Presented by members of the 2009 Missoula Delegation and Toni Grace, International Relations Manager, Palmerston North, NZ

Global and Cultural Affairs of Arts Missoula and the Roxy Theater are launching a new and exciting programming event, the International Community Speaker Series (ICSS), this Monday, October 21, at 7:00 p.m., at the Roxy theater. The event is FREE and open to the public!

The kick-off evening will feature a panel, comprised of members of the Missoula delegation that visited Missoula’s sister city Palmerston North in New Zealand in March of this year, plus special guest Mrs. Toni Grace, International Relations Manager from Palmerston North, to share and discuss how the strategic re-vamping of the almost 40-year old city partnership, revitalized the connection to benefit Missoula and its many communities.

“Maintaining Missoula’s sister city connections and expanding program opportunities is a big part of my responsibilities” says Udo Fluck, Director of Global and Cultural Affairs of Arts Missoula. “In the summer of 2018, we decided to make some intentional modifications to the existing sister city agreement and after an eight-year hiatus, Missoula welcomed a six-member delegation from Palmerston North in October 2018 and a delegation comprised of education experts, Native American leaders, students and artists, city council representatives and business professionals traveled to Palmerston North in March of 2019, to explore common interest and opportunities in a diverse range of areas and topics, including the promotion of culture, language and commercial ties” according to Fluck.

Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of “sister cities”. The main purpose for twin town partnerships is to create and strengthen partnerships between communities.

“Missoula’s two sister cities bring us closer as a community and allow us to work more effectively and efficiently on challenges we all face, sharing experiences and finding solutions without reinventing the wheel, now that is minimizing expense, while maximizing results!”, states Fluck.

Please join us for an interesting and fun evening next Monday, October 21, at 7:00 p.m., at the Roxy theater. FREE and open to the public! Two more ICSS events are planned, November 25 with a focus on Laos and December 16 with an emphasis on Cuba. ICSS, always a Monday, always 7:00 p.m., always FREE!

To learn more contact Udo Fluck at 406.203.8754 or email udo@artsmissoula.org