Bench of Friendship
Posted by Craig Claus
Jeanne Ferber visited to bring the Club more information on the "Bench of Friendship", a gift from Russia craftsmen to the U.S. commemorating 200 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Craig Claus and members of the Alton Centennial Rotary Club welcomed
Jeannie Ferber, co-founder of Access to Ideas, to their January 15th
meeting to show a film of the making of the "Bench of Friendship". The
bench was handmade by blacksmiths in the Ural Mountains of Russia in
honor of 200 years of diplomatic relations between our nations. The
decision was made by the Russian side to give the bench to the Lakes
Region out of gratitude to the work of Access to Ideas in Russia and
also because the Lakes Region is an historic place of friendship. The
bench's actual home will be Alton thanks to the efforts of the Alton
Rotary Club. In addition to showing the film "Iron Prayer," Ferber
presented the club with the first "piece" of the bench to arrive in
America! The small nut has the Master blacksmith's logo forged into it.
The 440 pound bench is now complete and waiting to be shipped. It has
earned considerable publicity in Russia as well as winning the silver
medal at the Eurasia Landscape Exhibition.