Welcome, Georgia Beer Co.!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (PDF)

Georgia Beer Company Sponsors Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

Hahira, Georgia, April 22, 2019 — The first brewery in the Suwannee River Basin is the top-level sponsor of the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. When the finalists compete for the judges and music lovers at The Salty Snapper on August 24, 2019, at the top of the sponsor banner will be Georgia Beer Company. This maker of brews, such as Cypress Knee – Single Hop Mosaic, understands clean water is essential to every beer. So Georgia Beer Company, as the Aria level sponsor, supports Suwannee Riverkeeper for fishable, swimmable, drinkable water.

Photo: Sara the bartender; Left to right: Bartender, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman receiving sponsor merchandise and check from Jack “J. Ryce Martin” and Chris Jones, founders of Georgia Beer Co.

“When I was a reporter in Madison, Florida, I wrote about Valdosta sewage frequently,” said Georgia Beer Co. co-founder Chris Jones. “Unfortunately, that is still a story. We support Suwannee Riverkeeper to help stop that problem, and to clean up other things getting into our rivers.”

“I’m thrilled for this support of our water quality testing program by Georgia Beer Company,” said WWALS lead tester Sara Jay. “We can buy more testing materials and do more tests!”

“My grandfather used to run the Valdosta waterworks in the historic building that now houses Georgia Beer Company,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman. “It’s great that Chris and Jack know clean water is just as important now as it was back then.”

“Chris and I met at VSU,” said co-founder Jack "J. Ryce" Martin. “We began brewing beer in my garage, so we have deep roots here, where we founded the Southernmost Brewery in Georgia. We understand everything here depends on clean water, so we support WWALS.”

“Thank you, Chris and Jack, for your contribution of a thousand dollars in cash and items for the silent auction, in support of WWALS Watershed Coalition and its advocacy and outings,” said WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman. “We’re printing up your sponsor banner to hang down at the taproom.”

$1,000 Aria level sponsor banner

“We serve Georgia Beer Company’s Distress Express Stout at The Salty Snapper,” said Justin Stephens, Director of Operations, Manwell DeCoudres Restaurant Group. “We’ll have a cash bar open, and we are proud to host the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest for its second year.”

“Music and the arts lead the band of advocacy and awareness,” said contest committee Chair Scotti Jay. “And a beer with the music sure can help.”

About the Second Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest:

Tickets are $10 online or $12 at the door. Or $150 per eight-seat VIP table right in front of the stage. Everything about the contest is online here:

https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-08-24–suwannee-riverkeeper-songwriting-contest/

The song submission deadline is Friday, July 12, 2019. The entry form is online, for your song lyrics and information about the song and to introduce you if you become a finalist. Every musical genre is welcome, and anything from spoken word or a capella to bands may play. You can send your song as an electronic file or on a USB stick or CD.

Photo: Mary Caroline Pindar, of the Songwriting Contest Committee: Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, WWALS Events Committee Chair Eileen Box, 2018 Contest First Prize Laura D’Alisera, Contest Committee Chair Scotti Jay, Lead Water Quality Tester Sara Jay, and, all the way from Pine Mountain, GA, Tom H. Johnson Jr., 2019-03-25

The Contest Committee will choose half a dozen finalists according to criteria such as that they’re really about some of our waters in the Suwannee River Basin. Finalists will be announced Saturday, August 10, 2019.

The contest is from 1 to 5 PM, Saturday, August 24, 2019, at The Salty Snapper, 1405 Gornto Rd,. Valdosta, Georgia. You must be present to win. You do not have to sing, but you do have to be onstage with your song’s performance, rattling a tambourine or whatever. All finalists must arrive by 11 AM for sound check.

Radio personality Chris Beckham will be the Master of Ceremonies, as musicians play, the finalists perform, three judges deliberate, we all talk about outings and advocacy, and, finally, the winners are announced. Then the winners play some more.

New this year: there will be one or more youth winners under 18 years old.

The first prize is $300. Prizes of $50 each will go to one winner from within the Suwannee River Basin, and one from without. There will be one winner per musical genre.

There will be a silent auction, a kayak raffle, and a cash bar, and the snacks are included. At 4 PM you can order from the Salty Snapper menu as well, if you like.

Sponsoring the contest is a great opportunity for businesses and individuals to get their name in publicity about the Contest, from radio and TV and newspaper interviews and public interest spots, to a banner to hang at your place of business, to a banner at the event and a mention in the program. Help support clean water advocacy and get more people to see your business.

WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS) advocates for conservation and stewardship of the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, and Suwannee River watersheds in south Georgia and north Florida through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities. Founded in June 2012, WWALS has board members from multiple counties in south Georgia and north Florida, and members from all over the Suwannee River Basin and from farther away. Since December 2016, John S. Quarterman is the Suwannee Riverkeeper®, which is a staff position and a project of WWALS as the member of Waterkeeper® Alliance for the Suwannee River Basin.

Contact: John S. Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper
WWALS Watershed Coalition
www.wwals.net
contact@suwanneeriverkeeper.org
850-290-2350
229-242-0102
PO Box 88, Hahira, GA 31632

===

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Short Link: