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NEW PARTNERSHIP:  Born from the 2024 CHL Memorial Cup hockey playoffs, the City of Frankenmuth recently formed a Friendship City partnership with Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. A contigent of Frankenmuth residents traveled there in early September.

 Building Bridges Across Borders: Frankenmuth’s Friendship City visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake

By: G. Grossi, Zak McClellan, Vickie Schmitzer, and John Kaczynski

Origins of the Partnership

  The idea of linking Frankenmuth with Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) first emerged in 2023, when the 2024 CHL Memorial Cup was to be hosted at the Dow Event Center. Leaders recognized the continuous strong flow of visitors from Ontario to Frankenmuth throughout the years. The thought was to find partnerships in Ontario which help strengthen those ties with Canada.

  With the encouragement of Ontario's Agent General (trade ambassador to Ontario), Earl Provost, NOTL was identified as a community which was very similar to Frankenmuth and about a 5-hour drive, directly east of Frankenmuth. Frankenmuth officials began discussions with NOTL’s Chief Administrative Officer (our version of a City Manager) about cultural and municipal exchanges to strengthen ties.

  Later that year, City Manager Bridget Smith, then Mayor Pro Tem Tom Meyer, and then Councilman John Kaczynski traveled to NOTL for an exploratory visit. Their reception was warm, and the shared values were clear: a devotion to history, agricultural traditions, and tourism economies. They recognized that NOTL, like Frankenmuth, was a small town that attracted three million visitors a year.

  In May 2024, the favor was returned when NOTL’s Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa, Deputy Lord Mayor Erwin Wiens, Chief Administrative Officer Bruce Zvaniga, and senior staff spent three days in Frankenmuth touring our landmarks and experiencing our genuine hospitality. That visit concluded with both councils passing a joint resolution, officially designating the two towns as 𠇏riendship Cities”.

  Later in 2024, a small group of citizens, some with connections back to Ontario, began to plan a Friendship City trip to NOTL. It was decided to not keep the trip to only 6-8 people, but to open this opportunity up to leaders throughout Frankenmuth to attend. Twenty-five individuals signed up to join on this first Friendship City visit to NOTL.

The Journey North (or Directly East)

  On the morning of Friday, September 12, a motorcoach departed from Frankenmuth City Hall carrying a delegation of 25 citizens: business leaders, civic officials, educators, and residents. Those in attendance included: G. & Paula Grossi; Randy Bierlein and Tracy Weber; John and Martha Kaczynski; Zak and Korina McClellan; Marcia Ditmyer and Ray Rawson; Michael and Kimberly Keller Zehnder; Dan and Ashley Hopp; Jeff and Vickie Schmitzer; Micah and Kelly Baumgartner; Andrew and Emily Brown; Michael and Jasmine Southgate; Brennan and Melissa Kerr; and William Keller. Together, this diverse delegation embodied the whole character of Frankenmuth—government, education, business, and civic life.

  Upon arrival in NOTL on Friday afternoon, the trip began with a typical English High Tea at the Prince of Wales Hotel, followed by a tour of the historic Niagara Power Station and a walk through the engineering tunnels beneath Niagara Falls. The day ended with dinner at Table Rock Restaurant, overlooking the illuminated Falls. As a symbolic gesture of goodwill, the City of Niagara Falls turned the colors on the Falls to match Frankenmuth’s city colors. During our visits on Friday, we learned about how Niagara-on-the-Lake is very connected to Niagara Falls through the more than 12 million visitors this North American wonder receives each year.

  On Saturday morning, the delegation was featured with a walking tour of NOTL’s Old Town, a luncheon at Deputy Lord Mayor Wiens’ estate, and wine tastings at Konzelmann Winery (yes, they spell Conzelmann with a “K”). Later in the day, delegates toured NOTL's municipal offices, comparing approaches to governance and community planning. The evening was capped with dinner at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club, and a performance of Anything Goes at the Shaw Festival Theatre. Throughout Saturday, we learned that NOTL is a historic battle site of the War of 1812, as well as how the microclimate in NOTL creates a rich agricultural region for its fruits and vineyards. Finally, we learned about how popular the Shaw Festival is, which employs nearly 700 individuals full-time.

  Sunday included a private tour of Fort George (battle site of the War of 1812), complete with musket demonstrations. We then enjoyed leisure time exploring shops and restaurants in Old Town before beginning the journey back home. Our delegation learned about all of the shops, restaurants, cafes, and experiences in Old Town. As a member of the Frankenmuth delegation said, "NOTL is a Canadian Frankenmuth," or as one of the NOTL delegation members said, "Frankenmuth is an American NOTL." The comments were in reference to how similar the communities are to one another.

What Was Accomplished......

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