Following a reception, gift exchange and tour of Mayor Robert Cluck's office, our visitors are gearing up for a week of activities

The City of Arlington and a delegation from Bad Königshofen, Germany will receive special honors during the 47th Annual German Pioneer Ball. This strong sister-city relationship has endured more than five decades. The gala is Saturday, Oct. 10, in Irving.

The delegation from Germany arrived Monday, Oct. 5 and included Burgermeister Thomas Helbling, Council Member Helmut Zenher and six other town representatives. Their visit to North Texas to attend the Pioneer Ball also includes a welcome reception on Monday and tours of the Cowboys Stadium, UT Arlington and Ballpark in Arlington. The itinerary is below.

Since 1951, Arlington has embraced Bad Königshofen, a small northern Bavarian town in West Germany located about 100 miles north of Frankfurt/Main. The friendship began 58 years ago when residents and businesses in Arlington began shipping food and clothing to refugees who traveled into their small town, escaping the communist east. Arlington's contributions brought a spark of hope to a community overwhelmed with need.

Today, Bad Königshofen is a town of approximately 7,000 residents. Arlington residents have maintained a special friendship with town leaders while growing relationships with its government and business sectors. In honor of the 55th anniversary of this friendship, Arlington dedicated the Bad Königshofen Family Aquatic Center in southwest Arlington in 2006. Bad Königshofen has a downtown recreational park named Arlington in honor of our city.

The Pioneer Ball will begin at 6 p.m. at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Irving and feature live music and a grand celebration of German heritage and cultural influence that was central to the early formation of Texas. In 1963, Texas officially designated Oct. 6 as German Day in Texas, and the Texas German Day Council was formed to continue building bridges of friendship between American and German citizens.

To learn more about Arlington's sister-city relationship with Bad Konigshofen, visit webapps.arlingtontx.gov/tmp/sistercity.

Note to News Media: Excellent photo and video opportunities available all week. The German delegation arrives Monday, Oct. 5. The itinerary is attached.

Bad Königshofen Delegation Itinerary
October 5-10

Monday, Oct. 5
2:30 p.m. - Greet German delegation at DFW Airport
4 p.m. - Welcome Reception at the Arlington Municipal Building, 101 W. Abram St.

Tuesday/Wednesday - Oct. 6 and Oct. 7
Northeast Texas travels -TBD

Thursday, Oct. 8
3 p.m. - International Peace Memorial at Gene Allen Park
3:30 p.m. - George W. Hawkes Central Library Tour
4:30 p.m. - Cowboys Stadium Tour

Friday, Oct. 9
10 a.m. - Martin High School Tour
11:30 - Northstar School Tour
1 p.m. - Arlington Board of Realtors Chili Cook-Off
3 p.m. - Glassblowing demonstrations at UT-Arlington with Artist David Keen
6 p.m. - Friends of Bad Konigshofen picnic and barbecue and a visit to Bad Königshofen
Family Aquatic Center

Saturday, Oct. 10
Free Time - Outings to include visits to Arlington Highlands, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the new Decorator's Warehouse and Texas State Fair in Dallas
6 p.m. - 47th Annual German Pioneer Ball in Irving

Sunday, Oct. 11
10:30 a.m. - Brunch at Ventana Grille at Tierra Verde Golf Club
12:30 - Depart for DFW
4:15 - Lufthansa Flight to Germany

Following a tour of the city's Office of Emergency Management with Mayor Robert Cluck, the $500,000 check was signed and presented to the City on Sept. 3, 2009. The grant will fund upgrades to telecommunications hardware to ensure that police officers and other emergency responders do not lose voice and data communications that support computer-aided dispatch, police records management, e-mail, internet access, and other systems.

Congressman Joe Barton was first elected in 1984 to serve the Sixth District of Texas, which is made up of Ellis County, Navarro County, a portion of Limestone County, Freestone County, Leon County and Houston County. His district also includes portions of Tarrant County and the cities of Arlington, Crowley, Fort Worth and Mansfield

What: News Conference

When: 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009

Where: Emergency Operations Center, Ott Cribbs Public Safety Center, 620 W.
Division St. in Arlington

Why: To present the City of Arlington with a $500,000 grant for information technology infrastructure to improve telecommunications. With Mayor Robert Cluck, Barton will also meet with public safety officials and tour Arlington's Emergency Operations Center.

The $500,000 grant will be used to fund telecommunications hardware to upgrade the city's IT infrastructure to ensure that police officers and other emergency responders do not lose voice and data communications that support computer-added dispatch, police records management, e-mail, internet access, and other systems.

Congressman Joe Barton was first elected in 1984 to serve the Sixth District of Texas, which is made up of Ellis County, Navarro County, a portion of Limestone County, Freestone County, Leon County, and Houston County. His district also includes portions of Tarrant County and the cities of Arlington, Crowley, Fort Worth, and Mansfield.