Selected Events 2008    

Independence Day Party Takes Off At Leipzig-Halle Airport

From right to left:  Ambassador Timken, Mark Scheland and Mark Wenig and the color guard

July 2, 2008. Leipzig Consulate General’s combined 4th of July and farewell reception for Consul General Mark Scheland and Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig attracted a record crowd of some 700 political, economic, academic and cultural contacts, who were generally complimentary of this year’s party venue: a hangar at the Leipzig-Halle Airport overlooking a runway. Addressing the guests from a decorated gangway, Ambassador William R. Timken Jr., Saxony Minister President Stanislaw Tillich, Saxony-Anhalt Minister President Wolfgang Böhmer, Thuringian Finance Minister Birgit Diezel, the Consul General and the Consul for Public Affairs reflected on the positive economic and political ties between the U.S. and this part of Germany. Mark Scheland, in turn, made clear that public diplomacy – reaching out to the people in the district – had been his main prerogative over the past three years, a fact that was also acknowledged by Minister President Böhmer in his speech. Continuing a tradition that was established by the Scheland family, Leipzig once again tried to inject the spirit of small-town USA in its Independence Day celebration, by offering fun and games for young and old. In addition, staff surprised the parting American officers with a ride to the airport in a sky-blue Trabi, reminiscent of the old GDR times. » Photo Gallery