The 18th annual Peace Fair will highlight local nonprofits working to promote health, education and harmony
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
More than 90 local nonprofits, crafters and entertainers will come together this Saturday for the annual Peace Fair held at Buckingham Friends Meetinghouse and School in Lahaska. While there will be food, music and activities, the event is much more than your average fair. There is a mission behind it. Now in its 18th year with several thousand guests expected, the fair works to promote community health, education and above all, peace and harmony.
What we know today as the Peace Fair was created by Buckingham Friends in 1999 as a revamp on their Fall Fair, which had been taking place for about a century prior. According to Peace Fair coordinator Peter Ray, the thought process behind this switch was to better highlight Quaker values of peace, simplicity and protection of the environment by promoting local organizations that embodied them.
“The point was to showcase what nonprofits are doing in the area,” he said.
Eighteen years later, this remains the purpose of the fair as Bucks and Montgomery County nonprofits, with causes ranging from refugee care to food banks, give attendees glimpses into what they’re all about. Despite the noble causes of each organization, Ray understands this isn’t enough to entice people.
“You can’t expect crowds to come in just to get information,” he said.
To combat this, the informational aspect is paired with family-friendly fair activities. According to Ray, the atmosphere of the event was modeled after the Tinicum Arts Festival, but on a smaller scale. Half of the tables guests will see are the “exhibitors,” or nonprofits, while the other half are “vendors” of crafts and food, all of whom reflect Quaker values as well. Teens from the Buckingham Friends School will be available to direct guests to their activities of interest.
So far, more than 90 organizations are scheduled to appear, including the local nonprofits A Woman’s Place, Bucks County Audubon Society, Bucks Learning Cooperative, Girl Scouts, Peace Center and Write Your Legislator. While some are religious or political based, Ray explained how partisan messaging of these issues is not allowed.
“We’re nonpartisan with regard to politics but not issues,” he said.
While adults learn about everything from healthy living to refugee resettlement, kids can be entertained by singer and educator Ecoman (Richard Mclaughlin), who will perform original songs about peace and the environment. Due to the environment-friendly nature of the fair, there will be no amusement rides. But the self-powered Peace Train might be even cooler.
Throughout the day, local artists and crafters will sell eco-friendly products, hand-woven fabrics, paintings, photographs and pottery. Families can shop for gifts, participate in games, browse a recycled book sale and enjoy lunch under the abundance of trees on the Buckingham Friends campus. Entertainment will be provided by the Tookany Creek bluegrass band as well as Celtic and folk band River Drivers.
A Peace Fair highlight is always the large circus tent located near the Meetinghouse where the U.N. Association will once again host its Heritage Display. Families proudly sport costumes and clothing from their ancestors’ country of origin and provide a history on their culture for guests who are interested. Visitors can compare notes with others from the same background while learning a thing or two about different cultures.
Guests are also able to tour the Meetinghouse, a national landmark that will celebrate its 250th anniversary next year. As a model for Quaker meetinghouses across the country and a focal point for some of Pennsylvania’s earliest settlements, the National Park Service has named the building one of the finest examples of meetinghouse architecture in the Delaware Valley. The building has been virtually unchanged since its creation.
Though most associate Quakers with the 17th century era, Ray explained their values are still very much present in modern-day America. He hopes the main takeaway for guests at the Peace Fair is a broader understanding of the harmony and justice local organizations are trying to spread in not just their own backyards, but the world.
“There are very few fairs largely focused on what people are doing to help,” he said. ••
If you go…
The Peace Fair will take place Saturday, Sept. 23, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Buckingham Friends Meetinghouse and School located at 5784 York Road, Lahaska, on Route 202, just south of Peddler’s Village. The fair and parking are free to the public, but donations are gratefully accepted.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
