You may say he’s a dreamer, but John Litchfield is about to receive a special delivery -- John Lennon’s piano.

The piano on which Lennon composed and recorded his 1971 masterpiece "Imagine" is coming to Blacksburg as part of a tour to highlight peace and nonviolence. The tour was re-routed to Blacksburg in the wake of the April 16 shootings.

The piano, which was purchased by singer George Michael and his partner Kenny Goss at an auction in 2000, will also be displayed publicly today at the Blacksburg Farmers’ Market at 8 a.m. and in the atrium of Squires Students Center from noon until 3 p.m.

The piano will be photographed Sunday in Litchfield’s backyard on Jackson Street as part of a potential documentary, book and exhibit. During the tour, the piano is photographed on or near the site where infamous acts of violence occurred. The piano has been photographed in Dallas, where President Kennedy was assassinated, the Memphis hotel were Martin Luther King was killed, Oklahoma City and now Blacksburg among other places.

"Kenny and George both believe by taking the piano to Blacksburg, they hope to honor those that lost their lives, those injured and those whose lives were impacted forever by this great tragedy," Caroline True, the tour’s director and producer, said in a media release. "Their deepest wish is to imagine a world of peace, a world without violence."

Litchfield, a Tech librarian and associate professor, was contacted by a friend who works with the tour. The friend called to say they needed a garden atmosphere for a photograph.
"I have a backyard with a garden in it," Litchfield said. "I hope that will do it."

The upright Steinway Model Z piano is not the famous white piano shown in the "Imagine" video. Lennon bought the piano in December 1970, and wrote and recorded "Imagine" on it.

"They’re hoping this tour will bring a message of peace," Litchfield said.