River of Song:  A Pete Seeger-Inspired Family Community Sing and Benefit will be held on Saturday, February 27, 3-5 p.m., at South Haven United Church of Christ, 415 Northfield Rd., Bedford (snow date March 7).

A combined effort of Folknet (www.folknet.org), Cuyahoga River Restoration (www.cuyahogariver.org ), and South Haven UCC, the event will celebrate the musical artistry and political activism of the legendary folksinger Pete Seeger (1919-2014), focus on environmental water issues of the Greater Cleveland Great Lakes area, and help alleviate hunger in Northeast Ohio.

The event will be a wonderful shared music experience for all ages and across several generations.  In true community-sing fashion, the audience will be encouraged to participate in singing, rhythmic clapping, hand motions, and more to songs either written by Seeger or highlighted in his many concerts.  These include, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”, “America, The Beautiful”, “This Land Is Your Land”, and many other folk standards.  Some of the Folknet-provided performers/song leaders for the event will include David Budin, Rick Feinberg, Tom Honsa, Joanne Lessig, Michael McDonald, Mary Starbuck, and Diana Tyler.

Cuyahoga River Restoration (operating under the non-profit auspices of  the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization) is working towards, “Restoring, revitalizing and protecting the Cuyahoga River watershed and nearshore Lake Erie.”  The organization will be represented at the event through a display about the Cuyahoga River and the group’s clean-up efforts, as well as providing ideas and opportunities on how residents of this area can help.  Admission and other monetary donations will benefit CRR’s efforts.

             Suggested admission is $5/per person ($10 maximum/family) OR $3 and two cans of food/person ($8 maximum and 4 cans of food/family).  All non-perishable food collected will benefit South Haven UCC’s food pantry.