REMEMBERING
“Bonfires for Peace at Pritchard Park”

Spring to Summer 2004 (March to August), Asheville NC

Project Initiator: The Traveling Bonfires (a sideproject of the nonprofit newsmagazine The Indie), in cooperation with Asheville Parks & Recreation Department

PERFORMERS: Bands, poets, dancers, DJs, comedians, singer songwriters

[1] LOCALS: Ballet Warraba, Benjammin, Blue Spectral Monkey, Michael Channing, Crooked Routes and Vince Junior, Linda Dickson, Carrie Gerstmann, Chief Gotjacked, Doss Church, George Glass, Aaron Gunn, Youngblood Haske, Roberto Hess, Hippie Shitzu, Dawn Humphrey and Sidhe, Aaron Johnstone and Chris McCloud, Jay Kaiser and Mandy Carter, Leah Kane and Elara Luna, Kri, Matt Lambert, Menage, Lecivius, Chris Lee, Jonah Lipsky, Luna Moon, Danny Ness, Nathan Oliver, Pan, Pasckie Pascua, Rob Pate, Peace Jones, Reductio ad Absurdum, Amber Rose, The Savage Project, Riley Schilling, Accem Scott, The Skipping Class, The Southern Lights, Stephanie’s Id, Sami Te, Spuf, Kapila Ushana, Kellin Watson with Off-Centre

[2] VISITORS: Lionz (Athens GA), Banana da Terra, Avow (Boone), America Dear (Chapel Hill), High School Speeding (Charlotte), Fencepost 9, Steven Hollar, Heidi Sidelinker (Hickory), Avisit (Raleigh), Hoss, Mindshapefist (Sylva), Shiloh (Wilson), Platoon (Baltimore), Tiger Saw (Boston), Viking Moses (Chicago), Rainbow Trout (New York City), Vanessa Boyd (Greeneville TN), Kayumanggi (Houston)

Supervising Producer: Pasckie Pascua; Project Associate: Marta Osborne; Poster artists: Justin Gostony, Chris Johnson, Matt Mulder, Jon Teeple 

Photo: Stephanie's Id

THE "beautiful madness" hasn’t really—ever—taken a day off. When we relocated to the West Coast (Las Vegas, Los Angeles) in 2007, my daughter Donna took over and organized successful TBonfires fundraisers in the Philippines… From 2008-09, we organized shows in Long Beach, Echo Park LA and Orange County—as well as “Bonfires for Peace” events in Huntington Beach (Southern CA) and San Francisco… My main purpose, however, when I moved back to Asheville was to finish my books—while Marta Kay Osborne (aka Marta The Nicer Osborne), the ever indefatigable TBonfires alter-ego and bestfriend, focuses on business management schooling.

I’m in the process of organizing house parties and farm convergences in and around Asheville, but the major thrust is a more professionalized booking effort beyond Asheville. (These are also geared at promoting my book projects as an individual artist/poet).

Asheville is still the Traveling Bonfires’ “home, my barrio” (although I technically live in Candler—where Marta is a neighbor, a mile away). Asheville changed a little bit in the last few years—which made me “regroup” and “adjust some breaks” somewhere somehow—but we are still here. This summer till fall, expect us to be all over town again… while, of course, expect the “beautiful madness” to be wandering about, in between. From late spring to maybe start of winter, we will be making some “sweet noise,” as well, in South Carolina cities/towns like Charleston—both as an organization and by way of my sweet shenanigans as a poet/cook.

But yes—in case you are thinking that maybe you could join us or simply talk about something that is mutually beneficial and cool for the community, let me know. We are always open to collaborations and volunteer work. Email me: pasckie@yahoo.com

The Traveling Bonfires is an Asheville (North Carolina)-based organization that advocates community connectedness, dovetailed on cultural diversity and a global worldview on peace. The Bonfires’ centerpiece program is the “Bonfires for Peace” series of free concert events—which finds home in downtown Asheville’s Pritchard Park from 2003 to date, gathering a multitude of musical acts and performers from all over the US on a relentless spring to fall calendar. Through the organization’s “Vagrant Wind” and “Wander Women” subprograms, The Bonfires also continually produces small-venue shows and gigs—eg poetry readings, dance recitals, filmshowings, art exhibitions, lectures and talks, and other artist presentations.

Formed in the Cordillera mountains of northern Philippines in mid-1980s by journalist-poet Pasckie Pascua, The Bonfires made the rounds of Manila’s prominent performance venues, campus gatherings and people’s convergences for almost two decades, until the organization moved (with Pascua) to New York City in 1998, where it remained active mostly in downtown Manhattan for three years.

Brought forth by the tragedy of 9/11, The Bonfires (again) relocated to another city—Asheville, North Carolina—in late 2001 (where it remains to date). A two-year sojourn took place in Southern California when Pascua (with longtime administrative associate Marta Osborne) found employment in Los Angeles at the height of the country’s economic downturn. From fall of 2007 to end of 2009’s summer, The Bonfires continually organized shows in Long Beach, Echo Park in LA, and Orange County—including a “Bonfires for Peace” event each in Huntington Beach (fall, 2008) and San Francisco (summer, 2009). [Details on “History and other Stories”]

The Bonfires’ peaceful communal vibe has spread, as well, in other cities and states (aside from North/South Carolina, New York, and California), where “Bonfires for Peace” and “Vagrant Wind” events and shows were held in collaboration with local organizations and artists/musicians: Baltimore (Fells Point and Hampden), Jersey City, and Washington DC (Adams Morgan).

The Traveling Bonfires is also very active in the Philipppines’ major cities of Manila and Baguio—under the leadership of Donna Phoebe Pascua (regional director) and Lorna Campilan (associate director/line producer). TBonfires-Philippines works closely with various international and national humanitarian organizations, notably the Association Compassion Asian Youth/Missionaries of Mary, DESAPARECIDOS (families of victims of involuntary disappearances), breast cancer patients, and tyhoon/calamity refugees. [Details on “SALENG: Traveling Bonfires in the Philippines”]

[PHOTO above: Paul DeCirce and his band, Peace Jones, in a "Bonfires for Peace" concert at Pritchard Park in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, 2005]