Push for world peace on Thursday in Wahnapitae

Every Aug. 6, tens of thousands of people converge on the city of Hiroshima in Japan not only to remember the victims of the world’s first nuclear bomb attack, but to remind the world of its horrors and push for world peace.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is held, fittingly, in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which was once the city’s busiest downtown commercial and residential district. Destroyed by the explosion of the bomb, the downtown was transformed into a park, memorials, monuments, museums and lecture halls that draw millions of visitors every year.

Greater Sudbury doesn’t have a similar memorial, but Wahnapitae does, and on Aug. 6, the owners of the Wahnapitae peace pole invite the community to take part in a smaller, Northern Ontario version of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony.

Wayne and Muriel Mogensen, the former owners of the Pow Wow Moccasin Trading Post on Highway 17 in Wahnapitae, have installed a peace pole outside the business, which now houses the i-Bead craft bead supply company operated by their daughter, Ingride. The pole bears the words “May Peace Prevail On Earth” in English, French and Ojibway.

At 11 a.m., on Aug. 6, a dedication ceremony complete with speeches, smudging and music will be held. Members of the public are encouraged and invited to the event.

In case of heat or rain, organizers said people can take shelter in the wheelchair-accessible building. Refreshment will be available.

I-Bead is located in the former trading post, 819 Highway 17 East in Wahnapitae.