In December, 1969, Mayor Benjamin Dover and the FHH city council passed a proclamation naming the twin cities of Auch and Chua in Gers, Midi-Pyrenees, France as the sister cities of Fairhaven Harbor, Arkansas. Although FHH is not a twin city, unless you consider Laverne its faternal equivilant.
"Mayor Ben" proposed this after uncovering a box of French postcards in his deceased father's closet from a penpal, Maree Lynn Archineaux, whom he met in France during the Second World War. Without going into detail, she had a twin sister who apparently derived mirth from deceiving the then young 1st Division (Big Red One) Army Lieutenant. On more than one occassion, she convinced him that she was her sister Maree. Her name was Velee. She soon thereafter married an older local wine-maker in near-by town of Chua. For some unknown reason, she never visited her childhood home of Auch, despite it being only 6 km away, nor communicate with her twin in any way.
Moved by the story of twins seperated, Mayor Ben wrote to the city fathers of Auch and Chua, through the good offices of the Laverne High School French teacher, Alice Cooper. They sent Mayor Ben a bottle of reasonably palletable table wine and a set of locally made ceramic Rooster and Hen salt and pepper shakers. Not to be outdone or impolite, Mayor Ben shipped a Mason jar of blackberry jelly and another of locally confiscated (Rugburn S.O.) home brewed hardside along with a Polaroid of the Freer's Gerry "Snake on the Lake."
The next motion of the FHH City Council was to cut the budget by 11%, defer $23,000 in past due bills to the FHH Community Services, Inc. for payment and voted themselves and their spouses an all expenses paid trip to France for two weeks. In the Spring of 1970 they went to represent FHH as a goodwill gesture toward its new world partner.
"Mayor Ben" proposed this after uncovering a box of French postcards in his deceased father's closet from a penpal, Maree Lynn Archineaux, whom he met in France during the Second World War. Without going into detail, she had a twin sister who apparently derived mirth from deceiving the then young 1st Division (Big Red One) Army Lieutenant. On more than one occassion, she convinced him that she was her sister Maree. Her name was Velee. She soon thereafter married an older local wine-maker in near-by town of Chua. For some unknown reason, she never visited her childhood home of Auch, despite it being only 6 km away, nor communicate with her twin in any way.
Moved by the story of twins seperated, Mayor Ben wrote to the city fathers of Auch and Chua, through the good offices of the Laverne High School French teacher, Alice Cooper. They sent Mayor Ben a bottle of reasonably palletable table wine and a set of locally made ceramic Rooster and Hen salt and pepper shakers. Not to be outdone or impolite, Mayor Ben shipped a Mason jar of blackberry jelly and another of locally confiscated (Rugburn S.O.) home brewed hardside along with a Polaroid of the Freer's Gerry "Snake on the Lake."
The next motion of the FHH City Council was to cut the budget by 11%, defer $23,000 in past due bills to the FHH Community Services, Inc. for payment and voted themselves and their spouses an all expenses paid trip to France for two weeks. In the Spring of 1970 they went to represent FHH as a goodwill gesture toward its new world partner.
Every summer since then, the FHH First Baptist VBS has written letters to the children of the Auch and Chua Home for Abandoned and Forgotten Children (it sounds better in French) but have yet to get any replys.
In a sidenote, not long after the 1970 FHH A&C Goodwill Trip, Mayor Ben and his wife, Honey, divorced. Honey quickly lost 30 pounds, spent her alimony on French lessons and soon after moved to Auch perminately. Mayor Ben was indited in the Summer of 1971 by a Rugburn County Grand Jury. He won election to his third term as mayor from a cell he shared with "Big Tommy" the infamous "Fishpole Murderer" at the Arkansas State Penitentury. Oops.
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