By Ernie Sweeney,  Sauk Valley Newspapers

This is another in an occasional series of letters from Dixon's sister cities around the world: Dickson, Siberia; Herzberg, Germany; Thika, Kenya and Castlebar, Ireland. Today's letter comes from Castlebar, where the story of St. Patrick has its roots. For more information about Sister Cities, go to www.discoverdixon.org and click on the Sister Cities link.

The ruins I came upon in the old graveyard one Sunday afternoon set me thinking.  My imagination took over and I found myself back among the people who lived here in the days of Patrick on his missionary journey. It would then seem to me that Patrick came through Ballynew, up the Castlebar River and on to the lake called Lough Lannagh, which means "the lake of the children."

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By Olivia Cobiskey, Sauk Valley Newspapers

There are now three signs below the "Our Sister Cities" sign in Dixon.

The newest - Thika, The Republic of Kenya - was added Tuesday, after officials from Dixon, Thika, the U.S. State Department and the Kenyan government signed an official sister city charter at the Kenyan Ministry for Local Governments office in Nairobi.

By Sauk Valley Newspapers, What We Think

Last week brought a moment of pride for the Sauk Valley, even though the reason for that pride happened thousands of miles away.

In the East African city of Thika, Kenya, members of the Dixon Sister Cities Association put this region's best foot forward. It was there that an official sister city charter between Dixon and Thika was signed.

We are proud of this event for several reasons.