South Mountain Peace Action group holds their fifth annual "Be About Peace" day on Saturday, May 30. The anniversary reflects the commitment of the peace activist and is a reminder of how the Iraq war has dragged on longer than anyone expected.

This year's Be About Peace Day is the first to be held during the Obama administration. The group writes on their site that "this year, for the first time, we are celebrating Be About Peace Day with the end of the Iraq war in sight, our President having ordered all troops withdrawn over the next 31 months."

The event will be the largest ever for Be About Peace, with the event moving from the library to the Burgdorff, where eight bands will perform.

"I think music has always been related to peace," said Max Brannigan, a Columbia student and musician slated to perform at the event. "We want to do what we can."

Maplewood's Mayor Vic De Luca read an official proclamation for the day at the May 19 Township Committee meeting. It was the third official proclamation for Be About Peace Day from the Township government, which also passed a resolution in Feb., 2003 urging Bush not to go to war in Iraq. South Mountain Peace Action chair Paul Surovel, CHS Peace club president Carly Messinger and Columbia students Gabriel Marr and Brannigan appeared to accept the proclamation.

"It's a great honor to receive this proclamation," South Mountain Peace Action chair Paul Surovell said. "It's a reminder of what a great town we live in."