Farsund and Bay Ridge Become Sisters

Representatives of the Scandinavian East Coast Museum and residents and municipal officers of Norway's Farsund Municipality of Vest Agder joined Councilmember Vinnie Gentile at the First Evangelical Free Church on Saturday to celebrate the signing of a unique "sister city" agreement between Bay Ridge and Farsund.

In the works for over a year, the agreement took on new meaning in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Utøya and Oslo this past summer.

During the ceremony, a Norway sunset maple was planted in Leif Erickson Park to commemorate the 77 Norwegian lives lost in July, and to symbolize the Norwegian heritage of Bay Ridge.

Farsund has a unique Brooklyn connection. Every year in its “Brooklyn Square”, the town hosts its annual “American Festival”, which has been called “the best thing that's happened to Farsund since Brooklyn”, featuring American rock 'n roll from the 50s and 60s, vintage American cars, a Norwegian Elvis, and lots of Brooklyn memorabilia brought back by Norwegians who returned to Farsund after spending their working lives in Brooklyn.