Clearwater Festival Is Back Live In Red Bank Aug. 6 and 7

RED BANK, NJ — After two years of remote gatherings, New Jersey’s Clearwater Festival celebrating music and the environment is bringing the annual event back to Riverside Gardens Park on the Navesink River in Red Bank.

New Jersey Friends of Clearwater's festival will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday on the weekend of Aug. 6 and 7, said Edward Dlugosz, president of the organization. Riverside Gardens Park is located on the Navesink River on West Front Street.

"The key is that we all work in harmony with the idea of using music as way to get out the environmental message," Dlugosz said.

He said that at this time, when the world is facing climate change challenges, it's more important than ever to educate the public about environmental issues - and enjoy music and community as well.

Festival favorites The Wag, Spook Handy and Reggie Harris will be be among national and local performers presenting a variety of live music on two stages. There will be environmental information and discussion groups, plus a variety of vendors and food trucks.

A special feature this year will be free sailboat rides every hour on "Pete’s Banjo," Dlugosz said in a news release.

The sailboat is named after the late singer and environmentalist, Pete Seeger, who mentored and inspired the creation of the festival’s sponsor, New Jersey Friends of Clearwater in the 1970s.

New Jersey Friends of Clearwater is a nonprofit group that advocates for the environmental and social justice; has a hands-on travelling environmental program for schools and youth organizations, and a sail training program in conjunction with the Sea Scouts of Monmouth County.

New or returning donors, environmental groups and volunteers, as well as crafters, green and commercial vendors and food vendors are encouraged visit the Clearwater website for more information and to become part of the event. Donations for the event are also able to made there and are encouraged, Dlugosz said.

The organization's website also offered some history of the Clearwater Festival's origins:

More than 50 years ago, musician Pete Seeger realized a dream by getting the 106-foo sloop "Clearwater" launched and spreading the word for a cleaner environment by word, music and action. Folksinger Bob Killian then "brought a seed from Pete's endeavor which took root" in the form of Monmouth County Friends of Clearwater in 1974, the website says.

The sloop was paid for by music concerts, house parties, and festivals organized and performed by Pete Seeger and his many friends. The sloop stopped for music concerts from the deck and dock in town after town along the Atlantic Coast from Maine to New York City. This has all been recorded in Jim Brown's documentary, "Pete Seeger, The Power of Song," according to the website.