Fayetteville celebrates 30 years of partnership with French sister city
Fayetteville is celebrating 30 years of partnership with its sister city, Saint-Avold France.
A delegation from the French city, including Mayor Rene Steiner, visited Fayetteville for the first time recently.
In honor of the anniversary, Walter Street, which ran alongside North Carolina Veterans Park on Bragg Boulevard, was renamed St. Avold Avenue. The street sign was unveiled Sept. 27.
Though the two cities have shared cultural and civic ties for three decades, many residents are unaware of the relationship, said Kris Johnson, president of the Fayetteville-Saint Avold Friendship Alliance. Johnson, along with the Alliance's board and volunteers, aims to change that, she said.
How did Saint-Avold, France, come to be Fayetteville’s sister city?
Among the more than 10,000 American soldiers from World War II who are buried in the Lorraine National Cemetery in Saint-Avold, France, is Army Pfc. William M. Shaw Jr., whose family lived in Fayetteville. The 23-year-old was killed in action in France on September 12, 1944.
In 1986, a group of French cyclists rode from Washington, D.C. to Fayetteville, where they met with Lafayette Society founder and French native Martha Duell to present her with soil from Shaw’s grave, Johnson said.
About seven years later in 1993, Fayetteville adopted a resolution that formally proclaimed Saint-Avold as a sister city. The following year, Saint-Avold reciprocated by adopting Fayetteville as its sister city.
Does Fayetteville have any other French ties?
Fayetteville has French ties that date back to colonial times.
In 1783, the city was named after French nobleman Marquis de La Fayette, who served as a general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. La Fayette visited the city about four decades after the war.
It is said that among the many U.S. municipalities that were named after La Fayette, Fayetteville is the only one he visited.
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What does the Fayetteville-Saint Avold Friendship Alliance do?
The Fayetteville-Saint Avold Friendship Alliance manages the relationship between the two cities, Johnson said. She’s been at the helm since the organization’s inception three years ago.
That includes coordinating visits, sending Christmas gifts to the Saint-Avold mayor’s office, and providing floral arrangements for Memorial Day celebrations at the Lorraine Cemetery in Saint-Avold.
The local nonprofit also holds annual events like the Great French-American Garage Sale in March and a Bastille Day celebration in July, a holiday that commemorates the early stages of the French Revolutionary War.
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Next fall, they plan to host a 1940s-themed Victory Party in honor of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of France from Nazi control in WWII.
Johnson said they hope to soon organize student exchanges and to strengthen the business relationships.
“It’s all to keep goodwill between the two cities,” Johnson said.
Taylor Shook writes about food, dining and culture for The Fayetteville Observer. She can be reached at tshook@gannett.com, on Twitter, or Facebook.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville & Saint-Avold, France have been sister cities for 30 years
