworth met in Vela Luka on Saturday, September 13th in the Vela Luka City Hall to participate in a formal joint ceremony with Mayor Tonko Gugich, the City Council, Staff and leading members of the Vela Luka community for an acceptance of sister cities status and the exchange of gifts to mark the occasion. After a long and close relationship with Friday Harbor during the 1990's Vela Luka accepted an official Sister Cities status with Anacortes as recognized by Sister Cities International of Washington, D.C. 'The character of the exchange was the most friendly and open I have ever seen', was Don Lapworth's comment. Both he and Duane Clark's comments were translated for the Croatian speaking assembled body by Ivan Mirosevic, local Sister City organizer and resident of Vela Luka. Television coverage from Dubrovnik and coverage by local radio completed the communication of the event.

During the ceremony President Duane Clark presented for the City of Anacortes to Mayor Gugich a framed copy of the letter of agreement, the City Sea Gull Logo Flag, which flew alongside the Peace Dove Flag of Vela Luka at City Hall that weekend and an Anacortes centennial medallion personally selected for presentation by our Mayor Dean Maxwell.

Don Lapworth presented, for the American Croatian Club of Anacortes, a special framed picture of assembled Croatian descendants living in Anacortes. This picture drew a very interested response from the many relatives of those in the picture that were in the audience. It was a very heart warming experience to see this kind of response from newly recognized Vela Luka Sister City residents.

The morning City Hall ceremonies were followed that evening by a banquet hosted by the City which included Mrs. Lena Marinovic, high school English teacher and wife of the city council president, who is interested in the potential for a student exchange program.

Vela Luka students are given many semesters of English language training and could compete, she feels, effectively in Anacortes schools. This will be put into the considerations for the future program by the Anacortes Sister Cities organization, the primary consideration being the organization of a joint trip to Croatia and Vela Luka in September of 2004 with the Anacortes Vela Luka Dancers. This trip will be organized under the direction of chairman Nikki Lovric and should be a very interesting adventure into Croatian living and their beautiful azure blue water Adriatic coastline.

Our Vela Luka friends are also interested in the possible promotion of sales of their extra virgin olive oil in our region, tourism and the use of their surplus shipbuilding and drydock capacity.

We were impressed with the wit and warmth of the people in the community and the similarity of the small city of about 4,000 on the Island of Korcula with warm water and palm trees, tucked around the 'great bay-Vela Luka' to Anacortes and its water/island related interests of marine industry and tourism. Based on the success of this initial official visit, we have high hopes for the development of an interesting and active relationship in the years to come.