Remember the atomic bombings; Friendship Bell to be struck 77 times Saturday

The Oak Ridger
·2 min read
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The Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, will observe the 77th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan, which occurred in August 1945 in the waning days of World War II, with a sunrise bell ringing on Saturday, Aug. 6.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge is asking all those who are interested to help ring the International Friendship Bell at the Peace Pavilion in A.K. Bissell Park 77 times at dawn — beginning at 6:47 a.m. — to commemorate the number of years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In addition, an hour before dawn, park rangers will light luminarias that have been decorated with messages of peace by community members, a National Park Service news release stated. The luminarias will remain lit throughout the commemoration event. An Oak Ridge Civic Music Association quartet will be on site throughout the event to provide accompanying music.

Members of the public are invited to take turns ringing the bell. Each person can ring the bell for whatever reason that speaks to them, the release stated.

"They can ring the bell for lives lost; they can ring the bell for social justice; they can ring the bell for service and sacrifice; they can ring the bell for peace," the release stated. After each bell-ringer has rung the bell, they are invited to record the reason why they rang the bell. Small pieces of paper and pens will be provided. Bell-ringers will then place the paper in a receptacle, and Park staff will later catalog the papers for historical purposes.

"The Park understands that not everyone who wants to ring the bell will be able to come to the Aug. 6 event," the  release stated. Therefore a virtual bell ringing option will be available on the park’s webpage (https://www.nps.gov/mapr/learn/historyculture/ring-the-international-friendship-bell.htm) from 6 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday through midnight Pacific Daylight Time on Monday, Aug. 9.

"The International Friendship Bell is a symbol of unity and will carry the message of peace and international friendship into the future. At nearly seven feet tall and five feet wide, this 8,300-pound bronze bell hangs at A. K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge, Tenn., where the uranium for the world’s first atomic weapons was manufactured. Designed in Oak Ridge and cast in Kyoto, Japan, the relief panels on the bell show peaceful imagery inspired by Tennessee, Japan, and the tragedies of war between the two nations," the release stated.

The Peace Pavilion in A.K. Bissel Park is located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Members of the public take turns ringing the Friendship Bell during a solemn sunrise ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing held by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at the A.K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. The public was invited to ring the Friendship Bell and then record their reason for ringing the bell.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: 'Days of Peace and Remembrance' sunrise bell ringing on Aug 6