Annual Ceremony in Memory of the Lives Lost in Atomic Bombings

Every August for more than 20 years the Society of Friends (Quakers) from Sparta have organized a Lantern-Floating Ceremony to remember those who lost their lives due to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. This year’s event was held at Pinafore Park on August 6, where those gathered took part in lantern-building, pot-luck dinner, bubble-blowing and, as dusk approached, a minute of silence and the floating of the lanterns. Organizer Julie Berry has found that the gathering grows each year as people return to experience the serene event.