🎥 Santa Maria Sister City reps say Happy Birthday to Hays

(L to R) Sister Cities Santa Maria, Paraguay delegation Erma Elizabetk Del Puerto de Ramirez, Milciades Ramon Mancuello and Isabelino Victor Martinez Galiano address the Hays city commission assisted by translator Max Maximov, Sister Cities of Hays.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The sesquicentennial celebration of Hays has been made even more special this weekend with an honored delegation of visitors from Paraguay.

Four people from Hays’ Sister City Santa Maria de Fe, Paraguay, are in town to enjoy the festivities, including a dedication and reception Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Hays Public Library of the permanent display “Worlds Apart, Cities Together.” It was created by local artist Cody Custer to honor the Sister City relationship.

The Sister Cities display will be dedicated Saturday in the Hays Public Library. (Courtesy photo)

The group arrived in Hays Thursday in time to attend the city commission work session. One delegation member, Erma Elizabetk Del Puerto de Ramirez, is a Santa Maria city commission member as well as director of the Institute of Technology in Santa Maria.

With assistance from translator Max Maximov of the Hays Sister Cities group, she told the commission the “Santa Maria mayor and city commission send their appreciation of the Sister Cities partnership and congratulations to Hays on its 150th birthday.”

Santa Maria is considerably older. Established as a Jesuit mission in the 1600s, Santa Maria today has a population of about 4,000 and is located in southern Paraguay, some 160 miles from the country’s capital Asuncion.

Del Puerto de Ramirez was pleased to point out the similarities in the two municipalities’ governing bodies. Although Santa Maria is not incorporated and does not have a city manager, residents of both towns elect representatives to the city commissions, five year terms in Santa Maria, four and two year terms in Hays. The commissioners then elect their own chairman (Santa Maria) or mayor (Hays). “That’s what happens here,” replied the Hays commissioners.

Marianna Beach in 2012 (Courtesy Gwen Lang)

Isabelino Victor Martinez Galiano, is manager of Jesuit’s Museum, where the Santa Maria/Hays partnership began 41 years ago with a financial donation from Hays resident Marianna Beach for construction of the museum.

“It’s a great joy and great honor to be here. It’s been 40 years of conversations and unity between the two cities,” Martinez Galiano said through translation.

“This is an opportunity to thank the ‘natural’ ‘ ambassadors Ross and Marian Beach who in 1976 paved the way for this day to come true.” “We’re very proud to have you here,” Mayor Shaun Musil replied in greeting the delegation. The museum was dedicated Oct. 25, 1979. A document on display there signed by former Hays Mayor Dan Rupp.

The flag of Paraguay flies in Hays at the Sister Cities Plaza , 13th and Hall, which is sponsored by the Hays Rotary Club.

The Santa Maria tourism coordinator and manager of the town’s only hotel, introduced himself to the commission. Milciades Ramon Mancuello lived for a time in Scotland where he learned hospitality management, and some English.

Maximov, who teaches Spanish and German at Fort Hays State University, has visited Santa Maria twice, working to revive and help strengthen the Sister Cities partnership which had languished over the years.

Erma Elizabetk Del Puerto de Ramirez is a Santa Maria city commission member as well as director of the Institute of Technology in Santa Maria.

According to Del Puerto de Ramirez, many Santa Maria residents her age remember as school children they received small packages from young Hays students filled with items such as books, pencils and postcards. “Hays, our Sister City, was an intangible place that was always there. We grew up with these little interchanges.” She plans to update and continue the gift exchanges with Hays officials during a formal presentation at the 150th anniversary proclamation Sunday at 11 a.m. in Municipal Park.

A toast to Sister Cities Santa Maria and Hays, June 1, 2016, in Hays.

Also with the Paraguay delegation is Derlis Hernan Maidana Zarza, governor of Misiones, who was unable to attend the city commission meeting. He visited Hays last year for the first time with a Sister Cities delegation.

The group has a full itinerary, including visits to Fort Hays State University, where they were to meet Mauricio Etcheverry, an FHSU soccer athlete from Asuncion, Paraguay. They’ll be attending the Ellis County Fair, have already watched a Hays Larks baseball game, and will meet with Hays business people working in similar professions.

Sunday evening, the Sister Cities members will enjoy a private dinner at the home of Mayor Musil and his wife Heather, who is a member of the Hays Sister Cities Advisory Board.

The Santa Maria delegation will head back to Paraguay Monday morning from Wichita.