Jean Ellis of the Keweenaw Kernewek addresses the representatives from Camborne, England, during the Twinning Ceremonies in Calumet on Friday. (Kent Kraft/For the Gazette)

CALUMET — High winds and cooler temperatures on Friday morning forced a move indoors, but Calumet’s Village Hall was packed full of people, both physically and virtually, for the Twinning Ceremonies. Calumet and Camborne, England, became sister cities in May 2009. When Calumet built the new Greenspace park, they had to temporarily move the sign proclaiming this “twinning” and events to put that sign back up were postponed until now.

Opening the special occasion, Calumet Village Manager Megan Haselden spoke about the special connection between the two towns. “Cornish miners who lived and work here probably never imagined their heritage would be so strong in the area more than 150 years later,” she said.

Camborne has a well known mine, Dolcoath Mine, which was one of the richest and deepest tin and copper mines in the area. Shafts in the mine reached more than 3,300 feet deep, and the miners that came from that area brought the knowledge and skill to do similar feats in the Keweenaw. Both towns have a rich history in mining that permeates the culture today, and is the reason for the pairing.

Haselden spoke highly of the relationship between the people of Calumet and Camborne, saying this is proof that “friendship is not prevented by geography.” She has hope that youth in this area take notice of the sign, up now in the Greenspace, and continue this friendship well into the future.

David Oates, part of the Camborne Twinning group, addressed those gathered via Zoom, and echoed the sentiments of Haselden.

“We show through our friendship our shared values,” he said, “even though there is an ocean between us.” Oates and others were able to visit Calumet and noted that he was “amazed that citizens [in Calumet] today still strongly value their Cornish heritage.”

Beyond the sister city status, Oates said he and others who were on the trip particularly connected with Central Mine and seeing the ghosts of ancestors past who moved from the Camborne area to live and work there. They still join in, virtually, to the annual Central Mine Methodist Church service.

Another example of the relationship between Calumet and Camborne that Oates mentioned took place after a storm felled thousands of trees in and around Camborne.

“The people of Calumet reached out with a generous gift that helped us plant many trees and start a recovery,” he said. “You are our people, and we are your people.”

Jean Ellis, part of the Keweenaw Kernewek, a group formed in 1992 to preserve the history of the Cornish settlers in the Keweenaw, addressed the group next.

“We hope to learn about each other, learn from each other, and build on that relationship into the future,” she said about the pairing of Calumet and Camborne.

“It’s important to note that the Cornish connection isn’t the only one for this area,” she continued. “There were people here from at least 38 countries. We’re not only from Camborne, but that is a wonderfully important place to be from, isn’t it!”

The gathered collective in Calumet sang “Camborne Hill,” a Cornish folk song, with the help of both a digital recording Haselden played on a laptop and the group from Camborne singing over Zoom. The delay over Zoom reminded everyone a distance separates the two groups, but the fact everyone was singing the same song brought out their connection.