Hays Sister Cities
Hays Sister Cities celebrates 50 years of partnership with its sister city, Santa María de Fe, Paraguay this year.
Plans include multiple special events throughout the year, which will kick off with a special South American menu and multimedia display at Las Hefas Latin Cuisine, 224 W. 11th St. on Thursday, April 16. Las Hefas is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and special dishes will be available while supplies last.
The public is welcome to stop into Las Hefas to view the Santa María de Fe display, which was commissioned by Hays Sister Cities to commemorate the City of Hays’ Sesquicentennial in 2017. A delegation from Santa María visited Hays that year and participated in dinners, tours, and a gift exchange with the Hays City Commission.
To create the large display, artist Cody Custer traveled to Santa María to photograph the town and its people. In addition to Custer’s striking photography, the display showcases Paraguayan artwork, history, and offers postcards for Hays residents to send messages to the people of Santa María. Items from the Hays Sister Cities collection, such as artwork and gifts, are also on display at Las Hefas for the celebration.
Sister Cities International began with a simple but powerful idea: that lasting peace grows from relationships between everyday people. The movement was formally championed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower of Kansas in 1956, with the first Sister Cities relationship established between Toledo, Ohio, and Toledo, Spain. Having lived through the atrocities of World War II, Eisenhower was convinced that Sister Cities International was a way for communities across borders to connect through friendship, cultural exchange, and mutual understanding.
“If we are going to take advantage of the assumption that all people want peace, then the problem is for people to get together and to leap governments–if necessary to evade governments–to work out not one method but thousands of methods by which people can gradually learn a little bit more of each other.” – President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Hays Sister Cities is a volunteer board dedicated to fostering international relationships that enrich the lives of the Hays residents. The board supports cultural, educational, and community-based exchanges that help broaden perspectives and strengthen global awareness right here at home.
Since its formation, the committee has helped maintain and grow Hays’ sister city relationships while promoting inclusion, learning, and community involvement. Its mission is simple but meaningful: to connect people, share cultures, and build friendships that last across generations and borders.
Hays currently has two Sister Cities and one Friendship City:
- Santa María de Fe, Misiones, Paraguay – Sister City, established in 1976
- Xingzheng, Henan Province, China – Sister City, established in 2001
- Bamenda, Cameroon – Friendship City, established in 2023
Hays’ relationship with Santa María de Fe, Paraguay, began in 1976 through the efforts of Hays resident Marianna Beach and her belief in the “people to people” philosophy of Sister Cities. What started as personal connections and shared experiences grew into a formal sister city partnership that has now spanned nearly five decades.
Located in the Misiones region of Paraguay, Santa María de Fe is known for its deep cultural traditions, strong sense of community, and historic Jesuit heritage. The city is home to the Museum of Jesuit Arts, which preserves remarkable wood-carved sculptures created by Indigenous Guaraní artists during the Jesuit missions era. These works reflect a blend of faith, artistry, and history that continues to define the region today.
Through visits, shared projects, and cultural exchange, the partnership between Hays and Santa María de Fe continues to celebrate friendship, mutual respect, different cultures, and a shared commitment to understanding one another across distance.
After visiting Santa María, Beach was determined to help preserve the unique sculptures that depict Christian motives in the Guaraní style. Through her and others’ efforts, Hays helped raise $20,000 towards building the museum, which is one of four museums displaying such art and still houses the statues today.
As visits and exchanges have taken place over the years, citizens from both communities have marveled at the signs of friendship in each community: Santa María and Hays, KS street signs, monuments, works of art, displays of local crafts, and many stories of encounters between these two places.
Today, Sister Cities International supports hundreds of communities around the world and encourages local residents—not just governments—to learn from one another. These partnerships are built on shared experiences, cultural curiosity, and the belief that understanding begins at the community level.
Learn more at www.sistercities.org.