Lights for Peace Program Held in Observance of Bombings of Japan

The 78th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan will be observed Wednesday.

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On August 9, 1945, the US Army Air Force dropped the plutonium-fueled Fat Man atomic bomb over Nagasaki in the second, and so far, the last nuclear bombing of a population in history. The Manhattan Project facilities at Hanford produced the plutonium used in Fat Man bomb.

The one-hour Lights for Peace program, presented by Manhattan Project National Park, will take place at the Fingernail Stage in Howard Amon Park in Richland at 8 pm, this Wednesday. The program will feature a performance by the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers. There will be a guest speaker, and attendees will have an opportunity to ring a peace bell.

“We are offering this Lights for Peace experience to mark the atomic bombings of Japan and to recognize the historical trauma of these events. Lights for Peace aims to provide an opportunity to remember and reflect on these world-changing events that happened 78 years ago,” said Hanford Unit Site Manager Becky Burghart.

The public will be invited to walk a path lit with luminarias featuring peace messages written by community members.

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