TONASKET – The Seventh Annual Peace Festival will be at the Community Cultural Center on Saturday, Sept. 18 with Dana Lyons performing at 8 p.m.

There will be a memorial for the fallen soldier who inspired the event, Stephen McManners, U.S. Air Force, the youngest brother of Paulie Richardson of Conconully. The event also celebrates International Peace Day as it presents a variety of music and dialog from artists and activists.

This year, Dana Lyons headlines the day-long event with a concert at 8 p.m. Lyons is internationally known for his collaborations with Jane Goodall, his ballads for the environment and peace and his humor, including an international hit, “Cows with Guns.” His latest release is called “Three Legged Coyote.”

The Peace Festival starts at 1 p.m. and is a free event, although this year there is a charge for the evening concert: $8 for adults, $4 for teens and children under 12-years-old are free. There will be refreshments and an evening dinner will be presented by the CCC.

The Peace Festival was conceived by a family who lost two youths in the Middle East and formed a unique collaboration with “Veterans for Peace” members in the Colville area and in the Okanogan. This union has provided a platform which stems from the very heart of impacted families and soldiers. For the past seven years, the Peace Festival has sought to “give a voice to the voiceless,” to quote Martin Luther King, Jr., in his Vietnam War speech. The Veterans for Peace, the stricken families, the artists who speak out and the community come together to share concerns and songs; it is a place for people to express how they feel about the war and peace. The Veterans for Peace Panel, where vets speak their minds and needs, is a proud center piece of this event.

This festival of Peace has presented both local and nationally known activists and has made the cover of the Spokane paper and TV news. The article that went out over the wire highlighted our long-time peace community as well as the Family Faire and it even made it to the New York Times. The festival remains a cutting edge concept that has served as inspiration for starting a Peace Club at Wenatchee Valley College, similar events in Oregon and Veterans for Peace tours to the colleges in Wenatchee and Omak.