Update 2022-08-26: Wesley Vallotton accepted Songwriting Contest raffle kayak for Mala Vallotton 2022-08-24.

Hahira, Georgia, May 26, 2022 — Sponsors of the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest get an additional perq, as well as entry tickets, and other benefits. Georgia Beer Company has donated a Vibe Yellowfin 120 kayak, worth more than a thousand dollars retail. WWALS draw raffle tickets for that kayak at the Contest, August 20, 2022, at the Turner Center Art Park in Valdosta, GA. Each $100 cash sponsor donation gets one of those raffle tickets.

“Sponsoring the Contest is a great way to support the work of WWALS, from paddle outings, water trails, and water quality testing, to opposing trash, mines, and toll roads.” said WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman, “But there’s a cap of 30 tickets, so get your sponsorships in early.”

Banner and raffle kayak

Follow this link for sponsorships and much more about the Contest, including song submission form, contest Rules, and, soon, entry tickets:
wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-20–songwriting

“We already have one $500 sponsor,” said Angela Duncan of Azalea City Music Academy, and Chair of the WWALS Songwriting Contest Committee. “And of course we will accept more sponsors, even if all the kayak raffle tickets are taken.”

“Songwriters, remember to send in your song! There’s always room for a new song about the Suwannee River, or other rivers in the Basin or Estuary!” said 2018 winner and 2019 headliner Laura D’Alisera, now a member of the WWALS Songwriting Contest Committee.

We will have online voting on the songs submitted, which the Committee will take into account when selecting finalists.

Finalists will play at the Contest, 7-10 PM, Saturday, August 20, 2022, and judges will judge at the Turner Center Art Park, 605 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, GA 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 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).

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

You do not have to be a songwriter to come listen to the finalists. Judging of finalists will take into account integrity, historical value, and/or present value of the waters, originality of lyrics and music, and performance, plus extra credit for naming the most rivers (springs, etc.) in a way that shows their value (even just listing them counts), and storytelling: creating a narrative regarding the history and/or attributes of the Suwannee River Basin.

“We had a blast and heard some great music from the community last year, and we are looking forward to some fine submissions for 2022!” said Josh Duncan, a Judge last year, and Scribe of the Committee.

Unless the novel coronavirus pandemic is over by August and everyone is vaccinated, we will enforce masks when people are close to other people not in their party, and we will test temperatures at the entrance with an infrared thermometer. Tables will be spaced for distancing.

“I’m happy to provide sound support again!” said David Rodock, of Dirty Bird and the Flu, and Committee member.

“And I’ll be providing sound equipment,” said Jen Anders.

About WWALS: Founded in June 2012, WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational charity. WWALS advocates for conservation and stewardship of the surface waters and groundwater of the Suwannee River Basin and Estuary, in south Georgia and north Florida, among them the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, Santa Fe, and Suwannee River watersheds, through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities. 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
song@suwanneeriverkeeper.org
850-290-2350
229-242-0102
PO Box 88
Hahira, GA 31632

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