The 10th Play For Peace coincides with the Vietnam Moving Wall.
Families from throughout the Southeast will be traveling to Sylva on Oct. 17 to participate in Play For Peace, an all-day music event scheduled in conjunction with the arrival on Oct. 15th of the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall which will be on display in Dillsboro, N.C.

• Live music all day and into the night
• Family Picnic at Bridge Park in Sylva
• Military dining discount options
• T-shirts for sale: proceeds to support troops suffering from PTSD

Play For Peace was created by Eli Hashemi, who began it two years ago as a way to unite people in Western North Carolina to speak openly about the war and to support our troops and their families as they deal with the inevitable ramifications of war. The program has expanded and now Play For Peace's goal is to raise awareness and funds for War Veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

"We are not anti anything, we are pro troops and pro support. Play For Peace is about proactive, respectful and positive," said Hashemi.

Originally, numerous bands performed at restaurants and other venues around the Sylva area but this year, after learning of the four-day display of the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall, Hashemi wanted to make this event even larger.

The Memorial Wall display in neighboring Dillsboro is only about a mile from Bridge Park in Sylva, where the Play For Peace family picnic in the Park will be held from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Children are especially encouraged to attend this event since they will have a variety of activities, such as an arts and crafts table to create a Kids' Memorial Wall at the picnic with children being invited to draw pictures for men and women serving our country - whether they are family members, friends or anyone else. Kelly Jewell-Timco will have her handmade hula hoops there all afternoon for everyone’s enjoyment. Everyone should bring food, drinks (no alcohol), chairs and blankets.

"Play For Peace: Picnic in the Park is an event for the entire family," Hashemi explained.

Many area restaurants in Sylva and Dillsboro will have Play For Peace musicians performing for diners between 5 and 8 p.m. on Oct. 17. These restaurants will be offering a 10 percent discount with a military ID between 5 and 8 p.m.

From 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. various musicians and bands will play 40-minute sets at Big Ricks Sports Bar and Guadalupe Cafe on Main Street in downtown Sylva.

Play For Peace Veteran Support T-shirts will be on sale throughout the day. The proceeds will be go to support the troops suffering from PTSD in Western North Carolina.

Win a Guitar!
Strains of Music in Waynesville has donated a Fender Squier Guitar and starter Pack, including a 15G amp, cables, a tuner, an instructional DVD and a gig bag. We are selling raffle tickets throughtout Saturday.

Admission to the event in the park and the late night venues will be donations for the Jackson County Community Table which feeds many local vets and their families, as well as the rest of Jackson county daily.

All vets are invited to participate.

On Friday, Oct 16th, Play For Peace Veteran Support will be interviewing veterans of all wars to document the WNC and Appalachian veterans stories at the 1st Bapstist Church on Main Street in Sylva. Working with Arledge Armenaki, the Visiting Assistant Professor of Cinematography at WCU, and Alex McCaulay, Department of History Assistant Professor at WCU, we will be recording interviews with veterans from all wars from 10am until 5pm.

We will record (in high definition video) veterans sharing experiences of being in the service. They will each receive a copy to keep. They can then choose to include their story in a documentary we are creating for educational purposes. The documentary will be donated to libraries as well as used to raise more money for more PSTD awareness and treatment. We have releases veterans sign that state clearly we will not use thier stories in any way other than stated and reassuring them that no editing and taking out of context will occur. And if afterwards they decide to change their minds and not share what we recorded, that is competely ok. This is a sensitive project and we are very aware of this. We chose a church for privacy, comfort and security. A place that folks could go after seeing the Wall if they just wanted a few moments alone as well. There will be mental health care counselors on hand, volunteering in the church that Friday should anyone need someone to talk to.

Contact Eon by email at mtnwarstories@hotmail.com for more information and to set up interview appointment times.

Schedule for October 17th, 2009
Subject to change

12:30-4:30pm
Picnic in the Park! Bridge Park in Downtown Sylva. Entertainment for the whole family.
Old Time Mountain Music with Ian Moore, Adam Bigelow & Friends. Grab lunch on Main Street and join us.

5-8pm
Various Sylva restaurants will host local Play For Peace musicians, offering a 10% discount with a military ID. (see list of venues below)

8pm-1:30am
Live Music and Support at Guadalupe Cafe and Big Rick's on Main Street in Sylva. Donations for The Community Table will be taken as admission.

Guadalupe Cafe:
1-5 Various musicians from the WCU School of Music playing accoustic music (Jazz and guitar ensembles)
6-8 The Angela Faye Martin Band (Mountain Rock Fusion)
9-10 The Spandrels (Punk Goodness)
10-11 UPASS (Punk Rock)
11-12 Solito (Rock Punk)
12 til close The Summertime Whisky Band (Rock Funk)

Big Rick's Bar & Grill:
6-7 The Cullowhee Blues Project (Blues)
7-8 The John Douglass Company (Mountain Rock N Roll)
9-10 The Handtrucks (Rock N Roll classics)
10-11 NoonDay Sun (Guitar riffs for your face)
11-12ish Vertigo Jazz Project (Jazz Fusion with a twist or two, or three)
12ish til close Kenny Styles spinning and Brian McClure on drums (Beats beyond words)

Dinner Venues: Veteran Appreciation from 5-8pm
Annie's Food and Spirits-The Handtrucks
Soul Infusion Tea House- Home Remedy
Restaurant 553-Jazz with Dan Gonko, Dan Iannucci and Steve Wohlrab
Guadalupe Cafe-Jazz
Bubacz Undergound Cafe-Accoustic Grooviness
Big Rick's Bar & Grill-Blues and Rock

Admission to the event in the park and the late night venues will be donations for the Jackson County Community Table which feeds many local vets and their families, as well as others in need in Jackson County.

The Community Table is need of the following items:
sugar
pasta
sandwich bread
cereal bars
dry milk
canned meats
all purpose flour
cooking spray
peanut butter
frozen pie crusts
rice
dishwashing detergent
13 gallon trash bags
39 gal trash bags
deoderant
soap
tooth paste
tooth brushes
paper towels
toilet paper

The Community Table is part of the BackPack for Kids program which sends kids home with food on the weekends for their families in need. See their website at communitytable.org

"The Moving Wall" is the half-size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has been touring the country for more than twenty years. When John Devitt attended the 1982 dedication in Washington, he felt the positive power of "The Wall." He vowed to share that experience with those who did not have the opportunity to go to Washington.

John, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver, and other Vietnam veteran volunteers built The Moving Wall. It went on display for the first time in Tyler, Texas in October of 1984. Two structures of The Moving Wall now travel the USA from April through November, spending about a week at each site.

For more info see themovingwall.org.

Guadalupe Cafe
Soul Infusion Tea House
Sylva Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Sylva Association
Sylvaunderground.com

The Musicians: