The Rotary Club of Park Ridge will dedicate a 7-foot Peace Pole at Hodges Park on Friday, Sept. 11, immediately after the city's 25th-anniversary 9/11 memorial service.
The city's memorial service begins at 8:30 a.m. outside City Hall near the Sept. 11 memorial. The Peace Pole dedication follows right after, according to the Journal & Topics. Community members and local leaders are expected to attend both events.
The pole will stand on the east side of Hodges Park, about 30 feet from the fountain and 15 feet from the Vine Avenue sidewalk. It bears the inscription "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in multiple languages, according to a Rotary Club news release published in the Chicago Tribune.
The Park Ridge Park District Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Aug. 20 to approve the installation, as the Journal & Topics reported. Under the agreement, the Rotary Club will maintain the pole for 10 years.
Friday's service marks 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The city's announcement invited residents to gather in remembrance of the lives lost and to honor the sacrifice of first responders.
The 9/11 memorial site, at 200 S. Vine Ave. next to City Hall, was vandalized twice in early July. On July 1, a man poured milk on the memorial, staining the steel beams. On July 8, a separate offender threw food on the memorial. The Park Ridge Police Department was still investigating both incidents as of mid-August, according to the Journal & Topics.
Peace poles originated in Japan in 1955. More than 200,000 now stand in nearly 200 countries worldwide.
Both Friday events are open to the public. The memorial service starts at 8:30 a.m. outside City Hall, with the Hodges Park dedication to follow.
Upcoming in Park Ridge
- Friday, Sept. 11 — 9/11 memorial service, 8:30 a.m., outside City Hall; Rotary Peace Pole dedication at Hodges Park immediately after
