New Sister Cities 'Connections' garden

On Friday, a worldly crowd gathered in Riverfront Park to celebrate the dedication of the new Sister Cities “Connections” garden, which honors the Spokane’s relationship with its five sister cities of Jilin, China; Jecheon, South Korea; Cagli, Italy; Limerick, Ireland; and Nishinomiya, Japan.

Section:Gallery

Fri., Sept. 13, 2019

A fish sculpture by Melissa Cole, representing the city’s connection with Native American tribes, sits temporarlily in the new Sister Cities Connections Garden in Riverfront Park Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, in Spokane. A crowd attended the ceremony opening the garden, which included sculptures representing cities in Ireland and Japan.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
From left, Peggy Heyamoto, Hiroko Ishimoto, Hiroko Hill, Kimiko Zento, Yuko Ueno and Doug Griffiths walk past a replica of the famous wooden lighthouse of Nishinomiya, Japan in the Sister Cities Connections Garden in Riverfront Park, Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. Representatives from various sister city connections, like Zento, the president of the Nishinomiya-Spokane Sister City Society, attended the ceremonial opening of the garden on the north end of the Howard Street Bridge Friday morning. The garden opens with sculptures in place representing Nishinomiya, Limerick, Ireland and local Native American tribes and there are plans for future sculptures representing Jilin, China, Jecheon, South Korea and Cagli, Italy.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Limerick, Ireland Deputy Mayor Adam Teskey waves a hip flask of Irish whiskey which he claimed was left in the lectern before his speech at the opening of the Sister Cities Connections Garden in Riverfront Park, Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. Teskey and representatives of other sister cities gathered in Spokane for the opening of the small garden on the north end of the Howard Street Bridge. The garden has sculptures representing Nishinomiya, Japan, Limerick, Ireland and Native American tribes, and plans are for future art from Jilin, China, Jecheon, South Korea and Cagli, Italy.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Representatives of Spokane’s sister cities and local residents gathered, Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, for a ceremony to open the Spokane Sister Cities Connections Garden in Riverfront Park. The new area on the north end of the Howard Street Bridge has sculptures representing connections with Japan, Ireland and local Native American tribes and others are planned for Italy, Korea and China.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Adam Teskey, left, Deputy Mayor of Limerick, Ireland, receives a challenge coin from Joey McAtee, right, at the ceremony to open the Sister Cities Connections Garden in Spokane’s Riverfront Park, Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. McAtee gave the coin on behalf of the Irish Drinking Team, an ununstructured social group which meets for events. The garden sculptures includes the bronze harp, right, in a protective case, which was the last project of Sister Mary Turnbull, the late artist known for her public art, including the garbage goat, also in Riverfront Park.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review