Stand Up

This year at Ithaca Festival, we are sponsoring 2 projects to remind us, and those outside our 10 square miles of gorgesness, of the need for peace in our lives and in our world.

• Stand Up for Peace . Join us on Sunday, June 22nd at 3:00 p.m. in Stewart Park, as we attempt to set the Guinness Book of World Record for the largest human peace symbol ever made.

• Postcards for Peace . Tell a Future Generation What Peace Means to You.

Here is a snapshot of Postcards for Peace submitted by local Ithacans.

To participate, simply write or draw on your Postcard for Peace after you print out both sides of the PDF form, preferably on card stock or any sturdy 8.5" x 11" surface.  Then drop it off at either the front desk of The History Center (starting Saturday, May 24, 2008) on any Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or at drop-off locations on the Commons and Stewart Park during Festival Weekend, June 20^th through June 22^nd.

The Postcards for Peace Project is the brainchild of Amy Newman.  To volunteer to staff our Sunday Stewart Park "peace booth," or any Festival activity, please visit our volunteer page.  A selection of postcards will be cataloged by the History Center to be unveiled in the year 2028.

Trevor and his sisters enjoy the I-Fest T his project has inspired. Stand Up Ithaca!

ITHACA STANDS UP FOR WORLD PEACE

I-FEST PLANS WORLD'S LARGEST HUMAN PEACE SIGN!

On June 22nd, 2008, thousands of Ithacans will gather in an attempt to set a world record, broadcasting the entire event to a global audience via YouTube, all to advocate for world peace. Please join us!

In a powerful event at the conclusion of this year's Ithaca festival, Ithaca will stand up for world peace. A huge human peace sign will be formed, symbolizing a community united for the cause of fostering international diplomacy and cooperation.

The Ithaca Festival, a 30-year tradition celebrating "our community and the creative artist in each of us," has embraced the idea as part of its "I Am Ithaca" theme for 2008. Trevor Dougherty, a sophomore at Ithaca High School, is organizing the event. Dubbed "Ithaca's YouTuber" by the Ithaca Journal last year, he will also aid in the creation and web syndication of a viral video documenting the event. One of his past videos, a video for peace, has received worldwide attention. You can view it here.

Coordinators of the Ithaca Festival are currently in contact with Guinness World Records(TM), in order to officially set the world record for the world's largest human peace sign. While large-scale human peace signs have been created before, according to local book store owner Gary Weissbrot, there is no official record set. This gives attendees at this year's Ithaca Festival the opportunity to help establish the record.

Because the setting of a world record depends entirely upon attendance and participation on the day of the event, any donations of publicity (print, media, online) would be greatly appreciated.

The success of this event could easily put Ithaca on the global stage as a community dedicated to promoting peace!

Join us on Sunday, June 22nd, at 3pm. The event will be held in Stewart Park.

Contact Person: Trevor Dougherty
Phone: 607.229.5198
Email: maddogza@gmail.com

In addition to this inspirational project, Amy Newman, another diplomatically motivated Ithacan, will be facilitating a community-wide project dubbed "Postcards for Peace" all weekend long during the festival.  Amy is asking that citizens, both young and old, create artwork, poetry, prose and any other interpretation of what peace means to them on prefabricated "postcards" she will provide (click here to make one on your own by printing both sides on 8.5" x 11" card stock) and that will in turn be cataloged in a time capsule by the History Center.