Lynnwood Sister City delegates celebrate a far-from-home homecoming at Lynnwood HS

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There’s a very busy week in store for the visiting sister city delegation from Damyang, South Korea, with a full schedule of meetings, sightseeing, and taking part in an array of events in the City of Lynnwood.

The group touched down at SeaTac on Sunday, and Monday morning found many still in the throes of jet lag when they arrived at Lynnwood High School to shadow students attending their daily classes.

But the big event of the day was the gala Homecoming Court, where the Damyang students found themselves guests of honor at that quintessentially American ritual of pomp and grandeur that culminates in the crowning the homecoming king and queen, and a very special photo opportunity with the full homecoming court.

Upcoming activities for the delegation include a presentation on Lynnwood’s history, tours of the Lynnwood fire and police stations, a presentation by the Korean students to the Lynnwood City Council, and a welcome reception hosted by the Lynnwood Sister City Association with special guests Mayor Nicola Smith and 32nd District State Rep. Cindy Ryu.  Their visit will be topped off this weekend when the delegation will watch the Lynnwood Royals take on the Shorecrest Scots under the lights Friday evening in this year’s homecoming football game, followed by the festive homecoming dance on Saturday night.

The cities of Lynnwood and Damyang established their sister city relationship in 2016.  Damyang is located approximately four hours south of South Korea’s capital city of Seoul. Damyang has a population of 51,000 and is rich with cultural history, events and places. The city is most famous for bamboo and the annual Bamboo Festival held in early May.

Learn more about the Lynnwood-Damyang sister city program at this link.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel