Category Archives: Festival

Pictures: Hahira Honeybee Parade 2023-10-07

Thanks to Cindy Vedas for paddling the Eddyline Sandpiper raffle kayak in the Hahira Honeybee Festival parade.

Raffle tickets are $100, and the winner will be drawn when 30 are taken.

[Cindy Vedas in kayak, Paddling, Train depot, WWALS booth @ Hahira Honeybee parade 2023-10-07]
Cindy Vedas in kayak, Paddling, Train depot, WWALS booth @ Hahira Honeybee parade 2023-10-07

Thanks to WWALS booth volunteers Kimberly Tanner, Jo Ford, Rindy Kennedy, Jan Powell, Gee Edwards, Michael Bachrach, and anybody else I have neglected to name.

Thanks especially to WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman for organizing the WWALS booth.

There are more pictures below.

See also Kimberly Tanner’s facebook video of the WWALS parade float from the WWALS booth, and the Friday pictures.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Continue reading →

Pictures: Hahira Honeybee Friday 2023-10-06

Update 2023-10-09: Pictures: Hahira Honeybee Parade 2023-10-07.

More volunteers came later, to the Hahira Honeybee Festival.

[Booth, antique cars, Hahira City Manager, Hahira Honeybee Festival 2023]
Booth, antique cars, Hahira City Manager, Hahira Honeybee Festival 2023

Come see us today!

WWALS members can help at the booth.

And if you get there before noon, you can be in the parade! Continue reading →

Compost from WWALS River Revue 2023-10-05

This is the compost from the WWALS River Revue 2023.

[Compost from WWALS River Revue 2023]
Compost from WWALS River Revue 2023

Cups, plates, utensils, all compostable.

No non-biodegradable plastic trash.

Don’t let any restaurant tell you it can’t be done.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Winners: Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2023-09-22

Hahira, GA, September 25, 2023 — Hahira, Georgia, September 25, 2023 — Ten musicians wrote songs and seven sang them, about the delights of the waters of the Suwannee River Basin and the need to preserve them against numerous threats. Jane Fallon came all the way from Dunedin, Florida, to the Turner Arts Center in Valdosta, Georgia, to sing a story about legendary Sun Daughters reflecting on a proposed mine near the Okefenokee Swamp, the headwaters of the Suwannee River. The three judges marked her high on storytelling and presenting the value of the waters, on originality of lyrics and music, and on performance, with extra credit for naming waterways. She took home First Prize in the Sixth Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

[Winners: Suwannee Riverkeeper; Cindy Bear and Franc Robert, Best Folk; Jane Fallon, First Prize; Bacon James, Best from Outside; Kyle Bird Chamberlain and David Rodock, tie for Best from Inside; Chamberlain, Best Blues; Rodock, Best AmeriKinda; Keven Stephenson, Best Country --Chuck Roberts]
Suwannee Riverkeeper with the Winners: Cindy Bear and Franc Robert, Best Folk; Jane Fallon, First Prize; Bacon James, Best from Outside; Kyle Bird Chamberlain and David Rodock, tie for Best from Inside; Chamberlain, Best Blues; Rodock, Best AmeriKinda; Kevin Stephenson, Best Country; and Robert Thatcher (not pictured). Photo: Chuck Roberts

Jane Fallon said, “Thank you for the honor in recognizing my song ‘Chant For The Okefenokee’ in your contest. It is always a special feeling to sing a song for an audience that truly understands its meaning. Thank you also for the work you do in trying to preserve the waterways. It is so important.”

Here is the first half of her lyrics: Continue reading →

Last call for tickets for WWALS River Revue, on Talk 92.1 FM 2023-09-18

2023-09-25: Winners: Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2023-09-22.

At 8AM, Monday morning, September 18, 2023, I’ll be on talk921.com to say that Monday is the last day to get tickets for the WWALS River Revue:
https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2023/

[Michael Smith, Talk921.com, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, WWALS River Revue]
Michael Smith, Talk921.com, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, WWALS River Revue

The WWALS River Revue will be 6-10 PM, Friday, September 22, 2023, at the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, 527 N Patterson Street, Valdosta, GA 31601.

There will be a catered meal, with cash bar, plus a silent auction, a 50-50 raffle, and a kayak raffle.

M.C. Chuck Roberts will present three speakers, as well as WWALS board members and others about what WWALS does.

Chuck will also present three judges who will listen to ten finalists in the Sixth Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, and pick winners.

On the radio Monday morning we’ll also talk about what WWALS does that the WWALS River Revue supports: water trails, cleanups including chainsaw cleanups, and water quality testing.

The main purpose of WWALS is advocacy, including trying to reduce trash, sewage, PFAS, and other contamination in the Suwannee River Basin, and opposing LNG, pipelines, mines, and other threats to our waterways.

Plus we try to change the legal and regulatory playing field, by supporting the Florida petition to get a Right to Clean and Water (RTCW) on the ballot for a state constitutional amendment, and preparing for RTCW in Georgia.

https://wwals.net/issues/right-to-clean-water/

Facebook event for the radio show: https://www.facebook.com/events/3454871811400514/

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

About WWALS River Revue on The Spotlight Show, Talk92.1 FM 2023-09-14

Update 2023-09-15: Last call for tickets for WWALS River Revue, on Talk 92.1 FM 2023-09-18.

Join us on The Spotlight Show on talk921.com at 6 PM, Thursday, September 14, 2023.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman and “Diamond” Jim Halter will talk about the WWALS River Revue sit-down fundraising dinner, with cash bar, silent auction, and new songs in the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, all 6-10 PM, Friday, September 22, 2023, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia.

Tickets are available only online in advance, by Monday, September 18th:
https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2023/

[The Spotlight Show, WWALS River Revue]
The Spotlight Show, WWALS River Revue

On the radio, we will talk about some of what WWALS does that this fundraiser supports, including water trails, paddle outings including bats on Banks Lake, and cleanups, including chainsaw cleanups. Continue reading →

Radio: water quality, cows, trash, mining too near the Okefenokee Swamp @ WKUB FM 2023-09-07

Update 2023-09-13: About WWALS River Revue on The Spotlight Show, Talk92.1 FM 2023-09-14.

How WWALS water quality testing discovered cow manure was contaminating the Withlacoochee River and got it (mostly) fixed.

About that titanium dioxide strip mine proposed too near the Okefenokee Swamp, plus trash and water trails.

Thanks to Bryan Blount for inviting me on WKUB 105.1 FM, from Pierce County, Georgia.

This is Part 2. See also Part 1 about the WWALS River Revue sit-down fundraising dinner, with three speakers, silent auction, and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, all 6-10 PM, Friday, September 22, 2023, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia.

Tickets are available online only here:
https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2023/

[Suwannee Riverkeeper against a strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp, on WKUB FM 2023-09-07]
Suwannee Riverkeeper against a strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp, on WKUB FM 2023-09-07

For more Continue reading →

WWALS River Revue on WKUB 105.1 FM 2023-09-06

Update 2023-09-10: Radio: water quality, cows, trash, mining too near the Okefenokee Swamp @ WKUB FM 2023-09-07.

Thanks to Bryan Blount for inviting me on WKUB 105.1 FM, from Pierce County, Georgia, to talk about the WWALS River Revue, a sit-down-dinner fundraiser, with three speakers, silent auction, and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, all 6-10 PM, Friday, September 22, 2023, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia.

Tickets are available online only here:
https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2023/

[WWALS River Revue and WKUB 105.1 FM]
WWALS River Revue and WKUB 105.1 FM

Bryan says he’s broadcasting on low power due to Hurricane Idalia, so maybe a few more people will hear the interview this way.

Here’s the 30-second Public Service Announcement he’s been playing by our headliner Katherine Ball:

Y’all come! Continue reading →

Where to get flyers for WWALS River Revue 2023-08-25

You may have heard WWALS is having its first-ever sit-down fundraising dinner, Friday, September 22, 2023, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia, including speakers, a silent auction, a kayak raffle, and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

WWALS members who want to distribute flyers can get printable PDFs online here:
https://wwals.net/pictures/songwriting2023/

Or you can get paper copies at two locations this Friday and Monday.

[Water quality test kit, Suwannee River State Park, Madison Blue Spring]
Water quality test kit, Suwannee River State Park, Madison Blue Spring

  • Friday, August 25, 2023, WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman will be doing water quality testing training at Suwannee River State Park, 3631 201st Path, Live Oak, FL 32060. She’ll be at Pavilion 3 from 9 AM to 3 PM.
  • Monday, August 28, 2023, you can join Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman to help stop FDEP from drawing down our springs, at the Alachua County Headquarters Library, Meeting Room A, 401 E University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601. The meeting starts at 11 AM, and will probably run at least an hour. I’ll leave some flyers at the library, as well.

Bonus: Monday, August 28, 2023, come to the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting, at 5:30 PM, in the Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office, 325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia.

Or call or write and we may be able to deliver.
850-290-2350
wwalswatershed@gmail.com

Oh, and don’t forget to get your tickets and come on down to the WWALS River Revue:
https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2023/

Maybe you or your organization want to be a sponsor. Follow the link for the sponsor package.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Ten Songwriters in Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest in WWALS River Revue

Update 2023-09-06: WWALS River Revue on WKUB 105.1 FM 2023-09-06

Hahira, GA, August 16, 2023 — All ten songs were so good we couldn’t decide, so we accepted them all as finalists. We’ve got six songwriters from Florida, three from Georgia, and one from Tennessee. Genres range from easy-listening pop to a mining protest chant. Come hear them at the Finals of the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, 6-10 PM, Friday evening, September 22, 2023, at the Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta, Georgia. Also enjoy a catered sit-down meal, speakers, a silent auction, and a kayak raffle.

[WWALS River Revue Flyer 2023]
WWALS River Revue Flyer 2023
PDF

“Traditionally we extend the song submission deadline twice, but we didn’t need to this time,” said longtime organizing committee member and new WWALS Board member Scotti Jay.

Follow this link for tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and more:

https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2023/

WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman said, “Your ticket or sponsorship helps support everything WWALS does, from water quality tests, paddle outings and swimming & boating lessons, to chainsaw cleanups, and beyond to advocacy to stop trash at its sources, strip mines, and pipelines. We work for water trails, solar power, and the Right to Clean Water, with growing engagement for youth and marginalized communities.”

“We’re gonna rock the autumn equinox,” said organizing committee chair and WWALS President Sara Jay Jones. “Thanks to our sponsors so far: Georgia Power, Brooksco Dairy, Landis International, Michael Smith, Clyde Butcher Gallery, Great Dame, Georgia Beer Company, Azalea City Woman’s Club, Agri-Supply, Olympia Bend Shooting Range, and Jack’s Chophouse. You, too, can be a sponsor!”

These are the ten songwriter finalists, in alphabetical order, with a bit they wrote about themselves: Continue reading →