Clearwater Festival 2005 . . . Croton NY, June 18-19

[OneBlueSky]

always one of the best festivals around . . . drop by and you're sure to run into Pete Seeger, who's always happy to chat . . . more than a great weekend of music, dance and storytelling, the Clearwater Festival is a celebration of environmental education and activism . . . if you're in the New York area, check it out . . .

Clearwater Festival: The Great Hudson River Revival
Saturday & Sunday, June 18 & 19, 10:00 am - 8:30 pm
Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson
Westchester County, New York

http://www.clearwaterfestival.org/festival.html

Six Stages of Music and Entertainment

The Clearwater Festival features a diverse mix of contemporary, traditional and American Roots music, and dance as well as renown storytellers. This year, the Festival once again brings together an outstanding gathering of top singer songwriters and bands from around the country. Festival highlights include a large tented dance floor with bands continuously playing the best of Cajun, contra, swing, square and jam. All performance stages are powered with 100% sustainable alternative energy that includes solar, wind and bio-diesel.

Performers this year include Assembly of Dust, Aztec Two-Step, the Bacon Brothers, Entrain, the John Hall Band, Jack DeJohnette, Christine Lavin, Black 47, the Battlefield Band, Mike Seeger, Jay Unger and Molly Mason, and many, many more. Special Guest Speaker will be Amy Goodman, award-winning progressive journalist, host and executive producer of the popular national news radio program Democracy Now.

Guitar Raffle!
Win a Martin Guitar D-15 Series. Martin & Co. acoustic guitars are acknowledged to be the finest in the world. Retail value $1099. Raffle tickets ($5. ea.or three for $10) will be sold through the Clearwater office, 845-454-7673 x102, and at the festival. The winner will be announced at the closing ceremony at the festival.

http://www.clearwaterfestival.org/festival.html

[FizzFuzz]

1. Wow, what memories!!

Early eighties, a group of us used to go there and interpret the performances every year.

It was fun! :D :D

[mtnsnake]

2. Pete Seeger is one of the grandfathers of environmental activists

of modern American times. I grew up on the shores of the Hudson River in New York, and will never forget what Seeger did for that river and for the environmental cause in this country. I actually went to one of his hootenannies when I was a kid. What a performer.

Anyone who isn't familiar with Pete Seeger, and what he went through with the neo-cons back then, please read this brief article:
http://www.ecotopia.org/ehof/seeger/

[OneBlueSky]

3. great article, but there are a couple of inaccuracies . . .

first, CLEARWATER was launched on May 17, 1969 . . . I was there, and I'm sitting here looking at a commemorative plaque of the launching that actually was on the boat throughout her first year on the Hudson . . . it now hangs above my desk . . .

second, the story about the Philharmonic concert in Cold Spring isn't quite accurate . . . I was Executive Director of the organization at the time, and I was also at this event . . . we had received a grant to produce five or six performances of the Hudson Vally Philharmonic at waterfront events in several Hudson River towns, including Cold Spring . . . as the orchestra was setting up, a whole bunch of hard hats led by a local rabble rouser came marching down Main Street waving their American flags, intent on disrupting the concert . . .

Pete wasn't even at the event, though his wife Toshi was . . . she got on the phone to tell him what was going on, and he was bound and determined to come down, but the police officers who were there insisted that he stay away . . . which he did . . .

there were more than fifteen of the demonstrators, and several were indeed drunk, and they started chucking rocks at the boat, which was docked nearby . . . the crew on board was actually dodging rocks, and they were the ones who cut the lines to get out of harm's way . . . to help them along, I ran up to the conductor and told him to have the orchestra strike up the National Anthem . . . they did, forcing those goons to stand at attention with their hands over their hearts . . . that gave the crew enough time to get the boat the hell out of there . . .

when the police eventually convinced the disrupters that Pete was indeed not there, and wouldn't be coming, they finally left . . . the concert went on as scheduled, and a good time was had by all . . . :)