A Story of Sock Monkeys: Rockford, IL & Cluj-Napoca, Romania
In 1868, the first sock-knitting machine was patented in Rockford, Illinois by Swedish immigrant, John Nelson. His son, Franklin Nelson, later designed a machine that could knit a sock without seams in the heel, known as “Rockfords.” During the Great Depression, toy crafters made sock monkeys out of worn-out Rockford Red Heel Socks — and this is how Rockford’s mascot came to be. So when the city of Cluj-Napoca, Romania asked each of their 17 sister cities to donate a statue to be dedicated and displayed in their Sister City garden, the question wasn’t what the city of Rockford would send, but how it would raise the money.
Ramona Cornea, long-time Rockford resident and chair of the Rockford Sister Cities Commission got right to work. “I consider Rockford my kind of town,” Cornea said, “However, I do whatever it takes to promote Romania.” Born and raised in Romania, Cornea immigrated to the United States in 1992. She was invited by the Romanian Consulate in Chicago to participate in the Sister Cities Commission, and has been actively involved in encouraging other Romanian families in Rockford to join in. With just a handful of families they have raised the profile of the sister city relationship on both sides of the Atlantic through cultural exchanges and events.
One such event was a Romanian Dinner for 140 guests that Cornea and her committee organized to raise money for the 6-foot fiberglass sock monkey statue for their Romanian sister city. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to bring the Romanian culture to Rockford,” Cornea explained. With her committee, they served guests a traditional Romanian dinner, played Romanian music, organized raffles, and even had Romanian dances. They successfully raised the funds for the statue, and with the help of two former Rockford-Romania exchange students, Tudor Oltean and Diana Matei, the sock monkey was produced in Cluj-Napoca.
Of the sock monkey’s significance, Cornea noted, “It is representative of our culture…good and bad, our ingenuity, and our prosperity.” For Cornea, this statue represents the exchange of culture between the two cities. People walking the trail along the Somes River in Cluj-Napoca will be able to see the same fiberglass sock monkey statue that you’ll see throughout the city of Rockford. And Cornea’s hard work paid off: Rockford’s sister city relationship with Cluj-Napoca was recognized publically by the Romanian sister city.
Looking ahead to the future of the Rockford, IL and Cluj-Napoca, Romania partnership, the Sister Cities Commission will host a renowned folk dance group, “Dor Transilvan” from Cluj-Napoca in May and they will represent Romania in shows, exhibitions, and dance courses.
This story is part of the #SisterCitySunday series on Medium. Each Sunday from October 2, 2016 to May 7, 2017, new stories from the 28 European Union Member States will be published. Stories will also be shared on social media using #SisterCitySunday.
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