PROMOTING PEACE
Saratoga Peace Fair cornerstone of Saratoga Peace Week
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Local residents gathered on Sunday to promote peace at the 11th annual Saratoga Peace Fair, part of the ongoing Saratoga Peace Week.
The fair, held Sunday afternoon on the grounds of the Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church, offered free live music, food and family fun for attendees.
The purpose of the event is to celebrate peace, educate attendees about organizations that are contributing to peace in the community and motivate people, said organizers Elizabeth Meehan and Deirdre Ladd.
“It’s modeled after the United Nations International Day of Peace,” explained Deirdre Ladd, noting this year’s “Climate Action for Peace” theme, “but it’s also building community.”
This event is the cornerstone of Saratoga Peace Week 2019, an annual effort that aims to build a community of peace that is working for a more peaceful and just community, nation and world.
One of several organizations represented at the Saratoga Peace Fair, including new partnerships with the Saratoga Springs Police Department and the Saratoga Springs Public Library, was a group called Veterans For Peace. “There’s a huge peace movement in this area,” said David LaCart, president of the local chapter of Veterans For Peace. “This is just a culmination of that. All of the groups come together promoting peaceful things
and brotherhood and fellowship. We’re all likeminded here.”
Saratoga Peace Week continues through Friday. Other upcoming events include a panel discussion titled Human Migration and Climate Change at 7 p.m. on Monday at Skidmore College’s Davis Auditorium and a Peace Week Senior Luncheon from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on Tuesday at Saratoga Senior Center featuring a free meal by Druthers and the opportunity to armchair travel to Uganda. Saratoga Springs High School will present the documentary “Better Angels: Reuniting America” at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Festivities will wrap up on Thursday with a forum called Ending Homelessness in Saratoga at 7 p.m. in the Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College. Erin Healy, a Saratoga Springs native and national expert on collaborative problem-solving and homeless systems, will hold a public forum on the mindset, practice, and investment shifts needed in order to end homelessness in the Saratoga area. The forum will include a presentation and plenty of time for questions. All are invited to join the conversation. Those interested in attending can register online for a free ticket.
More information about Saratoga Peace Week is available online at www.peace-ing.org.