FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hahira, Georgia, July 1, 2019 — Three judges are ready to pick the winners at the Second Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest: two from Georgia and one from Florida. Tony Buzella, J.J. Rolle, and Tim Teasley will mark finalists on originality of lyrics and music, musical consistency, showing the integrity and value of the waters, historical value, performance, and more. Radio personality Chris Beckham of Tifton will M.C.
Continue readingSunday 2PM in Valdosta, the Committee meets about the First Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. And song submissions are open!
When: 2-3 PM Sunday 29 March 2018
Where:
Cheddars Scratch Kitchen, 270 Norman Dr, Valdosta, GA 31601
aka Cheddar’s Casual Cafe,
Off I-75 Exit 16, US 84, West Hill Avenue.
What:
More judge candidates, and event logistics including sponsors, food, beverages,
and the crawl afterwards, when finalists will play at local venues in Cedar Key.
Like every committee meeting, you can also participate by telephone;
inquire within for how.
Event for the committee meeting: facebook, meetup
Event for the songwriting contest: facebook, meetup
Map: Google Street View
Wednesday noon in Valdosta, the last Committee meeting before submissions open for the First Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.
When: 12-1 PM Wednesday 28 March 2018
Where:
Cheddars Scratch Kitchen, 270 Norman Dr, Valdosta, GA 31601
aka Cheddar’s Casual Cafe,
Off I-75 Exit 16, US 84, West Hill Avenue.
What:
Judge candidates, and event logistics including food and beverages.
Like every week, you can also participate by telephone;
inquire within for how.
Map: Google Street View
Wednesday in Live Oak, the organizing Committee meets for the First Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. You can even write about the Ockolocoochee River!
When: 3PM Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Where: Brown Lantern Restaurant, 417 E Howard St, Live Oak, FL 32064
What:
WWALS Songwriting Committee
planning the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.
Like last week in Valdosta, you can also participate by telephone;
inquire within for how.
The First Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest is scheduled! Soon song submissions will open. And you can still help plan it.
Song Submissions:
Starting soon (date to be announced) through Sunday May 13
Finalists will be announced Saturday May 19, 2018.
The Contest: 1-5PM, Saturday, June 23, 2018
Where: Community Center, Cedar Key, Florida, with food and beverages
What: Finalists will play, sponsors will be acknowledged, and judges will award prizes.
Clockwise from left:
Anna, Teri, Eileen, jsq, (Mike), Scotti, Sara.
What to submit: Lyrics and sound (mp3) about any river, creek, spring, sink, swamp, or pond in the Suwannee River Basin (except not the Santa Fe River nor creeks, sinks, etc. on it, because it has its own contest). Nature, people, or events, are all Continue reading
This weekend in Cedar Key, a meeting of the organizing Committee for the First Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. And we’re going to hold the actual contest in Cedar Key; stay tuned for details.
When: 1PM Sunday, February 25, 2018
Where: 83 West, 310 Dock St, Cedar Key, FL 32625
What: WWALS Songwriting Committee meeting to plan the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. You do not have to be a Committee member to come to the meeting, but if you want to be on the internal forums where decisions are also made, you can apply to join the Committee.
Event: facebook
Photo: Ken E., Yelp review of 83 West.
Decisions so far include:
When: June 2018.
Where: Cedar Key, Florida.
What to submit: Lyrics and sound (mp3) about any river, creek, spring, sink, swamp, or pond in the Suwannee River Basin (except not the Santa Fe River nor creeks, sinks, etc. on it, because it has its own contest). Nature, people, or events, are all good.
The Committee at the Crossroads, Feb. 18, 2018.
We could use some musicians on the committee.
The Committee decided to invite submissions from every genre on this extensive music genres list, from Art Punk to Zydeco. Hip hop, K-pop, rock, reggae, R&B, and solo cello classical are all invited, among many others, including of course folk and country. You can even sing a capella, and if you’re really brave, maybe recite poetry. But remember that while lyrics are the most important aspect, this is a songwriting contest, so playing an instrument would be good.
What not to submit: Avoid politics, religion, or flamingos. While we’d be hard put to reject Robert Johnson’s Crossroads (if it mentioned one of our rivers), it is just a tad religious. While Butch Hancock’s Give Them Water is a great a capella song, it is more than a bit political. And please don’t just cover somebody else’s song: while Ray Charles’ Swanee River Rock is nice, the lyrics were already known.
How to submit: Ready to submit a song? Well, soon, the Committee is still working out the details.
Before the event: Submissions will be narrowed down to half a dozen or so, in two categories: from within the Basin, and from elsewhere.
The event: Finalists will perform live, and judges will decide. Contestants and especially winners will get prizes. Food, song, sunshine, and a fine time.
Do you want to be a judge, or suggest who should be? Let us know.
Format: If the format sounds familiar, that’s because we are shamelessly copying the long-running Our Santa Fe River Songwriting Contest, which we recommend you also attend. The rivers are different, and the winners will get prizes.
We may make format changes because Cedar Key is far to go and people love any reason to stay there for a weekend.
You do need to be present to win. However, you do not have to sing your own song: you can have somebody else do that for you.
Come to the WWALS Songwriting Committee meeting on February 25th and help decide how we will pick some more songs about our rivers!
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
Remember, Stephen C. Foster never saw the Suwannee River before he made it famous in his song. So at its meeting last week, the Songwriting Committee decided to have two categories: submissions from within the Suwannee River Basin, and submissions from anywhere else in the world.
Come on down to the Crossroads Sunday afternoon and help us decide more about the First Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest:
When: 1PM Sunday, February 18, 2018
Where: Crossroads Market & Grill, Inc., 5463 State Rd 6 West, Jasper, FL 32052
What: WWALS Songwriting Committee meeting to plan the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. You do not have to be a Committee member to come to the meeting, but if you want to be on the internal forums where decisions are also made, you can apply to join the Committee.
Decisions and discussions so far include: Continue reading
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hahira, Georgia, December 13, 2017 — People got kayak raffle tickets for three months at festivals from Alapaha, Georgia to Live Oak, Florida, and online, until the drawing at a Suwannee Riverkeeper outing Sunday at the top of the Suwannee River in the Okefenokee Swamp. The lucky winner of a kayak donated by Malibu Kayaks is Chris Newton from the Atlantic coast of Florida. “No way!” he said.
At Stephen C. Foster State Park, Fargo, Georgia, Gretchen Quarterman, Acting Executive Director for WWALS Watershed Coalition, said:
“These are all the tickets that we sold. And these are the ones that Shirley [Kokidko, WWALS board member] sold. These are the ones that came from Phil [Hubbard, WWALS board member of Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia]. These are the ones that came from Hulaween [Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida]. These are the ones that came from Skillet Fest [Quitman, Brooks County, Georgia, suggested by WWALS member John Horton of Quitman and Suwannee, Dixie County, Florida] ….”
WWALS board member Shirley Kokidko of Pearson, Atkinson County, Georgia, had the video camera at Continue reading
Fun and informative, thanks to Scotti Jay and Sara Squires, camping at Hulaween all weekend, and sailing the raffle kayak on Lake Ave.
Day: Continue reading
Most popular question (after what does Suwannee Riverkeeper do): what about Valdosta wastewater? Hulaween hadn’t even started yet, when yesterday afternoon we already signed up one volunteer for the forthcoming WWALS water quality monitoring program.
I also already sold a kayak raffle ticket yesterday. Thanks again to Continue reading
![[Three]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-08-24--suwannee-riverkeeper-songwriting-contest/judges.jpg)