Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson County will host a delegation from their sister city, Bad Soden am Taunus, Germany from October 2nd to October 9th.
The relationship with Bad Soden began six years ago under former Sister Cities President Patricia Kriebel. At the time, Kriebel was eager to have a foreign language component for our student exchange program. “I was referred to Rachel Obermeier.”, Kriebel recalled, “We were both from West Tennessee but had never met. We worked for 6 years to get all of the necessary parties together.”
In 2014 Franklin Mayor Ken Moore and his wife Linda traveled to Bad Soden with Kriebel and her husband, Robert, to sign the formal Sister Cities agreement.
There have been multiple student exchanges and visits of delegations between the two cities since the formalization of the relationship. The visit in October will be the first since the start of COVID.
“It’s been several years since we had the opportunity to bring our city together with our global sister cities.”, said Gabrielle Hanson, Franklin Alderman-At-Large and current President of Sister Cities, “It’s a significant moment to enhance our bond of friendship and partnership with the German officials in Bad Soden.”
The ten-person delegation from Bad Soden will include Mayor Dr. Frank Blasch, Helmut Witt, President of City Council, Eveline Witt, wife of Helmut, Dr. Felix Erster, First Alderman, Peter Dorr, Alderman, Nick-Oliver Kromer, Fire Chief and Alderman, Susanna Hein, IKUS and VP of Sister Cities Org., Michael Hein, IKUS and member of Sister Cities Org., Rachel Obermeier, Co-Founder of Bad Soden/Franklin relationship, and Danina Rink, Head of Section Citizens Services and Culture, City Administration
A full week is planned with visits to Southall Farms, Berry Farms, Harpeth Square and Jack Daniel’s Distillery. The group will take a trolley tour of Franklin and visit local attractions and schools. They will also be meeting with the Franklin Fire Department, Williamson County EMS, and Rotary as well as local and state elected officials. The week will kick off with a Reunification Day Recognition reception on the afternoon of October 3rd.
The visit will coincide with the beginning of Sister Cities’ annual Celebration of Nations, which begins at 1pm on October 8th. This year’s Celebration of Nations will feature the Franklin High School Orchestra and several Ireland themed performers.
Williamson County residents that are interested in meeting the delegation or attending Celebration of Nations can contact Sister Cities at [email protected]
About Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson County
The mission of Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson County is to build global relationships, share cultural and educational experiences, and to inspire economic growth for our community. Our current sister cities are Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada, County Laois, Ireland and Bad Soden am Taunus, Germany.
