Woodland Interfaith Peace Picnic Brings Community together  

By Ras H. Siddiqui

Woodland, California is not a large city, but it has consistently shown that it is a vibrant one. Religious diversity is common in our golden state as a whole and it is quite visible in Woodland as the city hosted the region’s 17 th (as announced) Annual Interfaith Peace Picnic at Ferns Park on Saturday, September 26, 2026. The event attracted well over a hundred people and some local organizations, showing unity and sense of purpose in what is often seen as a divided world.

The picnic was sponsored by the City of Woodland, Luna Vista Rotary Club, American Muslim Voice Foundation, Woodland Ecumenical & Multi-Faith Ministries(WEMM) and the Woodland Mosque & Islamic Center. Under the umbrella of “Different Faiths, One Community and Shared Peace” this annual peace event was joined by neighbors of all faiths, cultures and backgrounds who enjoyed music, Pakistani food, and friendship. An additional  special this year was a “Peace Pole Installation” to celebrate and commemorate the possibility of a more peaceful world.

Nearby Davis often overshadows Woodland because it has the world-famous aggie campus, the University of California, which has its own Picnic Day or Earth Day attracting thousands every year. But that does not mean that the hundreds who attend Woodland’s annual event can somehow be ignored. Both Davis and Woodland are in Yolo County and some of their community services overlap.

The list of speakers here is long but they do need a mention. Starting with event emcee Khalid Saeed, Woodland Mosque Imam Malik Riaz Qadri, the Reverend Mike Umbenhaur who delivered a fine interfaith prayer, Pastor Larry Love, Samina Sundas Executive Director of the American Muslim Voice (AMV) Foundation, Woodland City Manager Ken Hiatt, Mayor Pro Tem Mayra Vega, M. Usman Sadiq from the Woodland Mosque, Yolo County District Attorney Melinda Aiello, Fire Chief Eric Zane, Lt Richard Towle representing the Woodland Police, Dr Jesse Ortiz and Dr Elodia Ortega-Lampkin from the Yolo County Superintendent of Schools office, Yolo County Judge Ryan Davis and in closing, also spotted speaking was Yolo County Assessor Jessie Salinas.

Khalid Saeed who is also the President of AMV Foundation started the proceedings by welcoming everyone. May God’s peace and blessings be on all of you, he said. Khalid also provided a background of the event and added that it may have been going on for 20 years (the COVID pandemic years may have added confusion). He also thanked everyone for attending. Saeed also briefly shared why the Muslim community started participating in this peace picnic amongst other local community activities. He next invited the Imam of the Woodland Mosque for the invocation. Imam Qadri also added his words of wisdom to commemorate the occasion.

Pastor at the Woodland Presbyterian Church and Chaiman of WEMM, Rev Mike Umbenhaur followed with a very inspiring prayer which everyone could relate to. He explained the difference between peacekeeping and peacemaking and that they are not the same. Peacemaking is extremely difficult, he said. It takes being vulnerable. He added that his prayer for today focuses on peacemaking as we share our stories and listen to each other. God, we thank you for this beautiful day and the privilege that we have, to be called not only your peacekeepers but peacemakers. For giving us this opportunity to gather. You have called us to establish relationships with one another and to meet the needs of this wonderful community. In your name, we humbly pray, Amen.

Next up a quad of young Muslim girls forming the “Woodland Mosque Choir” presented their work in Arabic, Urdu, and English in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. Khalid returned and Pastor Larry Love was recognized for his help with community building in Woodland over many years. The local Sikh community was also appreciated. Samina Sundas, the founder of AMV Foundation, was called to speak next. And she also shared her thoughts with great clarity. Sundas emphasized the need to replace hate, despair, and division with a culture of peace, justice, and friendship. We will return to her work at the closing.

Mayor Pro Tem Mayra Vega, during her speech conveyed Mayor Tom Stallard’s regards, and said that it was a pleasure for her to be here and that she loved to serve this community. She provided a background of the Peace Pole project and how the idea was incubated at a September 11 meeting and coordinated with the Luna Vista Rotary Club to install the first pole in front of city hall. Today we are dedicating the second pole and a total of five are planned for a project which Luna Vista started three years ago. Mayra invited everyone to join in its unveiling here at Ferns Park and hoped that the community visits it and is inspired by its message.

After several very prominent speakers (County DA, Police, Fire Dept School officials and Judge) which followed, and with Ms Vega in the lead, a smaller group of people walked over to the Ferns Park Nature Area to the Peace Pole to admire it and to give its installation our collective blessings. The pole is white and in contrasting black wording says, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” and has wording is Spanish and what looked like Romanized Punjabi too. No matter what the language, it is the message which counts.

While most of the attendees were sharing a meal of delicious Pakistani food nearby, a smaller group stood by the Peace Pole for a while longer to let its simple wording and symbolism kick in. Samina Sundas appeared to be quite moved by it. She came here all the way from Palo Alto which is not easy for seniors. She has been leading the AMV Foundation in its hosting of the annual Palo Alto Multifaith Peace Picnic & Prayer Service there, on or near the anniversary of 9/11 for over two decades now. And if AMV Foundation can help to inspire, host, and participate in such events in Palo Alto and Woodland, California, this idea could catch on in other areas of our country too. And let us have peace poles everywhere!