Medford Mayor, Randy Sparacino, has proclaimed July 26, 2022 as the Medford-AlbaTelstar Satellite 60th Anniversary.
Webinar Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Telstar Satellite Call Between Medford and Alba!Please join us for the Webinar Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Telstar satellite call between Medford and Alba!
The celebration Webinar will last approximately one hour. The event will include remarks from both mayors, sister city committee members, and audio clips from the Telstar phone call will be played. At the end of the Webinar, we hope everyone will participate by turning on their cameras and microphones to say hello to our friends in Alba!! When: Tuesday, July 26th at 10:00 AM Pacific Time (7:00 pm in Alba) Link for the Webinar: meet.google.com/hff-ayph-yer ** Note this is a different platform than Zoom, but very similar. Please share the link with your family and friends who have been involved with our wonderful sister city relationship!!
July 26, 2022 marks the 60th Anniversary of the historic Telstar Satellite call between Medford and Alba, Italy. The two cities will have a Zoom Webinar call on Tuesday, July 26th at 10:00 AM Pacific Time to commemorate the event. The call will include remarks from both mayors, sister city committee members, and will play audio clips from the Telstar phone call. You are invited to join the Zoom Webinar to watch the event! The Zoom link will posted on our Facebook site and our website.
The United States launched the first telecommunications satellite, Telstar, on July 10, 1962. The satellite was capable of relaying both telephone and television signals. On July 26, 1962, the satellite was used to link twenty-three American cities with their European sister cities. Medford was the only northwest city chosen for this honor. Mayor Osvaldo Cagnasso of Alba and Mayor John Snider of Medford spoke with each other for the first time via satellite, two years after the Sister City connection started. A crowd of over 5,000 people gathered in the square outside of Alba’s City Hall to hear the historic phone call over a public address system. The Eugene Register Guard reported that, “The crowd was silent during the conversation but broke into a loud cheer when it ended.” The historic call strengthened the new relationship between the two cities and many lifelong friendships have developed over the past 60 years! 1962 Italian news story (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdkuMOOPHdU
2023 Student ExchangeIf you are a student in the Medford area, you have an amazing cultural opportunity through the Medford Alba Student Exchange!
As international pandemic travel restrictions ease, the Medford Alba Sister City Association plans to reinstate the popular exchange between American and Italian high schools in 2023. The student exchange has taken place in alternating years since 1988, and is one of the Association's most successful programs! The Association will carefully select a group of high school juniors and seniors along with chaperones for an exceptional 12-day cultural exchange in Alba that includes living with and experiencing life with an Italian host family as well as touring and learning about Alba and the surrounding area. The Italian students will similarly spend time in the Rogue Valley living with the families of their American hosts and experiencing Southern Oregon attractions. Students must be mature, trust-worthy, and academically successful juniors or seniors from area high schools at the time of the exchange. The application includes an interview prior to selection. Cost of the exchange has been roughly $3,000 which includes airfare, admission fees, preparation prior to trip, and spending money. Costs are partially offset by Association guided group fundraising. Families must pay costs not covered by profits from fundraising. All students and families must participate in the pre-exchange activities which begin soon after selection and conclude just prior to travel. Details and updates about the 2023 student exchange and application process will be posted when available. You can also contact the Medford Alba Sister City Association for information at president@medfordalba.com Mayor Gary Wheeler has declared July 2, 2020 Medford-Alba Sister Cities Day.
May 25, 1960 - May 25, 2020Today, May 25, marks the 60th Anniversary of the date when Alba, Italy, officially entered into the Sister City relationship with Medford. Here is a scan of Alba’s city council meeting record on May 25th, 1960, recognizing the acceptance of the Sister City relationship with Medford!
2020 was supposed to be a big year to celebrate our 60th Anniversary. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we had to cancel the Alba celebrations in April and our Medford celebrations that were scheduled to occur at the end of June. We are very sad that we were unable to celebrate the 60th Anniversary in person this year! However, we are planning an online celebration in the fall. We hope to celebrate the 61st Anniversary in Alba and in Medford in 2021! The bond between our two cities remains strong! Please continue to keep our family and friends in Alba in your thoughts and prayers! 
We just wanted to take a moment to share a quick update about the 60th Anniversary events. Last week, the Medford delegation had to make the difficult decision to cancel (hopefully, just postponing) our April trip to Alba for the 60th celebrations and participating in Vinum (Alba's 44th annual wine festival). This was the best decision to ensure we could keep our family and friends safe in Alba and our family and friends safe in Medford when we returned home. Then, after we made the decision, the situation in Italy and here in the states continued to decline as the week progressed.
At this time we are hoping and praying we can have our 60th Anniversary event in Medford at the end of June. We hope our Alba friends can join us. However, we know things are changing rapidly since there is so much uncertainty about COVID-19. We will continue to plan for the Medford celebration, including developing back-up plans, such as an online celebration or postponing the events until later in the year or in 2021. Everyone’s health and safety is our top priority! As you know, our family and friends in Alba and elsewhere in Italy have been confined to their homes. Please reach out to them via Facebook, WhatsApp, email, etc. to let them know we are with them, especially as we start staying home as well! The virus will not affect the deep sister city connection and strong friendships between our two cities! You can follow the City of Alba’s Facebook Page for information about Alba: https://www.facebook.com/Citt%C3%A0-di-Alba-1264395803623333/ Sending our love and prayers to our family and friends in Alba! Medford Alba Sister City Association |
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Commemorating 2/18/60 – when Medford Officially Recognized the Selection of Alba as our Sister City
Happy Anniversary! Let the celebrations begin!
On this day, February 18, in 1960, Medford officially recognized the selection of Alba as Medford’s sister city!
Many events will be occurring in Medford and Alba in 2020 to honor the 60th Anniversary of this wonderful bond between our two cities! Alba’s official celebration will be in late April, and Medford’s official celebration will be in late June/early July. Delegations from each city will attend both ceremonies!
Medford and Alba became sister cities in 1960, as part of President Dwight Eisenhower’s “People to People” program, and is one of the oldest sister city connections! Medford’s mayor at the time, John Snider, selected Alba because of many similarities that he believed would help lead to deep and lasting bonds between the two communities. For the past 60 years, many personal relationships between the cities have been established through exchanges of city leaders, community members, business members, families, teachers, and students. Our friends in Alba have become part of our families!
Stay tuned for additional posts regarding upcoming celebration events and sister city historical information!
On this day, February 18, in 1960, Medford officially recognized the selection of Alba as Medford’s sister city!
Many events will be occurring in Medford and Alba in 2020 to honor the 60th Anniversary of this wonderful bond between our two cities! Alba’s official celebration will be in late April, and Medford’s official celebration will be in late June/early July. Delegations from each city will attend both ceremonies!
Medford and Alba became sister cities in 1960, as part of President Dwight Eisenhower’s “People to People” program, and is one of the oldest sister city connections! Medford’s mayor at the time, John Snider, selected Alba because of many similarities that he believed would help lead to deep and lasting bonds between the two communities. For the past 60 years, many personal relationships between the cities have been established through exchanges of city leaders, community members, business members, families, teachers, and students. Our friends in Alba have become part of our families!
Stay tuned for additional posts regarding upcoming celebration events and sister city historical information!
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