In case you are wondering about the banner hanging in the lobby of City Hall, or the extra flag beneath the Arlington City Flag on the flag pole, the two are hanging in celebration of the anniversary of the partnership between Arlington and Bad Koenigshofen, our sister city. It was 53 years ago today that the City of Arlington and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce adopted Bad Koenigshofen, and a letter confirming that decision was signed by then Mayor Tom Vandergriff and sent to the Mayor of Koenigshofen, Kaspar Lurz.

Arlington's partnership with Bad Koenigshofen is the longest on-going sister city relationship of any in Texas. It very well may be the longest on-going of any US City with a foreign city.

UTA opened an exhibit last night, Thursday, September 16, which will run through September 24, in honor of this partnership. The Exhibit is in the Language Acquisition Center, Trimble Hall. A reception following the opening of the Exhibit was hosted by the Department of Modern Languages. Scott Williams, Ph.D., Director of the Language Acquisition Center UTA, briefly welcomed those in attendance. The Honorable Judge Tom Vandergriff spoke about his remembrances of the establishment of the partnership in 1951.

The Exhibit remains open to the public through September 24.