Contact: Xavia Francis
This week, Albany Chief City Auditor Dr. Dorcey Applyrs will be attending a series of events in Nijmegen, in the Dutch province of Gelderland, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its sister city relationship with Albany. Dr. Applyrs will be in the Netherlands through September 20th attending the celebrations on behalf of Mayor Kathy Sheehan.
Albany Chief City Auditor Dr. Dorcey Applyrs said, “It is an honor to travel to our sister city, Nijmegen, to represent Albany as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our continued friendship. It is a privilege to meet the people of Nijmegen and participate in these events with my Dutch counterparts, as we commemorate our past and continue to build closer links for the future.”
On Sunday, Dr. Applyrs delivered remarks at a ceremony commemorating the anniversary at Nijmegen Stevens Church. Today, Dr. Applyrs will attend a lunch and ceremony honoring the relationship between the two cities, hosted by the Radboud University Medical Center, and unveil a plaque at the Julian Aaron Cook Building, a supportive housing development in Nijmegen. The day will finish with a dinner at the Radboud University Faculty Club, hosted by Friendship Albany Nijmegen and the Orange Wonder Club.
On Tuesday, Dr. Applyrs will attend the City of Nijmegen’s annual ceremony at the Waal Crossing monument, commemorating allied forces liberating the City from Nazi occupation on September 20, 1944, after successfully capturing two bridges connecting Nijmegen to the other side of the Waal River. Dr. Applyrs will lay a wreath in honor of those who died in the City’s liberation.
Albany and Nijmegen have been sister cities since 1947, following the delivery of a 300-ton humanitarian shipment initiated by Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd on behalf of the residents of Albany, which provided vital supplies, from toys to building materials, to help the war-torn city rebuild. To thank Albany, Nijmegen sent back a crate of tulip bulbs, which were planted in Washington Park and are now annually commemorated at Tulip Fest.
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