Photo courtesy of Dunkirk Historical Museum Tens of thousands attended the Dunkirk to Dunkerque Day event in 1946.

Dunkirk will honor and remember the remarkable effort to help its namesake city in France after World War II with a celebration in August.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, the Historical Society of Dunkirk will sponsor a celebration of the 75th anniversary of Dunkirk to Dunkerque Day. Events will include displays at the museum, brief speeches by the city historian and others, food trucks, the showing of the movie “Dunkirk” at dusk and more.

Dunkirk to Dunkerque Day was the effort of Dunkirk’s people to provide goods and donations for the city in France, which the city in New York was allegedly named after because its harbor geographically resembled the European city’s harbor.

Dunkirk, New York, raised between $75,000 and $100,000 — in today’s money, an amount equal to $1,073,381 to $1,431,175.

The day was spurred by Charles Lafayette Todd, a Dunkirk native who had served as public relations officer in the Army during the war, and became national publicity director for the National Campaign of American Relief for France when the conflict ended. He thought an event that would “capture the imagination” of ordinary people in America was needed, “a symbolic gesture which will bring out the national media and appeal to all.”

Todd suggested his hometown for the event, talking up its working class nature, its adoption of the French city’s name, the presence of a harbor and fishing industry in both cities and the presence of industry next to vineyards.

His group agreed, and after plenty of groundwork by Todd and others, donations flowed in ahead of the Nov. 29, 1946, event.

The French ambassador to the U.S. attended, as did the French, British and Canadian military attaches based in Washington. Heads of French veterans’ groups appeared, and journalists from Life, Time, Newsweek, the Associated Press and CBS radio, among others, covered the festivities.

The day’s events included breakfast at Shorewood County Club, ceremonies at Memorial Park, presentation of a plaque forged in a Dunkirk foundry to the French ambassador, and student performances at the high school auditorium. There was also a mile-long parade of gifts to Dunkerque, France from some 100 organizations.

Dunkirk was showered with good will and praise from national papers and magazines, and from Eleanor Roosevelt, who praised Dunkirk in her weekly column, “My Day.”