FREEHOLD – An agreement has been authorized by officials in Freehold Borough that will permit the borough to become a twin town with a municipality in Spain. The common denominator between the two cities is musician Bruce Springsteen, a native of Freehold Borough.
On June 17, Borough Council members put their stamp on what was described as a “twinning agreement” between Freehold Borough and Peralejos de las Truchas, a municipality in the Alto Tajo National Park in Spain with a population of 175 people. The agreement is intended to promote cultural ties between the two municipalities.
According to a resolution, the tie between Freehold Borough and Peralejos de las Truchas is Springsteen, who was raised in the borough and attended the St. Rose of Lima School and Freehold Regional High School (now Freehold High School).
Springsteen currently resides in Colts Neck.
The residents of Peralejos de las Truchas, according to the council’s resolution, have followed Springsteen and his music since 1980 and named him an adopted son of their town in 2014.
The agreement between the two municipalities has been entered into concurrent with the fifth anniversary of Springsteen being named an adopted son of the Spanish town.
In 2016, residents of Peralejos de las Truchas presented a plaque to Springsteen in Madrid, the nation’s capital.
“Bruce Springsteen grew up in Freehold Borough and the young of Peralejos de las Truchas grew up listening to his music,” the resolution states. “Springsteen is a Freehold son and Peralejos de las Truchas have named him their adopted son.”
Freehold Borough will honor the twinning agreement by building upon and maintaining friendly relations with Peralejos de las Truchas, in addition to nurturing and developing a mutual understanding and respect with the Spanish municipality’s residents.
Residents of both municipalities will be recognized as ambassadors of good will, according to the resolution, and will collaborate to promote all of the events that will take place during the Spanish town’s annual “Greetings from Peralejos” Bruce Springsteen Festival in August.
The name of the festival is a nod to Springsteen’s debut album “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.”
“All of us here have a Bruce story or two,” said council President Kevin Kane. “In this little town in Spain, Bruce’s songs are the fabric of their life, and his songs have deep roots in Freehold Borough.”
