Peace Bubble floats into Naperville

Jerry Leggett may be living in a bubble, but that doesn't keep him from staying in tune with current events -- namely the war in Iraq.

The singer and songwriter, who is traveling across the country in a "Peace Bubble" vintage RV trailer, stopped Wednesday in Naperville to promote his message.

Leggett performed a free peace concert dubbed "Sing Out for Peace at Noon" outside First Congregational United Church of Christ for a crowd of about 40.

He said everyone can make space in their hearts for peace, but it requires respect and tolerance.

"I want the soldiers to come home safe," he said. "I want people to live in a world where we really can use our intelligence to create the kind of world where everyone has what they need."

Singing songs from the likes of Bob Dylan and the Beatles, Leggett strummed his black guitar with a peace sign sticker on the front while audience members blew bubbles and clapped along.

"I think it's an uplifting time, especially when there are so many horrible things going on in the world," said Diane Herr, a lay leader at the church. "Just to get together and celebrate peace and show people do still believe in peace."

Leggett already has logged about 27,000 miles since his tour started in January. In addition to playing music, he makes video recordings for YouTube at each stop, asking people for their take on two questions -- is peace possible and what would a more peaceful world be like?

"I think peace needs to be option A, not option D. 'If war doesn't work then we'll work on peace,' I think, is a bad strategy," said Valerie Garrick, interim pastor of Hope United Church of Christ in Naperville. "I think we need to work on peace, be determined in our inner values, our philosophy of who we are as a country that peace is the goal and we have to work toward that."

Leggett, whose tour is funded in part by sponsors and donors, doesn't have a definitive answer as to whether peace is possible.

"I'm discouraged deeply on one hand," he said. "On the other hand, I don't think we can afford the luxury of cynicism. For our children's sake we have to do the little things we can do to add up to a more peaceful world."

For Nancy Deacon of Naperville, a world at peace would mean no separation between groups of people.

"It really choked me up to know that there are people in my community who feel the same way I do," she said after the concert. "And that they're all so very different but still at heart one and the same."

Leggett will perform a free concert, "A Taste of Peace," from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Congregational United Church of Christ, 40W451 Fox Mill Blvd., west of St. Charles.