Did you know you have a sister in Scotland?

Before John Muir came to live in Martinez in 1880, he traveled from his birthplace, a town called Dunbar on the South-East coast of Scotland. Just over a hundred years later, in 1981, the Mayor of the read a proclamation declaring Dunbar and Martinez as Sister Cities. Now, thirty years later, the Sister City Project wants to celebrate this relationship with a barrage of greetings from the people of Martinez to the people of Dunbar.

The Sister City program links the two communities Muir once called home through an exchange of correspondence and gifts. As part of the 30 Year Anniversary, the Sister Cities Program is encouraging groups, organization, businesses and community members to send messages to the people of Dunbar via email, video, Facebook or Twitter.  Sue Hammond who works with the Sister City Program also wants to deepen the connection between the two cities by setting up pen-pal relationships.  “We’re hoping that a coffee shop can correspond with a coffee shop, and a librarian with a librarian,” Hammond said.  In addition she is setting up correspondence between the schools of Martinez and Dunbar.

“I think if people understand each other on a personal level that can really help international relations…I think it starts on a small basis and works its way up from there,” Hammond said.

Pen-pal relationships have changed a lot since the dawn of the Communication Age. Although they are still referred to as a pen-pal, really these exchanges take place over email.  Artwork created by students for their sister schools in Dunbar is scanned and sent as an attachment as opposed to being sent via airmail. “The expense is horrible when you actually mail to Scotland,” said Hammond. “It makes it so much easier this way.” 

Technology also expands the array of items that can be sent. Hammond says that the students of Dunbar are creating a video to send to students in Martinez, and that students here may do likewise. “Without technology it would be an outrageously expensive proposition that we just could do,” Hammond said.

Greetings, photographs and videos can be sent by visiting the Martinez – Dunbar Sister City Page on Facebook. Residents will also have an opportunity to pose for a photo at the City of Martinez Booth this Saturday, April 16th during the John Muir Birthday-Earth Day Celebration.  The Celebration is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the  John Muir Historical site located at 4202 Alhambra Avenue.