Promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time.

The Lexington Sister Cities Commission in a non-profit organization that manages and maintains programs and partnerships with Lexington's four Sister Cities.  

Lexington has four Sister Cities:

  • Deauville, France – 1957
  • County Kildare, Ireland – 1984
  • Shinhidaka, Japan – 1988
  • Newmarket, England – 2003

Lexington Sister Cities Commission

The Lexington Sister Cities Commission: 

  • Oversees and assists the Deauville, France, County Kildare, Ireland, Shinhidaka, Japan and Newmarket, England committees with projects and programs.
  • Assists the government in proper reception of the many foreign visitors and dignitaries who frequent the Lexington area annually.
  • Assists the government in international trade relations and promotion.
  • Assists the government and its agencies in tourism and travel promotion on the international and national levels.
  • Maintains direct contact with Sister Cities International and initiates contact with networking agencies in the Lexington area and the state.
  • Informs and educates the public concerning the operation of the Commission and the active programs.
  • Assists other cities in Kentucky participating in the Sister Cities program.

Our Programs: 

Lexington Sister Cities Commission offers many programs that promote international relations and citizen diplomacy.  These programs can fall under the following categories:

  • Youth & Education
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economic
  • Tourism
  • Municipal

The Lexington Sister Cities Commission offers the opportunity for the community to: 

  • Learn about and participate in international relations.
  • Experience other cultures, language, art, music and ideas.
  • Understand the economics of world trade and tourism and increase our international business partnerships.
  • Participate in cooperative community programs based on diversity.

Why have a Sister City?

The Sister Cities Program was created to be a network that would champion for peace and prosperity by creating and maintaining bonds between people from different communities around the world. With these bonds of friendship, citizens – not just politicians and diplomats – can help to strive for a world where different cultures could understand, appreciate and celebrate their differences while building new partnerships.  

About Sister Cities International

Sister Cities International was created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956  as a way to promote peace and prosperity through citizen diplomacy.  President Eisenhower reasoned: "If we are going to take advantage of the assumption that all people want peace, then the problem is for people to get together and to leap governments – if necessary to evade governments – to work out not one method but thousands of methods by which people can gradually learn a little bit more of each other." Now, Sister Cities International  has united tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers in 150 countries on six continents.  

Watch President Eisenhower's speech introducing the Sister Cities International Program in 1956.  

Commission Members

Lexington Sister Cities Commission

Kay Sargent, Executive Director

Sarah Martin, Assistant Director

Jim Amato, Emeritus

Commission Members

Bill Farmer Jr., chair

Tom Appel

Angela Evans

Lori Houlihan

Polly Marquette

Mary Quinn Ramer

Sue Roberts

Committee Chairs

Betty Mills, Deauville Committee

Mary Parlanti, County Kildare Committee

Glen Krebs, Shinhidaka Committee

Hugh & Gail Bennett, Newmarket Committee