International Peace Pole to be erected in Ashville

By KATRINA SEYMOUR The Herald

Ashville is soon to become home to a universal symbol of peace with the erection of a seven-foot tall International Peace Pole. Ashville was chosen as one of 200 sites to erect the poles by the America the Beautiful Fund. The fund was picked to distribute the poles this year by the Peace Pole Society in honor of America the Beautiful's 30th anniversary. The fund chose Ashville, according to a press release by America the Beautiful, because of the efforts of the Ashville Heritage Society to preserve the past and promote the future through the Ashville Museum. America the Beautiful decided to choose four projects from each state to honor with the poles, according to Eddie Keturakis, a representative of the fund in Washington D.C. So far, only the Ashville Museum and the Rockefeller Park Green House in Cleveland have been chosen as sites in 0hio. The America the Beautiful Fund was established in 1965 and is involved in cultural preservation and beautification pro-jects nationwide. Mainly, the group oversees Operation Greenplant, a program that distributes seeds for charitable hunger projects, according Keturakis. Worldwide, over 100,000 peace poles have been erected in places ranging from the magnetic north pole in Canada to the pyramids of Giza in Egypt to Gorky Park in Moscow. There are also peace poles in Taiwan, Scotland, South Africa and Mexico, among other locations. America the Beautiful first became connected with the museum over a decade ago when the fund donated $500 to the museum to build display boxes. A Town Called Ashville, a video circulated by the museum explaining the area's history and future, has also been honored by America the Beautiful as a project that "demonstrates you do not need a big budget to tell an entertaining story and what a group of dedicated individuals can do to improve their community," according to the release. "We chose Ashville to be honored as a Peace Pole site because of the tremendous achievements that have been accomplished by the Ashville Museum since it received a $500 seed grant from America the Beautiful Fund in 1979," Nanine Bilski, president of the fund, said in the release. "The best citizen initiated projects of the past 30 years are being selected for this ' honor as part of our 30th anniversary celebration." Bob Hines, one of the Ashville Museum founders, said, "Just because you're from a small town doesn't mean you have small ideas." Hines, who now lives in Bexley after helping to found the museum as a college student, said, "Upper Arlington doesn't have anything like this. Bexley doesn't have anything like this. Ashville should tie really proud to have something so unique in their community." The value of a local museum is not only in its value to future generations. It's not about the past," Hines said, "it's about the future. "I would like to see more people take an interest in the museum. You know, it's not about antiques. It's not about antiques at all. It really focuses on achievements, ideas. That's what it's all about." Heritage Society member and co-founder of the museum Charlie Morrison said the award, coupled with a recent entry into Roadside America's "Top 25 Museums of Museums," has had a positive effect on the heritage society's enrollment. "I think we're going to get some new members, some young people," Morrison said. "I look for things to look up now." Mayor Jane Cline of Ashville said, "It's really a wonderful thing, for the village." She commended the Ashville Heritage Society for their efforts to maintain and operate the famous little museum. "The village should be proud that we have something like this," she said. "If you've never been there, it's really worth the trip ... Sometimes I think people in the village take it for granted." Cline said the village is in the process of planning a celebration and ceremony, but no definite plans have been made yet. She said the most likely site for the seven-foot tall pole is at the Ashville museum.