Who was able to read the Breeze first?
On October 20-27th, a delegation of 15 people from the Ventura Sister City Association (VSCA) went down to Ventura’s first and only Sister City, Loreto Baja Sur, Mexico, to participate in the 325th year of Loreto’s founding. Loreto served as the first capital of California, and it has ties to Ventura through its Mission and the headquarters for the five island Mexican National Park off of its coast in the Sea of Cortez.
The trip included a visit to San Javier, an older mission in the Gigante’ Mountain range, boat rides out to the islands, a stop at a working ranchero where goats are raised, visits with artists, the Loreto Fire Department and a foster home and a beach clean-up. Additionally, we had an orientation session with Eco-Alianza, on organization that supports and collaborates with, which is dedicated to environmental protection of the Sea of Cortez and promotion of ecotourism.
Most importantly, the delegation got to participate in the four-day celebration of Loreto’s founding, including the presentation of a proclamation from Ventura’s Mayor and City Council to their Mayor and Council. Pictures and a video of the trip can be found on the Ventura Sister City Facebook page.
This is the second year in a row that the VCSA has partnered with the Hermosa Beach Sister City Association (HBSCA), as Hermosa Beach has been a Sister City of Loreto for 55 years. Beyond the October visit, which coincides with Loreto’s founding on October 25, 1697, the VSCA is working on developing trips to enhance our purpose of building cultural exchanges in the arts, with our museum and with our schools. If you are interested in getting involved with the Ventura Sister City Association, please visit our webpage at VenturaSisterCity.org.
