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Thematic Timeline of Events

Visits • Humanitarian Aid Projects • Cultural Programs • Educational Programs • Local Outreach • Corporate History

March 1992: The Kotlas Committee sends a 20-ft. cargo container of food, medicine, medical supplies, clothing, and school supplies to fourteen schools, two orphanages, one home for the mentally retarded and one hospital in Kotlas. Two members of the Committee travel to Kotlas to assist in the distribution of the aid.

May 1995: The Kotlas Connection sends $800 left over from the 1992 humanitarian aid shipment to the Waterville Committee in Kotlas for the purchase of medical supplies.

September 1999: The Kotlas Connection sends another aid shipment, destined for the orphans and the handicapped of Kotlas.

November 1990: The Connection sponsors a concert by the Northern Russian Folk Chorus from Archangel.

March 1993: The Kotlas Connection organizes concerts by and an overnight stay for members of the Archangel String Quartet.

Each December, 1993 – 2001, 2003: Kotlas Connection elves decorate a Christmas tree in a Russian theme for the Festival of Trees at the Good Will Hinckley School.

Each Spring, 1994 – 1999: The Connection organizes performances by the Liberty Balalaika Ensemble to raise money for various sister city projects.

January 1995: "Pearls of the Russian North," an exhibit of black and white and color photographs by photographers from Maine and the Archangel Region, hangs at the Main Street Café in Waterville.

July 1997: The Connection co-sponsors a concert of unaccompanied sacred and secular Russian music by the Slavic Male Chorus of Washington, D.C.

April – June, 2010: The Kotlas Connection mounts exhibits of Russian arts and crafts at The Center in downtown Waterville and at the Winslow Public Library.

Spring 1991, Fall 1992 – Spring 1994: The Kotlas Committee and the Kotlas Connection hold adult education classes (once a week for a whole semester) in Russian language and culture through the Waterville Adult Education Program.

February 1992 – July 2000: The Kotlas Committee and Kotlas Connection sponsors or encourage visits by five Kotlas teenagers for a full school year. Selected by the Waterville Committee in Kotlas or by Waterville area host families, the students enroll at area high schools, with their host families' paying their living expenses.

Each March, 1993 – Present: The Kotlas Connection and the Colby College Russian Program hold a Russian Sampler to expose area middle school students to Russian language culture, and history.

September 1998 – June 1999: The Kotlas Connection undertakes a yearlong student exchange on the theme of rivers. Students in both Kotlas and Greater Waterville study their respective rivers, the Northern Dvina and the Kennebec. The Russian students come to Waterville in February 1999, and the American students go to Kotlas that June.

September, 2005 – 2006: Modeled on Russian Sampler, the Kotlas Connection and the Colby College Russian Program offer a "Russian Day" of workshops, classes, and panel discussions for adults to learn about Russia.

Winter – Spring, 2010: Kotlas Connection members travel to elementary and junior high schools in Waterville, Winslow, and Oakland to present lessons on Russian life and culture.

March – April, 2010: Sheila McCarthy teaches an adult education course on contemporary Russian cinema at Waterville High School.

June 1990 – Present: The Kotlas Committee and the Kotlas Connection hold public receptions for visitors from Kotlas.

September 1991 – Present: The Kotlas Committee and the Kotlas Connection publish a newsletter at least three times a year.

Each Fall, 1993 – Present: The Connection holds an Annual Meeting to which the public is invited.

Each Fall, 1994 – Present: The Connection holds sales of Russian-made Christmas ornaments.

November 1997 – Present: The Kotlas Connection maintains a website.

Each June, 2000 – 2006: The Connection runs a food and crafts table at the Voices of the Kennebec Festival.

Almost Every Fall, 2001 – Present: The Kotlas Connection honors a volunteer at REM's Community Awards Ceremony.

December 1983: Peter Garrett and others found Our Peaceful Russian Connection to attempt to establish a sister city relationship with Kotlas.

December 1989: Outgoing Waterville Mayor Judy Kany appoints a "welcoming committee" to prepare for the arrival of an official delegation from Kotlas the following spring. This quasi-municipal organization becomes the "Waterville Area Kotlas Committee."

October 1993: The Kotlas -Waterville Area Sister City Connection succeeds the Waterville Area Kotlas Committee as an independent non-profit organization.

August 1995: The Kotlas Connection is awarded 501 (c) 3 status by the IRS.