Members of the Dixon Sister Cities Housing Committee will begin calling Dixon area residents Tuesday evening seeking housing for some 130 members of a Herzberg, Germany, delegation who will visit Dixon beginning March 31.

The housing committee is headed by Jo Ann Guthrie with assistance from Margie Hughes of Dixon Main Street and Linda Kim of Sauk Valley Community College.

In addition to telephone calls Tuesday, applications to house individuals from Herzberg will be inserted in various church bulletins in the community.

The committee is seeking housing for singles, couples and families of up to four. Volunteers will also be seeking to match Herzberg residents with Dixon area residents of similar occupations.

The delegaton is made up of city officials, police and firemen, teachers, a church minister, beauticians, a doctor, a pediatric nurse, medical technician, students, a brick layer, bank tellers, computer store owner, engineers, secretaries, trades employees, social workers, an auto dealer, construction employees, an administrator of a disabled center, a florist, a publishing company manager, a baker and several librarians.

Also accompanying the group are several retired individuals and a German state representative.

Hobbies range from band, bicycling, fishing, flying ultralight airplanes, reading, horseback riding, swimming, gardening, soccer and motorcycling.

Later in March there will be an orientation meeting to explain the schedule and answer questions from host families.

The group is coming to Dixon as an official delegation to witness the signing ceremony establishing formal Sister City relations between Dixon and Herzberg. Eleven residents of Herzberg came to Dixon last July to lay the groundwork for the April 4 Easter Sunday evening signing ceremony.

The group will arrive in Chicago on March 31 and will depart April 8. A tentative schedule has the group touring various city offices and sites on April 1 and 2.

There will be a community pancake and sausage breakfast and an Easter Parade on Saturday, April 3, followed by performance at the Dixon Theatre of the Schalmeien Band from Herzberg. The official signing ceremony will take place at the Dixon Elks Lodge at 6 p.m. on April 4. Plans are also in the works for the group to visit the Mississippi River, Springfield and the Chicago area before returning to Germany.

The Dixon Sister Cities Association is also seeking members for the organization.

The association is open to anyone interested in friendships with another country. Friendship is enjoying each other's company and providing aid, comfort, education and mutual understanding about each other.