The Beacon Sloop Club has announced the musical lineup for the annual Corn Festival. The day-long festival offers visitors fresh snacks, scenic boat rides, and music from 11 artists. The Corn Festival takes place August 11th from 12-5 pm at Pete and Toshi Seeger Memorial Park.
The Beacon Sloop Club traces its origins back to New York folk legend Pete Seeger. In 1966, Pete and Toshi Seeger founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater nonprofit to raise awareness of pollution in the Hudson River. For decades, General Electric had polluted the river with factory runoff, which was toxic to the river’s wildlife and people nearby. At the centerpiece of the nonprofit’s mission was the Sloop Clearwater, which sailed the river as a symbol of the Seegers’ mission.
In 1969, the Clearwater sailed to Beacon where the locals set up a welcome festival. This welcome party evolved into the Beacon Sloop Club, with a mission dedicated to community and environment. The group renovated Beacon’s Ferry Diner to make it a headquarters and community gathering space, alongside newly replaced docks. To top off their facilities, Seeger commissioned the Sloop Woody Guthrie – named for the folk legend – to act as the club’s public education space.
One of the Sloop Club’s most popular events is the annual corn festival. The family-friendly event invites all to enjoy hand-picked corn, fresh watermelon, lemonade, and more local delights. Aiding in the Sloop Club’s environmental mission, a large educational tent will feature exhibits on the ecology of the Hudson River watershed. In addition to these exhibits, visitors can enjoy the Hudson first-hand with free rides on the Sloop Woody Guthrie. Weather permitting, sloop ride sign-up will begin at 12pm.
On top of these activities, the festival will feature live music from local artists throughout the day. The festival facilities include two solar-powered stages, with one dedicated solely for children’s entertainment. Among the local bands playing are Last Minute Soulmates, Trouble Sisters, Offshoots, Soil & Soul Creek, and The Seed Song Family Band.
The festival will also feature a number of local singer-songwriters and individual performers. Hudson-based acoustic duo Laurie Siegel & Patrick Jones will perform a set. Also performing is Cosby Gibson. The Adirondacks-based artist rose to local prominence through her dulcimer and guitar-driven folk. Over the years she has won a Capital District Music Award for Best Folk Album and a Dorn Space Arts Award for Music Outreach.
In terms of children’s entertainment, Bindlestick Bill will perform. The Poughkeepsie-based performer works as an elementary school music teacher by day and local music star by night. Bindlestick Bill takes the form of a comedic hobo character, with songs and performances aimed towards children.
The festival will also feature a number of local folk musicians who played with Pete Seeger throughout his career. Among these musicians is New Jersey’s Spook Handy, who played over 50 shows with Seeger after the two met in 2003. The festival will additionally feature music by Pat Lamanna. Lamanna’s folk stylings tackle issues of peace and environmental ills, receiving praise from Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs. Finally, Lydia Adams Davis will perform. Over the years, Davis performed alongside Seeger and the Hudson River Sloop Singers. The New York Times has heralded her as “One of our finest folk composers” for her legendary folk/country stylings.
The Beacon Sloop Club Corn Festival will take place August 11th from 12-5pm. The festival is a free, all-ages event made possible by the Sloop Club’s volunteers. All proceeds from the festival go towards the Woody Guthrie sailing program and other environmental education programs. For more information, visit the Beacon Sloop Club website here.
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