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Arts & Entertainment

Hastings Concert Benefits Veterans for Peace

A solar-powered concert on a neighbor's front porch draws a community in support of the causes they believe in.

On Friday evening, nearly 200 people convened on the expansive lawn of photographer  for a river-view concert in support of Iraq Veterans Against War (IVAW). 

Rutman co-sponsored "The Sounds of Peace" benefit concert with, and various local businesses donated refreshments.

The mission of IVAW is to "mobilize the military community to withdraw its support for the wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan." Executive Director Jose Vasquez, a veteran of the US Army, told the audience that the money raised would go to Operation Recovery. "What we're trying to do is stop the deployment of traumatized troops," he said. "Many of them are suicidal when they find out about being deployed again."

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On weekends, local members of IVAW and Concerned Families can often be seen demonstrating peacefully on North Broadway in front of the in Dobbs Ferry.

Frank Brodhead of Hastings, a history teacher, author, activist and co-founder of Concerned Families of Westchester, urged the audience to be vigilant. "Please keep your eye on the Iraq war," he said. "This war is far from over."

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The concert featured musicians from the Rivertowns and beyond, many performing original music on the themes of peace, hope and justice. 

The evening culminated with a concert by Solar Punch, a solar-powered band that uses music to educate people about the environment and climate change. Singer/guitarist James Dean Conklin said the peace concert was a theme he thought of last fall while reflecting on their experiences in the Middle East and India.  

"I've had enriching experiences around the world performing music with people of other cultures and languages," he wrote in an email Saturday afternoon while having coffee at Antoinette's. "I've seen beautiful connections occur as we've dialogued about the environment, ecology, cultural bridge-building and more."

In May, Solar Punch was invited to perform this show at the Newark Peace Education Summit, headlined by the Dalai Lama. After a month-long struggle with logistics, however, the band decided to pull the plug.

"Once it was clear the show would not happen in Newark, Susan Rutman offered her yard, river view and heart to bring a Sounds of Peace concert to her home here in Hastings-on-Hudson," Conklin said. "She had an even broader vision of how we would pull this off, and it was fun to see it all come together as the sun set on a really beautiful day. I'm hopeful this is the first of many such shows."

Watch excerpts from the concert on the accompanying videos. 

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