Experience History in The City of Sonoma
A History of International Relationships
The first sister city relationship was between the City of Sonoma and the City of Chambolle-Musigny, France. With more sister city relationships to follow, the Sonoma Sister City Association was established by official agreement, signed on September 8, 1986, between the City of Sonoma and Sister Cities International (SCI). Today, we have 7 Sister City Committees all operating under the aegis of SSCA . Each of our committees work with SSCA to advance our mission and that of SCI, creating the opportunity for citizen to citizen diplomacy. Over the years, our Sonoma City Mayor and several members of the City Council have been personally involved with delegation visits and have been on delegation visits abroad. Over the years, SSCA, with the vision of the City of Sonoma, has been an important factor in the recognition of Sonoma as international tourism destination.
Rich Historical Beginnings and Landmarks
The town of Sonoma, centered on the Sonoma Plaza, is a historically significant town in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, which is just 40 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Here the Bear Flag Revolt took place in 1846 which led to independence from Mexico and California becoming a state of the United States on September 9, 1850. Many historical landmark adobe buildings surround the Plaza, including the Sonoma Barracks and Mission San Francisco Solano which was built in 1823 and was the last of the 21 Franciscan missions built in California between the 1700 – 1800’s. Sonoma City Hall, pictured above, was built in 1908 and is still in use today. It is a focal point on the Plaza, which is itself a National Historic Landmark. Sonoma is known for its “slow” food culture and Sonoma County is a center of the California’s wine industry for the Sonoma Valley AVA Appellation. Many residents of Sonoma are third or fourth generation Italian-Americans and French-Americans, descendants of immigrants who came to the area to work in wine making. Click here for more information about the City of Sonoma.
Photo Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:C.Maylett
Photo credit: Monica A. Menco/Artesia Animastra Vineyard
Fostering Global Citizen Diplomacy
Sister Cities International (SCI) was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 during the Cold War Era as a 501(c)3 nonpartisan, nonprofit, national membership organization to serve a network of tens of thousands citizen diplomats around the globe who champion peace and prosperity. Through the SCI program platforms, over 145 countries have hosted visiting International leaders, engaged in cultural and arts exchanges, developed youth and education programs, provided humanitarian assistance, and stimulated economic and sustainable development.
Sonoma Sister Cities Association (SSCA) was established on September 8, 1986, by official agreement between SCI and the City of Sonoma, as a nonprofit organization to create long-term partnerships between Sonoma and communities in other countries where we have mutual, beneficial interests. Today, SSCA has seven sister city relationships that extend to four continents. Our citizen diplomats are ordinary citizens who, as a group of volunteers, pursue municipal, business, trade, educational, humanitarian, social and cultural exchanges with our sister cities. Under the auspice of the City of Sonoma and with the support of local elected officials, we are a driving part of SCI’s global network of sister city partnerships.
Learn About SSCA
Our Mission
Through international people-to-people relationships, our mission is to promote global peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation – – one individual, on community at at time. This mission is advanced through four broad-based goals with our global partners to
- Facilitate cultural and arts exchanges
- Support humanitarian assistance projects
- Offer youth and educational programs
- Stimulate economic and sustainable development
Meet the Board of Directors
Our Board composition continues to grow, with Committee Chairs for all seven of our affiliates. Our Officer slate for 2024 is as follows: President Stephanie Fine, Vice President Robert Demler, Secretary (Acting) Robert Demler. Our Treasurer Office is currently vacant. Our Committee Chairs are 1) Aswan/Vacant, 2) Chambolle-Musigny (aka Chamson)/Vic Aul, 3) Greve-in-Chianti/Patrick Pesetti, 4) Kaniv/Kaeti Bailie, 5) Patzcuaro/Jocelyn Mondragon, 6) Penglai/Peggy Rubens, and 7) Tokaj/ Sylvia Toth and Joan Toth (Co-Chairs). Our other Board members are 1) Gigi Pfleger (Membership Chair), 2) Andrew Sorokowski (Director at Large), 3) and Monica Menco (Director at Large/Website Manager).
Free Concert by Ukrainian Musicians – November 16/2:00PM
Sonoma Fire Department Chief Steve Acre is inviting you, the Sonoma Community, to a free concert performed by Ukraine’s Cultural Forces musicians, professional artists before the war, now serving as [...]
Film Showing: Coco – Saturday, 23 November – 2:00 P.M.
The Sonoma-Patzcuaro Sister City Committee will present a special showing of the Pixar film "Coco" on Saturday, November 23rd/2:00 p.m. at the Sebastiani Theatre in Sonoma. Tickets are $5.00/child and [...]
The Ambulance Has Arrived!
THANK YOU! Your generosity has given this ambulance wings! Our ambulance arrived in Kaniv on November 1st after traveling 6,145 miles by truck, train and ship across countless borders [...]
Get Your Tickets Now for the Sonoma-Tokaj Committee Fundraiser on 11-2-2024
Join us for a traditional Hungarian dinner with entertainment, dancing, and wines from Sonoma and Tokaj! The proceeds from this program benefit the intern exchange program with our Sister [...]
Visitors from Chambolle-Musigny Enjoy Sonoma Hospitality
The Sonoma/Chambolle-Musigny Sister City Committee welcomed visitors from France in mid-July. Renowned Vintner Francois Millet and his wife Michelle enjoyed games of Petanque and a tour/tasting at VJB Winery, [...]
The Ambulance Is on Its Way!
SSCA President Stephanie Fine and Sonoma-Kaniv Committee Chair Kaeti Bailie announced that the Ambulance gifted to the people of Kaniv from the City of Sonoma left for Ukraine at [...]
SSCA Announces the 2024 Scholarship Recipient: Celine King
SSCA is pleased to announce this year’s recipient of the foreign language scholarship award is Sonoma Valley High School senior Celine King, Class of 2024. Celine will receive $1000 to [...]
Please email your questions to president@sscasonoma.org.
Upcoming Events
The Spring Festival (aka Chinese New Year in the rest of the world) is a major time of the year for Chinese people. It’s a time to celebrate family.
A common greeting is 春节快乐 chūn jié kuài lè, which means Happy Spring Festival. Try this site for it’s pronunciation.
On New Year’s Day you can say 新年快乐 xīn nián kuài lè, which means Happy New Year. Try this site for it’s pronunciation.
This year, 2018, is the Year of the Dog.
The cycle is 12 years, starting officially with the Rat.
Upcoming years are symbolized by:
2019 Pig
2020 Rat
2021 Ox
2022 Tiger
2023 Rabbit
2024 Dragon
2025 Snake
2026 Horse
2027 Goat
2028 Monkey
2029 Rooster
2030 Dog