Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - Minnesota Metro Branch

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2008
Hiroshima/Nagasaki Commemoration Events
in the Twin Cities

The Hiroshima Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, an all-volunteer group, offers these events to the community to encourage reflection on the past and hope for the future through action in the present. We call for the total abolition of nuclear weapons throughout the world as one measure of ensuring a just and lasting peace.


Thanks to the generous hours of many volunteers, the 2008 Hiroshima/Nagasaki commemoration events were a success. Visit the links below to see local news coverage of the events, photos, and more.

  • KARE 11 TV coverage of August 6 Ceremony of the Cranes
  • City Pages slideshow of August 6 Ceremony of the Cranes
  • TC Daily Planet article
  • Hiroshima Mayor's Peace Declaration
  • Event photos


    2008 Event Calendar

    Downloadable events flyer [1 page, PDF 200kB]

    The 2008 commemoration events will span three days: August 5, 6, and 9. All are welcome.
    For more information contact JoAnn at msphncc [at] gmail.com.

    Bring a chair or blanket for sitting for all events except the bandshell concert.

    Tuesday, August 5, 2008
    Location: Lyndale Park Peace Garden, Roseway Rd. just north of Lake Harriet, Minneapolis (directions)

    4:30 p.m. Pathway to Peace procession, led by Women in Black. Starts at W. 40th St. & Bryant Ave. S. and concludes at the Peace Garden. Click here for details on the procession.
    5:30 p.m. Recorder music by the Arden Consort welcomes people to the garden.
     6:00 p.m. Japanese Tea Ceremony. Commemorative tea ceremony by Yukimakai ("Flower in the Snow") tea study group. This event takes place at the exact moment that the dropping of the atomic bomb is being observed in Hiroshima. The rhythm and intention of a formal tea ceremony brings people into a quiet space. Following the demonstration, iced green tea and sweets will be served.

    Wednesday, August 6, 2008
    Location: Lyndale Park Peace Garden, Roseway Rd. just north of Lake Harriet, Minneapolis (directions)

    7:30 a.m. Hiroshima Commemoration: Ceremony of the Cranes. Moment of silence at 8:15 a.m., the time the bomb was dropped, followed by hanging origami cranes in the garden. Special guests Larry Johnson, Elaine Wynne, and Renee Weeks-Wynne will tell the legend of Sadako and the Thousand Cranes. We will receive greetings from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Music and songs of peace.
    8:30 a.m. All-day Vigil in Peace Garden: Special events throughout the day include poetry, crane-folding, sharing stories, reading children's books, and a moment of silence at 1 p.m. when the civil defense sirens sound. Participants and park visitors alike will enjoy the activities.
    7:30 p.m. Concert for Peace at the Lake Harriet Bandshell with Rabbi Sim Glaser and the Social Action Figures. Special guest appearance by KAIROS Intergenerational Dance Theatre performing to "A Thousand Paper Cranes", music commissioned by the Nagasaki commemoration committee.

    Saturday, August 9, 2008
    Location: Global Harmony Labyrinth, Como Park, St. Paul. Como Park map. Note: The labyrinth is not shown on this map but it is located off Nason Place near the south end of the 'pedestrian bridge' on the map.

    10:30 a.m. Nagasaki Commemoration: Greetings read from Mayor Taue of Nagasaki. Moment of silence at 11:02 a.m., the time the bomb was dropped. Walk the Global Harmony Labyrinth for peace. August 9 event co-sponsored by the St. Paul Nagasaki Sister City Committee.


    For further information contact JoAnn: msphncc [at] gmail.com or 952.922.0308.


    Downloadable flyer [1 page, PDF 200kB]
    Small flyers [4 on one page, PDF 30kB]


    • Women in Black procession along the Pathway to Peace. Led by WILPF-MN Arts Committee. Minneapolis, August 2007.

    More photos from last year's commemoration events.

    This page (http://www.wilpfmn.org/hn/) updated Aug. 30, 2008.
    WILPF Minnesota Metro Branch   |   P.O. Box 14752   |   Minneapolis, MN 55414   |   651-458-7090