Wichita Area Sister Cities will be hosting a visit by community leaders from Orleans, France over the next week.
Orleans is Wichita’s first Sister City, and the relationship began 80 years ago when Orleans was liberated from Nazi occupation on August 16, 1944 by the 137th Infantry Regiment of the 35th Division. The 35th Division was an American army unit made up primarily of soldiers from Kansas.
The City of Orleans has exchanged visits and gifts with Wichita since the end of World War II. The eight visitors from Orleans are members of the OW-Wichita Sister City International relationship. They include an English teacher, a CPA, a pension fund company manager, a school care/food service assistant, an IT developer, and a legal professional.
The tour begins April 4th and continues through the 11th, and it includes stops at Old Cowtown, Exploration Place, the Mid-America All-Indian Center, Botanica, a Wind Surge baseball game, a Wichita Symphony Orchestra rehearsal, Wichita Wurlitzer, architectural tours, and a sunset drive through the Flint Hills. Ceremonial tours will occur at the Joan of Arc statue and the Keeper of the Plains.
Monday, April 7th is a public reception at Bleckley Foundation, 359 N. Mosley, at 3 p.m. with a tour of the World War I plane restoration.
