BETHANY BEACH HAS TWIN IN
FRANCE
PERIERS, NORMANDY IS IT.
Bethany Beach, Sussex
County, Delaware and Periers, Normandy, France, officially
became twin cities early
this spring of 2010. Periers has many memorials to the 90th
U.S. Infantry Division
and D-Day June 6, 1944.
A Bethany resident, Diana
Cowell, played a major role in the twinning of the two towns
has visited Periers with
her father, a Normandy Landing veteran of WW II , if fact in 2006
her family visited to
spread ashes of her deceased father there. In a 2008 visit she met
the
towns mayor, Gabriel
Daube , who expressed a desire to have a twin city in America
and
Bethany Beach became the
subject and Daube sent a formal request with her encouragement.
The Cultural and
Historic Affairs Committee of Bethany Beach spearheaded the
partnership.
The vice mayor and
committees chairman, Carol Olmstead, said the town was very
receptive
to the unity.
On D-Day every year
American and French flags are placed on American graves of those
who died there in WW II.
Mayor Daube and his wife,
three generations of the Levaufre family who are close to Cowell
visited Cape Henlopen area
in 2010. Daube will be presented a key to Bethany at a concert
at the bandstand during
this visit. Cowell has said Periers is very friendly to Americans
and
is grateful and gracious.
Abstract: Salisbury Daily
Times, staff writers, Laura Dignan and Wallace McKelvey,
Tuesday, 17 August,
2010.
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