Category Archives: Festival

Outside in the Art Park, Scott James as M.C.: Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

Hahira, GA, June 16, 2020 — The new Turner Center Art Park, across from the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, GA, has plenty of room for physical distance while listening to the finalists play in the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, 7-9 PM, Saturday, August 22, 2020, at 605 North Patterson Street, Valdosta, Georgia, 31601. (See also PDF.)

Scott James, Talk 92.1 FM

“I’m honored to be the Master of Ceremonies for this celebration of our rivers, creeks, swamps, and springs,” said radio personality Scott James, of Talk 92.1, WDDQ, out of Valdosta, GA.

“Songwriters, don’t forget to send in your song by Wednesday, July 8, 2020!” said Laura D’Alisera, our 2018 overall winner and 2019 headliner, and now two years on the organizing committee.

[Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest]
Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

Submissions can be songs about any river, stream, spring, sink, swamp, lake, or pond in the Suwannee River Basin or Estuary (except not the Santa Fe Basin; that has its own contest). Judging of finalists will take into account integrity and value of the waters, historical value, originality of lyrics and music and musical consistency between them, performance, and clarity of message. Extra credit for naming the most rivers (springs, etc.). Even listing them counts; tying them together in a way that shows their value is better.

“Tickets are on sale now, Continue reading →

Video: Sabrina Deetz; send in your song, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

You don’t have to be as high-energy as Sabrina Deetz, but it helps!

Songs are coming in. Send in your song by the deadline of July 8, 2020, for the Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, August 22, 2020, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia:
wwals.net/pictures/2020-08-22–songwriting/

Photo: Sara and Scotti Jay for WWALS, of Sabrina Deetz singing Take me to the Suwannee at the 2019 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.
Photo: Sara and Scotti Jay for WWALS, of Sabrina Deetz singing Take me to the Suwannee at the 2019 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

“Georgia Beer Co. is back as our top-tier sponsor, which helps us get these new songs about our rivers, swamps, springs, and sinks,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.

Finalists will play at the Contest, 6-9 PM, Saturday, August 22, 2020, judges will judge, at the Turner Center for the Arts, 527 N Patterson St, Valdosta, Georgia, 31601. There will be food and a cash bar, as you watch and listen, and you can browse the artworks at the Turner Center. There will also be a kayak raffle and a silent auction, as well as a range of buttons, stickers, hats, notecards, signs, shirts, and posters for sale: this is a fundraiser for WWALS Watershed Coalition.

Facebook event.

Yes, we do have a plan in case stay-at-home for the novel coronavirus pandemic is not over by August. We will Continue reading →

Earth Day online with Waterkeepers Florida 2020-04-22

Update 2020-04-23: Video of WKFL Toast to Earth Day and examples of #SuwanneeCleanup.

Join Suwannee Riverkeeper and all of Waterkeepers Florida tomorrow evening to toast clean water in the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day.

WWALS is also celebrating with a distributed cleanup. Go to any convenient river, creek, spring, or swamp, pick up trash, and post pictures or video with the hashtag #SuwanneeCleanup.

When: 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM, Earth Day, Wednesday, April 21, 2020

Where: Facebook livestream in the facebook event.
We will start a watch party.

Also on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/91684283854
Dial in: +1 929 205 6099 / Meeting ID: 916 8428 3854#

[WKFL Earth Day Toast]

Physical: State Line Boat Ramp, 6461 Madison Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31601
That’s where Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman will be speaking.
You can come help clean up, provided you keep six feet apart.
Post pictures or video of yourself, and use #SuwanneeCleanup. Continue reading →

Video: Drift in your song, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

You can send in your song by the deadline of July 8, 2020, for the Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, August 22, 2020, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia:
wwals.net/pictures/2020-08-22–songwriting/

Photo: Sara and Scotti Jay for WWALS, of Norene Olsen singing Driftin Down the Suwannee at the 2019 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.
Photo: Sara and Scotti Jay for WWALS, of Norene Olsen singing Driftin Down the Suwannee
at the 2019 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

Any genre of music is fine. Any lineup of musicians is good, from full bands to single musicians, to a capella, to even spoken word if you’re really brave.

See the 2020 Official Rules.

And here’s the 2020 Entry Form.

[Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest]
Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

Yes, we do have a plan in case stay-at-home for the novel coronavirus pandemic is not over by August. We will take the contest virtual, with finalists playing from their places, judges judging from home, and you watching it all from where you are! But so far we’re planning on being all in one place.

Here’s a video from last year: Continue reading →

Song submissions open April First (no fooling!): Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

Update 2020-04-01: Here is the entry form.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (see also PDF)

Song submissions open April First (no fooling!): Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

Hahira, Georgia, March 30, 2020 — Bigger and with a new venue, the Turner Center for the Arts, the Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest seeks songs. Submissions open Wednesday, April 1, 2020, yes, no fooling!

[Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest]
Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

“Georgia Beer Co. is back as our top-tier sponsor, which helps us get these new songs about our rivers, swamps, springs, and sinks,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.

Finalists will play at the Contest, 6-9 PM, Saturday, August 22, 2020, judges will judge, at the Turner Center for the Arts, 527 N Patterson St, Valdosta, Georgia, 31601. There will be food and a cash bar, as you watch and listen, and you can browse the artworks at the Turner Center. There will also be a kayak raffle and a silent auction, as well as a range of buttons, stickers, hats, notecards, signs, shirts, and posters for sale: this is a fundraiser for WWALS Watershed Coalition.

Photo: Sara and Scotti Jay for WWALS, of Kyle Chamberlain and David Rodock playing Alapaha Laphogs at the 2019 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.
Photo: Sara and Scotti Jay for WWALS, of Kyle Chamberlain and David Rodock playing Alapaha Laphogs
at the 2019 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

“I heard so many good things about last year’s Contest when I was in Newfoundland, that this year I’m the organizing committee chair. I’m thrilled at how well it’s all coming together,” said Tom H. Johnson, Jr.

So you’ll know what you’re supporting, there will be talks about WWALS advocacy, from water quality testing to opposing pipelines and mines and plastic water bottles, to promoting water trails and a Troupville River Camp.

“It’s a fun time for a worthy cause!” said 2018 winner and 2019 headliner Laura D’Alisera, scribe for the organizing committee.

Submissions can be songs about any Continue reading →

WWALS online store: cards, hats, stickers, raffle, membership

Update 2022-08-09: Plus Suwannee Riverkeeper Suwannee Bass t-shirts, with WWALS logo on the back!

Can’t get your WWALS stickers, hats, or cards at a festival booth? No problem! WWALS has a new online store where you can get all sorts of things that look good and support our stewardship and advocacy: https://wwalswatershed.square.site/

[Storefront]
Storefront

Click on the green “Shop now” button to see the items.

Click on any item to order. Then use the cart to review, and pay like in most online stores. We will ship your order to you.

For example, the WWALS notecards are perfect for sending paper messages to all those friends and relatives you can’t visit right now. Each package of note cards has eight beautiful note cards, on high quality paper, each with an envelope.

Note Cards: Swamps and Springs
Note Cards: Swamps and Springs

In addition to the Swamps and Springs shown above, there are packages with themes of Withlacoochee and Little Rivers, Alapaha River, and Suwannee River.

[Note Cards]
Note Cards

Explaining the note cards, here is WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman at the virtual WWALS booth in the woods: Continue reading →

Soon at last: Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2020

Update 2020-03-30: Song submissions open April First (no fooling!): Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

Stay tuned for a press release about the Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest! Song submissions will open April 1, 2020 (no fooling!), for the Contest, in which Finalists will play for the Judges and You, Saturday, August 22, 2020.

From last year, here’s headliner Laura D’Alisera finishing up her set.

Gone at Last --Laura D'Alisera and Patrick
Photo: Sara and Scotti Jay for WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc.,
of Laura D’Alisera and Patrick playing Gone at Last, by Paul Simon,
in Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2019.

Laura won the first Contest in 2018, and came back to Continue reading →

Videos: WWALS Booth 2020-03-21

WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman had a great idea of setting up the WWALS booth in the woods (with gnats and mosquitos), since we can’t take it to festivals right now.


[Welcome to the booth]
Welcome to the booth

She says, “Welcome to the booth. Unfortunately because we are quarantined, we can’t have the booth out anywhere, and y’all can’t come to visit us even if we were out somewhere, but we thought we could give some information and have our educational information available for you for however long you are at home.” Stay tuned for more episodes!

No WWALS booth at festivals rest of March 2020 due to virus

Due to the many health considerations of our volunteers and their families, WWALS, exercising an abundance of caution, will not send the information booth to festivals for the rest of March 2020.

Preparing for Community Mass Gatherings --GA-DPH

This means we are cancelling our appearances at:

While we are sorry to have to do that, the risk is beyond simple infection of our booth volunteers, which would be bad enough. The novel coronavirus is airborne, causes a disease that Continue reading →

WWALS Booth at Wild Azalea Festival, White Springs, FL 2020-03-21

Update 2020-03-13: No WWALS booth at festivals rest of March 2020 due to virus. No, we will not be at Wild Azalea Festival.

Music, dance, arts and crafts, foods and contests, in historic White Springs, Florida. You can volunteer to help WWALS talk about our outings and advocacy, including, yes, E. coli in the rivers, plus the Earth Day Cleanup on the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers, the Eighth Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race on Georgia’s Little River end of April, and the Third Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest coming up in August in Valdosta. We’ll have the froggy toss game, the EnviroScape, and a kayak raffle.

People, Talking
Photo: John S. Quarterman for WWALS of WWALS at Wild Azalea Festival 2019.

When: 10AM-4PM, Saturday, March 21, 2019

Where: Bailey F Ogburn Recreational Facility
Adams Memorial Circle, White Springs, Florida 32096

Event: facebook by the festival

What: Continue reading →