Peacemaker Festival announces community award recipients

Officials with the Peacemaker Music Festival, which recently held its 6th annual event in downtown Fort Smith, have announced awards of more than $150,000 at five, ten and twenty thousand-dollar increments.

Recipients include: Developmental Wings, Girl Scouts – Diamonds of Arkansas, Fort Smith Children’s Emergency Shelter, Girls. Inc. Fort Smith, Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club, Antioch for Youth & Family, Keep Fort Smith Beautiful, Abilities Unlimited of Fort Smith, Reynolds Cancer Support House, Ronald McDonald House, Interfaith Preschool, and Black Widow’s Motorcycle Club.

“This summer, the needs of our community have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. In response, Antioch for Youth & Family has hosted food distribution throughout the summer, providing a mixed box of either dairy, meat, fruit, and/or vegetables to nearly 800 cars. It’s the support of groups like the Peacemaker Festival that allow us to continue and expand our operations,” Charolette Tidwell, found and director of Antioch for Youth and Family, said in a statement from Peacemaker.

The Peacemaker Festival board stated that “bringing people together to support our community, showing off the beauty of our downtown riverfront and listening to some good tunes along the way is what the event is all about. We are proud of how many organizations we can support through something like this.”

The festival, held in the Riverfront Amphitheater at Harry E. Kelley Park in downtown Fort Smith, is a showcase for Country, Rock, Blues, Red Dirt and Americana acts. According to Peacemaker, the event is dedicated to the enhancement of cultural experiences and improving the quality of life for residents, businesses and visitors alike.