The Twinned Cities
In 1999, Louisiana celebrated 300 years of French presence. This celebration was called Francofête. In honor of this occasion, five cities in Tangipahoa Parish were twinned with cities in France. The idea of “twinning” a city means that the two cities share certain features and wish to maintain ties of friendship and perhaps also economic ties.
Hammond & Jouars-Pontchartrain
The linking of Hammond and Jouars-Pontchartrain represents the most active of the twinned cities in Tangipahoa Parish. Student exchanges in both directions have been maintained over the years. Jouars-Pontchartrain is located southwest of Paris near Versailles. Students from Southeastern visit Jouars-Pontchartrain every year, stay with host families, and visit the region. Students from the Jouars-Pontchartrain area visit Hammond and spend ten days with host families. These exchanges have been a wonderful experience for young people and very rewarding for the townspeople who wish to encourage ties between the two cities. The two mayors are actively involved in promoting the exchange and have made several visits to each city. The twinning association is called “Tope là” and the restaurant in Hammond derives its name from this association. It means “Shake on it” or “It’s a deal.” When you enter the city of Jouars-Pontchartrain, there is a sign that states it is twinned with Hammond, Louisiana. For more information, please visit Jouars-Pontchartrain’s website at: http://tope.la.free.fr
Students with host families in Jouars-Pontchartrain 2006