PERIERS, FRANCE AND BETHANY BEACH TWIN CITIES

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 90^th

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.