FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2021 

For more information, contact:Joni Mahaffey-Rauschenbach
Phone: 828-894-8721 x294
jrauschenbach@polklibrary.org 

Sister City painting on display at Saluda Library

SALUDA, N. C., (December 20, 2021) Saluda’s “Sister City” is the lovely hilltown of Carunchio in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. This year, the mayor of Carunchio, Gianfranco d’Isabella, presented the delegation of Saluda residents who visited with two large oil paintings of Carunchio painted by the children of the town. One of these has been presented by Saluda Mayor Fred Baisden to Dr. Cari Maneen, principal of Saluda Elementary, and will be housed at the school. The other painting (pictured here) is currently on display at Saluda Library and will later hang in Saluda City Hall. 

Since 2014, these two small towns have been joined through Sister Cities 

International in a relationship formalized by resolutions of their governing bodies, and have engaged in various interactions in order to educate, exchange, and open doors to cultural understanding. The two towns sit at the same latitude, same altitude, and have approximately the same population. 

Every Sister city program has a focus, and the focus of these two similarly situated mountain villages has been the elementary school children. Both Saluda and Carunchio each have only one school within their city boundaries, an elementary school. Over the years, the children of the two schools have exchanged videotapes regarding their school, their town, and their lives; corresponded with each other via the internet as pen pals; exchanged artwork; and connected in many other ways.

Polk County Public Libraries has two libraries, Columbus Library and Saluda Library, with books, movies, music, audiobooks, and downloadable eBooks and audiobooks available for checkout, as well as public computers and wireless internet access. PCPL also offers regularly scheduled virtual and in-person programs for all ages. To learn more, visit www.polklibrary.org.

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