30th Anniversary Visit

The Celtic Festival in Saline

1996



Saline and Brecon celebrated the 30th anniversary of their twinning with a huge party! The party of 48 Brecon visitors was welcomed by the residents of Saline for a two week visit that was highlighted by the First Annual Celtic Festival. The visit began on July 3 with an official welcome by Mayor Patrick Little at a special City Council meeting.
Brecon Mayor Tony Bufton is sworn in as honorary Mayor of Saline for the 30th Anniversary celebration at a special session of the Saline City Council.
On July 6, some 6,000 - 8,000 visitors gathered to join in the celebration at the Saline Celtic Festival. The Festival began with a parade led by Marshals Councelor Arthur Bowley and Charley, the nationally famous working dog of Saline.


The Arthur T. Bowley Friendship Bridge
A special presentation opened the Festival. The pedestrian bridge in Saline's Millpond Park was dedicated as the Arthur T. Bowley Friendship Bridge. The bridge recognizes the pivotal role Arthur and Dilys Bowley have played in cementing the special friendship enjoyed by these two communities. The dedication was consummated when Mayors Bufton and Little poured bottles of Michigan and Welsh water through a sieve held by Councilor Bowley into the Saline River flowing below.


The week following the Festival was also filled with special events. A trip to nearby Toledo Raceway Park for an evening of horse racing was an opportunity for all of the Brecon visitors to improve the American economy.

The traditional golf outing led to another Saline victory. Somehow it seems that the home team always wins these events!

A bus tour to Nashville, Tennessee gave the Brecon visitors a real taste of country western music. Southern Americans got their first exposure to some Welsh-accented "YEE- HAW"s. The farewell party on July 15 at Wellers was another grand party. Mayor Bufton and Councilor Bowley were "put on trial" once again for the "crime of not returning to Saline often enough. The raucous laughter of the evening ended, however, with some tearful farewells following the Breconians' strains of "We'll Keep A Welcome In The Hillsides".

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