The ceremony was held on July 31, 2024, at 1 p.m. (Omaha time), in the auditorium of the Durham Museum in Omaha. In front of an audience of a few hundred citizens of Carlentine origin, and in the presence of the President of O.S.C.A. Stephen L. Gerdes, the mayors of the two cities signed the official documents.

Mr. Gerdes opened and conducted the ceremony, with an introduction on the history, from the origins, of the Carlentine immigrants in Omaha, praising their qualities as impeccable citizens, dedicated to work and caring for their families.

Following, the speech of the Mayor of Omaha Jean Stothert who retraces the preliminary stages of the twinning, recalling the “Friendship Agreement” of September 2021, celebrated in video-conference, and the mutual visits in the following year. A desired and deserved goal, studded with numerous emotional moments that can only seal a centuries-old bond between the two communities and relaunch surprising prospects.

Mayor Stothert has announced her visit, the second, to Carlentini for 2025. The city of Carlentini is preparing to welcome her warmly.

Mr. Gerdes invites Mayor Giuseppe Stefio to speak, who, containing the emotion dictated by the historic circumstance, delivers his passionate speech.
Moving words that recall the sacrifices and suffering of women and men, fellow citizens of the past, who crossed the Atlantic in search of dignified living conditions. And then the efforts and successes of subsequent generations, capable of integrating and contributing to the growth of the American city.

Great enthusiasm marked by traits of emotion, in the words of the Mayor for what more than a point of arrival represents a departure towards new shared initiatives, exchanges and collaborations. With a heart for the migrants of the past and an eye towards the future generations of the two communities.

Certainly among the most emotional moments, after an introduction by Mayor Jean Stothert and the speech by Mayor Giuseppe Stefio, the unanimous vote of the act by the seven city councilors in the hall of the highest city council at Omaha City Hall.
The gala dinner following the official signing ceremony was both singular and “romantic”, held at Cascio’s Steakhouse immediately after the tornado that hit the city, compromising the Downtown electrical grid and forcing those present to have a dinner by the light of…smartphones!
Despite the inconvenience, the dinner, which was attended by about 300 people, was an important opportunity for sharing, confirming intentions and exchanging institutional gifts: Mayor Stothert donated to Mayor Stefio the model of the “BigBoy”, the train symbol of the Union Pacific and of the growth of the city of Omaha. Mayor Stefio reciprocated with the platinum lion rampant, symbol of the city of Carlentini, and with a scale reproduction of the Kouros, the latest discovery exhibited at the Lentini museum.