THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 9, 1995 TAG: 9504070178
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REBECCA A. MYERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
The Portsmouth Sister City Commission has found host families for all but eight members of a band visiting from Portsmouth, England, April 22 through May 1 for the Azalea Festival.
``We're hoping to get the remaining eight placed in Portsmouth because everybody else has been placed in Portsmouth,'' said Rene Brown of the Portsmouth Sister City Commission.
Six homes are still needed for five individuals and a family of three with a 13-year-old. The individuals range in age from 20 to 35 and are all non-smokers.
Twenty homes have already been found for 46 of the 54 visitors with The Band of the Hampshire Constabulary. All but 13 of the visitors are band members. The others are family members and guests.
Because many of the band members are affiliated with police enforcement, an initial effort was made to find host families in that field.
``Sometimes you just want to talk shop,'' said Paul Norris, one of 12 host families from the Portsmouth Sheriff's Office and the Portsmouth Police Department.
Norris, an undersheriff, volunteered to help in the recruitment of host families because of his past experience with it.
Last October, Norris and his wife, Mary, hosted members of the West Norfolk Youth Choir from Norfolk, England. And in 1992, Norris and his family visited Dunedin, New Zealand - one of Portsmouth's four sister cities.
``I'd been to people's homes overseas and had been hosted, and I've also hosted people here,'' said Norris. ``My wife and I have done this several times, and we enjoy it. To us, it's a fun experience. It's an enlightening experience.
``I wouldn't say that it's never tiring, that there's never glitches because there are, but we've had the good fortune to host and to be hosted in our travels, and it's really neat.''
Norris said he ``shopped around'' the sheriff's office and the police department to see who would be interested in hosting Portsmouth's sister-city guests. Armed only with a list of visitors' names, ages, occupations and smoking preference, Norris tried to match hosts and guests with similar interests.
``It's done kind of informally,'' he said. ``We ask the host family basic questions like, `Do you smoke?,' `Do you have pets?,' `How many visitors do you want to take in?,' `Do you mind taking in children if any children come?'
``Basically, you ask the same kinds of questions you ask when you plan for a visitor or guest in your home,'' he said. ``Then I look through the list of people coming and try to match up people with similar likes and interests, if we can find them.''
Transportation for the band will be provided to and from the Azalea Festival daily from a central location, probably downtown Portsmouth. Host families will be asked to provide the ride to and from this central location and to provide breakfast each morning and dinner most nights.
The visitors, who range in age from an infant to a 70-year-old retired photographer, will have only two free days: April 24 and April 30. Every other day will be filled with an agenda that includes soccer and rugby matches, a ship's reception, rehearsals, concerts, a parade and special ceremonies.
A covered-dish dinner is tentatively being planned for the evening of April 27 so that members of the Portsmouth Sister City Commission may meet the guests.
Portsmouth families or individuals interested in hosting any of the eight remaining visitors should call Rene Brown at 483-2195. by CNB