One of Bainbridge Island’s busiest intersections will have a new message for travelers: “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”

BI’s Rotary Club installed the first Peace Pole in Kitsap County Feb. 7 near the ferry terminal at a ceremony attended by about 45 residents, community leaders and local officials.

The Peace Pole movement is an international effort to promote peace and connection in communities around the world, inspired by the devastation of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II. There are 250,000 Peace Poles worldwide, at least one in every country.

The poles are columns with four to six sides that feature the phrase “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in at least four languages of the area where the monument is placed.

BI’s Peace Pole features the phrase in English, Japanese, Luhshootseed and Tagalog, to reflect the Filipino, Native American, Japanese and American residents of BI throughout history. It also spins, so that passersby can view all the sides.

Nancy Houghton, a member of the BI Rotary Club and organizer of the event, spoke at the ceremony and led the group in the singing of the classic song, “We Are The World.”

Some attendees selected paper cranes to place at the pole, courtesy of the BI Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.

A ceremony attendee accepts a flower to place at the pole.

Nancy Houghton, member of the BI Rotary Club and organizer of the event, speaks at the ceremony.

A rainbow candle and colorful flowers kicked off the pole’s first day on BI.

Some attendees selected paper cranes to place at the pole, courtesy of the BI Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.