Idaho Falls welcomes sister city delegates

Idaho Falls is rolled out the red carpet, or in this case the garden, for its sister city.

A delegation of 12 people has come over from Tokai, Japan to spend a few days with people here.

Monday afternoon, Tokai’s Deputy Mayor Osamu Yamada and Idaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman cut the ribbon on the Friendship Garden.

The beautiful tree-filled area right on the Greenbelt has been two years in the making. According to sister city president Nancy Thorsen, the garden has been entirely produced by volunteers.

“It shows how a community can come together and create something from nothing if they want to,” said Thorsen.

Thorsen said without the selfless service from the community, the project would have cost more than $100,000 to complete.