Peace In Our Time

Omni Center celebrates 15 years with food, music

Courtesy Photo Multi-time Grammy nominees Trout Fishing in America will debut a new song at Saturday’s 15-year celebration for the Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Equality.
Courtesy Photo Multi-time Grammy nominees Trout Fishing in America will debut a new song at Saturday’s 15-year celebration for the Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Equality.

"The opposite of war isn't peace, it's creation."

-- From the musical "Rent"

FAQ

Omni Anniversary

WHEN — 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday

WHERE — Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 2925 Old Missouri Road in Fayetteville

COST — A suggested $15 donation for adults

INFO — 935-4422

The Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Equality was forged 15 years ago to "struggle against the Iraq war" in the tradition of anti-war protest movements. Now it works for efforts that will "change the world that we live in to the world that we want to live in."

"As time's gone along, we've realized if we want to work for a world that is peaceful, just and sustainable, there are other things we have to do besides protest marches," says Gladys Tiffany, Omni executive director. "People come to us with ideas that they feel would make a better world, and we support them to work on those ideas."

Among the programs Omni supports are Tri-Cycle Farms -- "a sustainable urban farm park where we cherish and steward education, community, and soil"; the inception of community radio station KPSQ -- "something we can use to change the dialogue about how the culture ought to function"; and an environmental group working with Citizens' Climate Lobby.

Tiffany says she wants the community to realize what Omni does, and "I would really like them to be proud of who we are." She also wants to underscore "how proud we have the right to be for what we have done and what we're capable of in the future." And that thinking led to the 15-year celebration happening Saturday at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fayetteville. The theme is "Many Facets, Many Voices," chosen to "honor and embrace the variety of individuals and partnering organizations that have strengthened the Omni Center mission for 15 years." Along with homemade veggie lasagna and information on those partner organizations, Kelly Mulhollan of Still on the Hill has organized a program of "Protest Music Through the Ages," with live performances by Trout Fishing in America, Guy Ames, Clarke Buehling, Still on The Hill, Bayard Blain and Brick Fields.

Grammy nominated duo Trout Fishing in America will debut a new song titled "One of These Days."

"It's not so much a protest song but a song saying we can work it out," says bassist Keith Grimwood. "Some of the lyrics are 'Seems to me that there's a middle ground somewhere between my way and the highway, waiting to be found.'

"Trout has always been about finding the things we have in common and accentuating those things rather than accentuating our differences."

-- Becca Martin-Brown

bmartin@nwadg.com

NAN What's Up on 02/05/2016

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