our friends in Madison the WESTPORT SQUARES

 last update: 24-09-08 /ms

Freiburg has some sister-cities. First one is Innsbruck in Austria, Bescancon in France, Padua in Italy, Grenada in Spain, Louw in Russia, Matsuyama in Japan and since 1981 Madison in USA in Wisconcin

Our club starting contacts in 1987 to square dancer in Madison. A lot of help we got from Karen Oghalai one of the board of the sister-city committee in Madison. She gave us the address from some square dancer which are at the sister-city-committee, too: Lindell and Phyllis Francis.

Lindell was on of the people who like to install friendship around the world. At the first visit from Elvira and Michael Strauss in 1989 the first steps to this friendship-ring will grow up.

In April 1990 the first big visit is coming to Freiburg: 28 square dancer from different squaredance clubs in Madison come to the special event of the Breisgau Twirlers Freiburg include a 4 night-overstay.

All the American guests got private overnight-stays, organisated by the Breisgau Twirlers Freiburg. A sightseeong-tour through Freiburg and a welcome-party from the city of Freiburg were  the highligths include the anniversary-party of the Breisgau Twirlers Freiburg on Saturday

In October the same year Lindell and his wife were coming again to Freiburg for organisation of a "Freiburg-Fair" in Madison in 1991.

In August 1991 the first tour-group from square dancer of Freiburger clubs visits Madison. Include this visit was the event from the state: the Wisconsin Square and Round Dance State Convention in the Madison Coliseum. In September 1991 were the Freiburg Fair in Madison.

After a terrible acceident in November 1992 we loset our best friend Lindell Francis. But his wife Phyllis keep going on his idea.

In 1996 she got the honorary membership of our club. The second tour-group was staying in August the same year in Madison and she got at the opening cermonies of the Wisconsin Square and Round Dance State Convention in the new DANE COUNTY COLLISEUM her badge and her certifikate

Pictures from our friends in their own dance-hall

translated by michael strauss