The Oil City Rotary Club recently held a dedication ceremony at the Oil City Marina for new Peace Poles, painted by local artists Kay Woods and Marcy Hall. Mitch Littler of Operation Good Vibes entertained crowds on guitar and harmonica.

The four poles, located in Oil City, are at the Oil City Marina, King Memorial Park, the Oil City Library, and Justus Park.

Comments were offered by Laura Nelson, chairman of the Oil City Peace Pole project, Oil City Mayor John Kluck, and Zachary Covington, Rotary District Governor for the 2024-2025 year.

Covington shared, “Peace is so much more than merely the absence of violence,” he said, encouraging people to do what they can, because even small acts contribute to making the world a better place.

The event was concluded with the release of the 11 doves — first nine, then two more, let out one after the other, in remembrance of September 11, 2001 — by Bill and Cheri Baker of PA Doves of Love.

The Peace Pole Project was started in 1955 in Japan by Masahisa Goi as a response to the bombing of Hiroshima; the creation of Peace Poles outside of Japan started a few decades later in 1983.

This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s October 2024 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.