Canmore, Canada was not on the radar of the Sedona Sister Cities Association Board, when 45 cities were evaluated in 2022 for consideration as potential partnering cities. A local resident came to a SSCA Board meeting last August and recommended that we consider Canmore. She was from Canmore and lived in both Canmore and Sedona and gave many reasons why Canmore would be a good sister city for Sedona.
From this initial conversation, the planned trip by Sedona Sister Cities Volunteers to Banff almost two years ago was extended to Canmore. Mayor Krausert and his wife came to Sedona the following April, and returned to Canmore invested in creating a Sister City leadership team. A second Sedona team returned to Canmore last fall, and SSCA members met with Rotary leaders and others interested in exploring this partnership.
This spring two community leaders from Canmore came to Sedona and both returned to Canmore committed to formalizing this relationship. Both city councils have approved initiating a Friendship City Agreement which is expected to be signed at the upcoming Member Brunch, May 19, 2024.
About Canmore:
Surrounded by Alberta provincial parks and located ten miles south of Banff, Canmore has many similarities to Sedona: an inviting destination surrounded by the natural beauty of the Canadian Rockies, a tourist population of over 2 million yearly, and a developed focus on sustainability (Master plans for environment, tourism, traffic, energy transition). Canmore, founded in 1884, has a diverse and growing younger population of 15,990. Unique to Canmore is the Nordic Centre, an international training site for cross country skiing. Annual events and festivals include mountain biking marathons, the Winter Carnival and the annual Folk Music Festival.
Jo Stone, Patrick Scheweiss, Patty Herman-Juda, Chuck Marr and Judy Neiman travel to Canmore and Banff, Canada in November at their own expense to continue the search for Sedona's sister city.
SSCA board members Linda Goldenstein, Judy Neiman, Chuck Marr, Don Groves, Joy Sinnott greet Mayor Krausert and local residents for reception with Mayor Krausert. Board members Winnie Muench, Dottie Webster and Holly Ploog also contributed to the weekend's festivities.
Mayor Sean Krausert and his wife Janet, visit Sedona in April and fall in love with the people and the Red Rocks.
Mayor Sean Krausert, with SSCA President Chuck Marr, Mayor Scott Jablow, and Vice Mayor Holly Ploog, met to discuss next steps during the Mayor Krausert's recent visit to Sedona.
Mayor Krausert was greeted by Sedona residents and many ideas came forth for ways that the two communities might collaborate and learn from each other.
Second Canmore Visit:
Chuck Marr, Jamiss Sebert, Mark Muench, Kevin Schweiss, Sarah Wakeman, Patrick Schweiss, Winnie Muench
at Lake Louise.
Reception for Martin Buckley and Rob Seeley from Canmore during the Sedona Film Festival.
Chuck Marr, Martin Buckley, Jeanette and David Bill, Rob Seeley
In the fall of 2023, we hosted our first SSCA Member event at Vino Di Sedona. Early in the evening we were greeted by Edyta Wieczorek, a new SSCA member. Edyta was full of enthusiasm about sister cities and was excited about the possibility of having Sedona become a Sister City with her homeland community of Jaslo, Poland. Six weeks later, Edyta brought three council members to Sedona to see the town and to meet with SSCA board members. This exploration has continued and this summer an SSCA delegation will travel to Jaslo to meet with city leaders, explore the wine country and discover potential common ground for becoming Friendship Cities. Since Edyta’s initial request to explore this possibility, we have discovered several Sedona residents with family roots in Poland. A Jaslo Cultural Exchange Team has been formed that will guide the exploration process and participate in the initial exchange this August.
Picture: Jaslo Town Square
Edyta Wieczorek and Carol Myers with Sister City members Katarzyna Betlej and Sylvia Gladkowska-President of the Polish American Congress of Arizona.
Maryla Kluz, Krzysztof Czelusniak, Edyta Wieczorek, and Robert Hap.
Carol Myers, Chuck Marr and Edyta Wieczorek at SSCA Member Event October 25, 2023.
Fara Roman Catholic Parish Church from the 15th Century in Jaslo.
Karpacka - The Carpathian Troy Archaeological Open-Air Museum
17th Century Sroczynskich Palace in Jaslo
There is still a genuine interest in finding a city in Ireland that would be a great match for Sedona. We are working with staff from Sister Cities International to identify possible cities to explore further. There are two board members who will be traveling to Ireland this fall and we look forward to continuing this journey.
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