Sister Cities Commission

AGENDA Sister Cities Commission Meeting 5:15 PM - Monday, September 8, 2025 City Hall Council Chambers Page 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 3.1. Approve the August 4, 2025 Sister Cities Commission meeting minutes. 2-3 SCC minutes 08-04-2025 4. FINANCIAL REPORT 4.1. Approve the financial report for the date ending August 31, 2025. 4-5 SISTER CITIES 08.31.25 SISTER CITIES 08.31.2025 General 5. HANS JOOHS CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM 5.1. Outbound Hans Joohs Intern - Martha Balge 6-9  Martha submitted her second letter with photo which will be published in The Journal (final letter will be submitted first week in September) New Ulm Journal Hans Joohs Exchange Article 2 - Martha Balge Martha Balge German Photo August 2025 5.2. Inbound Hans Joohs Intern - Samuel Knoops  Intern dates September 2 through November 24  Schell's Brewery will host Samuel for his internship  Working and speaking schedule 6. OLD BUSINESS 6.1. Update on August 25th brat stand event. 7. NEW BUSINESS 7.1. Discuss Kiosk Photos 8. ANNOUNCEMENTS 8.1. Welcome Reception for Samuel Knoops will follow the regular meeting at the Kegel Klub at 6:00 p.m. 8.2. The next meeting will be held on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 5:15 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. 9. ADJOURNMENT If someone would like an item discussed at an upcoming Sister Cities Commission meeting, please send an email to lisap@newulmmn.gov so the item can be added to the Agenda. The SCC meets the first Monday of the month. In order for an item to be added to the Agenda, please submit the information five (5) days prior to the meeting. Page 1 of 9 Minutes of the Sister Cities Commission Monday, August 4, 2025 5:15 pm Roll call Members present: Ellie Sveine, Larry Mack, Dick Seeboth, Ron Wendinger, John Vorwerk, Brian Filzen, Tony Beranek, and Kathleen Backer. Absent: Jayne Maday-Hulke, Carolyn Marti-Smith Meeting Called to Order Dick Seeboth standing in for chair, called meeting to order at 5:15. Approval of Minutes from July 7th, 2025 Larry Mack made a motion to accept the minutes, second by John Vorwerk. Motion carried. Financial Report ending July 31, 2025 Brian Filzen made a motion to accept the report as given in the agenda, second by Tony Beranek. Motion carried. Hans Joohs Cultural Exchange Program Our outgoing exchange intern, Martha Balge, is in Germany May 25 – August 15. Martha’s letter to the community was in the New Ulm Journal recently. No other news from her. The incoming exchange intern, Samuel Knoops, will be in New Ulm, MN September 2 – November 24, working at Schell’s Brewery. Dick and Sharon Seeboth will host Samuel the first 6 weeks, Jim and Konnie Bartels will host the last 6 weeks. Brian Filzen has contacted Jensen Motors and they are willing donating a car for our intern. Jayne Maday-Hulke volunteered to pick up Samuel from the airport. Ellie Sveine also reported that she could do this if needed. Samuel’s mother has written a letter to the Sister Cities rep regarding concerns of him being detained when entering the country. She is wondering about legal representation if needed. There was no response from the Sister City group as of this date. Ron Wendinger suggested that we contact our US Representative, Brad Finstad, to see if he would write a letter of support that could help Samuel and his family with these concerns. Dick Seeboth will send our thoughts to Lisa P. and have her draft a letter to Representative Finstad, asking for such letter. Ellie Sveine mentioned that she knows of a 16 year old girl traveling by herself from Germany had no issues with gaining entry in to the US in Minneapolis within the last couple of weeks. Old Business Page 2 of 9 We received $54.00 in tips at our first brat stand event. We will receive the profits after our next event on August 25th. Please sign up for any open spots for this date. New Business Welcome reception for Samuel on September 8th at 6:00 pm, to be held at the Kegel Club. Carolyn Marti-Smith has made the reservation. Invites will be sent out by Lisa P. to Friends of Sister Cities and the Brewery and staff. A motion was made by Brian Filzen and second made by Larry Mack to move our September meeting to Monday September 8th as the first Monday in September is Labor Day. The welcome reception for Samuel will follow the meeting. Motion carried. Adjournment The next Meeting will be held on Monday, September 8th, 2025 at 5:15 pm at City Hall Council Chambers. A motion to adjourn made by Larry Mack, second by Ellie Sveine. Meeting adjourned. Minutes submitted by Ellie Sveine. Page 3 of 9  Sister Cities Commission Special Projects Fund For the Month Ended August 31, 2025 Beginning Balance: 1/1/2025 8,166.23 Revenue: Interest 118.83 Other Contributions/Sales 54.00 172.83 Expenses: Other (319.67) (319.67) Ending Balance: 12/31/2025 8,019.39 Detailed Revenue and Expenses Revenue: July Brat Stand tips $54.00 TOTAL REVENUE $54.00 Expenses: April Recognition Award Reception -$192.26 Recognition Award Plaque -$73.50 July Brat Stand Canopy Expense -$53.91 TOTAL EXPENSE -$319.67 Page 4 of 9  Sister Cities Commission General Fund For the Month Ended August 31, 2025 Revenues: Budget 0.00 Revenues: 0.00 Budget remaining 0.00 Percent of budget remaining 0% Expenses: Budget 3,570.00 Expenses (2,407.01) Budget remaining 1,162.99 Percent of budget remaining 33% Total Budget Remaining 12/31/2025 1,162.99 Detailed Revenue and Expenses Revenue: TOTAL REVENUE $0.00 Expenses: January 2025 Sister Cities International Membership -$440.00 March Flight to Germany - M. Balge -$1,817.01 Travel Stipend - M. Balge -$150.00 TOTAL EXPENSE -$2,407.01 Page 5 of 9 Down by the Danube Life close to the river: this was among the first and most enduring impressions I had of Ulm – how much life, activity, and relaxation happens around – and on – the Danube River. Below is my second of three articles about my time participating in the Hans Joohs Exchange in Ulm, Germany. This article highlights the daily life and the vibrant festivals that Ulmers enjoy on the Danube River. One of my first views of the Danube River in Ulm was from the Stadtmauer, the city wall that still stands along the river. Once it was a means of protection for the city; today, ice cream shops and restaurants line the top of the wall and passersby stroll along the former fortification. Below, between the city wall and the river, is a green bank on which picknickers lounge during the day and friends share drinks and a sunset in the evening. Some might be seen passing a soccer ball; others might be seen pedaling along the bike path that lines the river. This warm, relaxing atmosphere adds to the high quality of daily life in Ulm. Downstream from Ulm’s Innenstadt, or downtown, one can climb the winding steps of the Berblinger Tower, built to commemorate Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger’s attempt to fly. In Ulm he is still referred to as Der Schneider von Ulm, or the tailor of Ulm. He constructed wings out of red and white fabric that he tied to his arms. From the location of today’s tower, he jumped into the Danube, trying to fly. The attempt failed, and he needed to be rescued from the Danube, but his red and white wings and his character, the Schneider von Ulm, remain important symbols in Ulm still today. The Schneider von Ulm makes an appearance as a costumed character in the festivities surrounding the Fischerstechen (fishermen’s joust), a festival that happens every four years in Ulm. Ulm has celebrated this tradition since as early as the mid-16th century. Fischerstechen took place this summer at the end of July and I had the opportunity to join in on the festivities. Fischerstechen began on Friday, July 18th, with a parade through the city. Ulmers with deep roots in the city dressed in traditional clothes and marched through the streets. At the various marketplaces in the city, the parade stopped so that a traditional dance could take place. Part of the dance included a farmer and the farmer’s wife. Narren – up to mischief like their New Ulm cousins – tried to take the farmer’s wife away from him. Like the Schneider von Ulm, another key symbol of the city, der Ulmer Spatz, (the sparrow of Ulm) was represented by a person in costume. He too marched in the parade and attended the traditional dances. Throughout the city are statues of the sparrow and on top of the Münster, the large church in the city, rests a copper sparrow with a stick in its mouth. The story of the Ulm sparrow goes back to the building of the Münster church. According to the legend, the citizens Page 6 of 9 of Ulm couldn’t get the long wooden beams to support the roof through the city wall; the gate was too narrow. When they were about to tear down the wall to get the beams through, they saw a sparrow carry a twig in its beak to its nest in a small gap in the wall. In order to get the twig between the stones, the sparrow turned it lengthwise and pushed it in. The citizens of Ulm did the same with their wooden beams and didn’t tear down the city wall. The Fischerstechen parade ended at the Danube River, where thousands of spectators gathered on both banks of the Danube to watch the culminating event: the jousting tournament on the river. This summer, the National Geographic featured an article on this event, which can be found at nationalgeographic.com. Characters from the history of Ulm, including the Ulmer Spatz and the Schneider von Ulm stood on traditional boats as teams rowed from both banks of the Danube. As the opposing boats reached each other, the characters jabbed long poles at each other, aiming at their opponent’s chest. The character left standing on the boat continued in the tournament. These traditional boats, called Schachtel, were used in Ulm’s history to carry goods along Ulm’s trading routes on the Danube. The festivities during the Fischerstechen weekend continued on Saturday night with the Lichterserenade, the serenade of lights. Thousands of spectators again lined the banks of the Danube to watch as boats filled with candles motored upstream. After the sun set, volunteers lit those candles and sent them downstream. The Danube was filled with sparkling lights as the city sent fireworks into the air. I enjoyed the evening at the home of a Rotary Club member – he and his wife invited me to watch the event from their home on the banks of the Danube. On Sunday, the Fischerstechen parade and jousting tournament took place again. On Monday, the festivities continued with Schwörmontag, or Oath Monday, on which the mayor of Ulm traditionally makes a speech about Ulm and recites a centuries-old oath. Because of the rainy weather, the event took place inside the Münster instead of on the square outside the Schwörhaus. Ulmers filled the church to hear the mayor report on the events of the past year and to look to the future of the city. That afternoon, Ulmers returned to the river. This time, they came prepared to get splashed. Nabada, a colorful, fun parade on the river, takes place every year. Clubs in the city prepare official floats that represent current political or city themes. Additionally, hundreds of individuals float down the river on homemade rafts or fun inflatables. The resulting image is one that I won’t soon forget. From bank to bank, the Danube was full of life and color. People tossed buckets full of water at other floats, all in fun. As Nabada wound down on the river, Ulm’s downtown came to life as the city-wide afterparty began. At dozens of squares and in cafes around the city, music played as the streets filled with party revelers. Page 7 of 9 Fischerstechen, the Lichterserenade, and Nabada represent the peak of summer festivities on the Danube River in Ulm. Even outside this window of celebrations, the Danube River thrums with the constant heartbeat of daily life in Ulm. From eating my lunch on the city wall to watching a pick-up soccer game as the sun set on the river, the Danube became the pulse of my experience in Ulm, too. As always, thank you, New Ulm, and thank you, Sister Cities Commission, for your support of the Hans Joohs Exchange, which gives young people the opportunity to experience our sister- city, Ulm! Herzliche Grüße, best wishes Martha Balge Page 8 of 9  Nabada – Festival in Ulm, Germany Page 9 of 9