December 2007
Taste "n" Try Xmas 2007 held at Sharon and Stewart Rickersey's home on 5th December.
June 2007
Greetings to all our friends in Mansfields around the world from Mansfield, England.
We have all had a busy time since the last Newsletter and we would like to update you with just a few of our most recent events.
On 17 May we held the traditional Sister Cities Dinner, an event which was greatly enjoyed by everyone there. It’s always great to hear from other Mansfields, and, once again, we were able to do just that during the evening. Among the guests were Cindi and Bob Powers from Mansfield, Ohio who brought news and best wishes from our many friends there. We received telephone calls from Dalton Derr in Mansfield, Ohio and Kelli Baker and Sister Cities in Mansfield, Massachusetts. These calls brought back many fond memories for those who have participated in the numerous visits between the ‘Mansfields’, particularly for those who were part of the 2004 celebrations in Massachusetts. We also had a number of email messages from other Mansfields – Louise Jacob (Australia); Pat Dishaw (Michigan); Bob Simoni (Massachusetts, now California); John Franklin (Ontario, Canada); and Ed Olson (Ohio), to name but a few. Many thanks to everyone who helped make the evening such a success.
During the evening Stewart Rickersey (Chairman, Mansfield Sister Cities), presented Cindi and Bob with an engraved gift made by Dan Aston, of Firefly Glass (See photograph 1). This local glassmaker has designed and made a number of pieces for Sister Cities, some of which were taken to Massachusetts in 2004.
Photograph 2 shows some of the guests who attended the dinner, including the newly re-elected Mayor of Mansfield, Tony Egginton. The photograph also shows a few of the many flags with a ‘Mansfield’ connection that were displayed around the venue.
We have had a few visitors from other Mansfields recently. Firstly, Ed Olson from Mansfield, Ohio. Ed was in the UK mainly to support his son, Douglas, who is a senior at Ohio State University and captain of the rugby team who were playing in Northampton. Ed couldn’t resist coming to our Mansfield between matches and spent a few days here. He stayed at the home of Doug and Jo Brown and was also entertained by Don and Mary Brown. During his visit Ed was able to report on the plans for the ‘Mansfields of the World’ event which will take place in Ohio in June next year..
Ed was interviewed by BBC Radio Nottingham, and the local newspaper, the Chad. He was also entertained at County Hall, Nottingham, by John Allin, currently vice chairman, but soon to be the chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council.
Photograph 3 shows Ed with some Sister Cities friends at the Maid Marian Restaurant in Edwinstowe. From left to right: Allan McLean, John Allin, Jo Brown, Doug Brown, Stewart Rickersey, Ed Olson, Don Brown and Mary Brown.
Soon after Ed Olson was here, John Franklin and his wife Betty came over to the UK on an extended visit from Mansfield, Ontario. John has been a valued Sister Cities friend for a number of years, having visited Mansfield, England in 2000, and Massachusetts in 2004 where he was hosted by Dave Loving and Nancy Wall. John and Betty stayed over in Mansfield with Mr and Mrs Ball, and photograph 4 shows (left to right) – Mrs Ball, Betty Franklin, John Franklin, Mary Brown, Dan Aston, and Mr Ball.
Other events held since the last Newsletter include a ‘Taste and Try’ evening, which took place at the home of Sharon and Stewart Rickersey. Sister Cities members brought food with them and shared a meal. The evening was made even more special by the presence of the singing group ‘Cantabile’ who were very entertaining.
Photograph 5 shows (left to right) Jim Spray, secretary, Doug Brown, vice chairman, Stewart Rickersey, chairman, of Mansfield Sister Cities. ‘Cantabile’ is also shown, and consists of June Holt, soprano, Liz Leaver, alto, David Ince, tenor, and Terry Holt, bass.
STOP PRESS - Mary and Don Brown visited Mansfield, Michigan in June last year representing our association and during our Taste & Try evening entertained us with stories from Michigan. The picture below shows Mary and Don presenting a special gift on behalf of our association to Kathy Dishaw.
Best wishes to all other Mansfields. We look forward to hearing from you.
From Mansfield Sister Cities, England. (Doug and Jo Brown, Newsletter editor, Email - djrbrown@btinternet.com)
Autumn 2006
Just some items of news, which we hope will be of interest to Sister Cities members and friends.
Allan Carroll’s visit to Mansfield UK
We received an email from Allan Carroll from Dayton, Ohio who visited here a month or two ago, and who attended a Sister Cities Committee Meeting on 7th July. Here is what he wrote:
Sister Cities’ Meeting
(or Why Wasn’t It Short?)
When Steve and Joyce Cree, along with Wendy Ince, invited me to attend the meeting [on 7th July] of the Mansfield Sister Cities leadership meeting, I was eager to go. But when Steve said it should be short and straightforward, I should have known better!
As it turned out, what I found was a very spirited meeting, not at all straight-forward, filled with people who had a multitude of good ideas and were not at all shy to express them. Stewart Rickersey deserves high marks just for making it through without bruises and for bringing consensus to most items.
What a delightful group it was! The laughter, the banter (especially between Stewart and Sharon), the free-flowing exchange of ideas, and the sincere intention of everyone to make the Sister Cities program and contacts as meaningful and as significant as possible encouraged me in a number of ways. I do believe that meeting with our counterparts in other lands brings added insight to our ways of doing things; my own six-week stint here in Mansfield has been a truly life-changing time. And as we share ideas and experiences across the sea, we enrich and improve our communities and ourselves.
I leave Mansfield, England, eager for 2008 when many of you will come to Mansfield, Ohio. What a treat it will be to welcome you to my home state! In the meantime, please keep in touch and carry on your valuable work.
With gratitude for being included,
Alan Carroll
As he said the meeting was, indeed, quite lively, and full of laughter and banter!
Sister Cities Dinner 2006
Our next item shows a picture taken at the Sister Cities Dinner on 17th May 2006 at the Forest Lodge Hotel/Restaurant in Edwinstowe:
The dinner was very enjoyable, as it always is, and we had phone calls from friends in the USA. Also a band, the Quartet, played some music for us.
May I add that the 2007 Dinner is currently at the planning stage, and will be held on the 17th of May, 2007. Nearer the time, please let us know if you will coming to the dinner. Also if you live in a Mansfield elsewhere in world, we would welcome a phone call from you.
Don and Mary Brown – their visit to Mansfield Michigan
And now we show a picture of the glass plate that was presented from us by Don and Mary Brown in Mansfield, Michigan, where a get-together was held this year, in July. It was created by Dan Aston of Edwinstowe:
Don & Mary Brown returned from the Gathering of Mansfields in Michigan where they represented the Mansfield Sister Cities Association.
Don and Mary had a wonderful time there, and were very impressed by the community and countryside of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Here are some of the notes they made while they were there:
“First we went to Newark, New Jersey from Manchester Airport and then on to Cleveland Ohio, then down to Mansfield, Ohio.
Some friends we met, from Mansfield Ohio, were Ann & Terry Brown, Maxime Sautter, Adraina Wilkinson, Doug & Jane Versaw and Virginia Imhoff. Then we moved on to Mansfield, Michigan.
We took with us a proclamation from Tony Egginton, our Mayor, a letter of friendship from Mansfield’s Chief Executive and from Stewart Rickersey chairman of Mansfield Sister Cities Association.
People from other Mansfields were from Ontario, Canada, Ohio & Massachusetts USA.
Mansfield in Michigan is a very rural community situated in the Upper Peninsular between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. Its total population is 250 people who live in an area covering 100 square miles.
The main industries are farming and forestry. In the 1860s the town was a thriving bustling centre for Iron Mining. Today Old Mansfield’s population is 2 but shortly could be doubled to 4 after the grandson of the original settlers renovates one of the old houses.
A full and varied programme of activities was organised by their hosts that included, picnics by the Lakes, boat trips, steam locomotive train journeys, churches museums, local towns ski resorts, visit down an iron mine. The trip down the iron mine proved to be more interesting than expected, having walked through the narrow passages within the mine, seeing the huge caverns and rock falls that resulted from iron ore extraction. A colony of bats has made their home down the mine and these clung to the sides of the passage walls. On our journey out of the mine the front car of the mine train jack-knifed into the side of the tunnel! Fortunately, we were only shaken and no one was hurt. The walk along the tunnel and out of the mine supplied us with the exercise to work off lunch. It was a bit scary at the time but for some our encounter with the bats that lived down the mine was probably scarier.
We went on ‘the bus’ for the first of many enjoyable days. Carol Sabo was our driver, a lady with a lovely smile, and the comment she made when we all left was “People are fun, if you let them be”.
Tour & History of Old Mansfield Location
Non denomination church service at Mansfield pioneer Church
Box lunch @ Church
South Bay of Michigan Reservoir for a Pontoon boat ride
Cocktails at Mansfield Township Hall
Dinner (caterers)
Evening about the History & Culture of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP)
Presentations ie Mansfield Civic Flag, English Flag. Proclamation & letter from our Chief Executive .
Bob Simoni presented good wishes and a proclamation on behalf of Massachusetts
Musical entertainment by Mr Entertainer’ Jim Clement who was dressed in white tuxedo and red bow tie. Hat? Very lively man with a wonderful smile, sang danced and got people up to dance. His mother was also there.
Trip to Laona, Wisconsin where we took the vintage train to Camp 5 Logging Museum. Don and I took the tractor ride to the ‘swamp’ boats and had had a fascinating and interesting time on a swamp where we say deer and family at waters edge. On the train ride back Fran Baldini hitched a ride in the engine much to his overwhelming joy. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting Fran’s basement you will not know that he has the largest train set I have ever seen in Massachusetts or anywhere for that matter.
Don and I presented the Mansfield England Sister Cities engraved glass dish to the Township of Mansfield and a similar dish to Kathy Dishaw the Chair Person of the Gatherings of Mansfield.
Larry Mansfield (Pennsylvania) who had been forced to cancel at the last minute due to having to go to South Africa on business kindly donated Champagne for us all to toast a successful Gathering of Mansfields.
We took some last photos of Don, me and Kathy at Pat & Neil Dishaw’s home, on Camp 5 Road, before Neil drove us to Ford Airport for our flight to Milwaukee via Marquette. Neil kindly bid his last farewell to us at 11.05am behind large glass screens. Then back to England.”
The next Mansfield gathering of Mansfields will be in Ohio in June 2008 when they also celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the establishment of their town. If anyone is interested in knowing more about Mansfield Sister Cities and or the forthcoming 2008 gathering please contact Stewart Rickersey at email stewartr@globalnet.co.uk or ring him for a chat on 01623 469469.
A New Baby for the Barkers
Finally, we would like to mention a very special item of news from Paul Barker, who is the treasurer for Sister Cities, and works at Mansfield District Council. This the email we got:
‘I just wanted to let you know about our latest arrival. We had a daughter yesterday (10th September) who we've called Grace Elizabeth. She arrived at 12:55pm, weighing 8lb 10oz. Mother and baby are fine and the boys love her.’
Currently that is all the main news we have to circulate, but there will another newsletter soon, probably at the beginning of 2007. Please keep in touch, and send any news items to the Chairman, Stewart Rickersey, email address stewartr@globalnet.co.uk
Doug Brown, Sister Cities Vice Chairman
Dougbbroab6@supanet.com
