Our History

pete seeger
an american folk singer and environmental and social activist

In the late 1960’s, legendary musician Pete Seeger and his wife Toshi envisioned an outdoor music festival on the shores of the Hudson River. They wanted to bring people to the river to appreciate its sheer beauty and become part of a movement to clean it up. For over fifty years, their vision was turned into a reality.  More than half a million music lovers became concerned citizens. 

"We are super honored to be continuing the magic that was created at Croton Point Park for many years. Given the upheaval in the world, it feels good to have such a solid piece of history return again. We are going to do our very best to do something new and fresh, while also respecting the roots of how this new festival came to be." said Peter Shapiro, Founder of Dayglo Presents.

Throughout his life, Seeger continued his support of civil and labor rights, racial equality, international understanding, and anti-militarism, and he continued to believe that songs could help people achieve these goals.

In the 1960s, Seeger re-emerged as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture, workers’ rights, and environmental causes.

A prolific songwriter, his songs include “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”, “If I Had a Hammer, and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Seeger was one of the folk singers responsible for popularizing the spiritual “We Shall Overcome”, the anthem of the civil rights movement. Seeger changed the lyric from  “We will overcome” to the more singable “We shall overcome”.

Toshi and Pete Seeger founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, a nonprofit organization that sought to protect the Hudson River and surrounding wetlands and waterways through advocacy and public education. The Seegers also created the Great Hudson River Revival, an annual music and environmental festival.

Toshi Seeger
An american filmmaker, producer and environmental activist

Toshi and Pete Seeger, were founding members of River Pool, they founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, a nonprofit organization that sought to protect the Hudson River and surrounding wetlands and waterways through advocacy and public education. The Seegers also created the Great Hudson River Revival, an annual music and environmental festival.

Toshi Seeger helped to set up the Newport Folk Festival during the early 1960s. She has also been credited with helping to discover Mississippi John Hurt, a country blues musician, during the same era.

Under her direction, she introduced sign language interpreters, disabled-accessible wheelchair access, and recycling programs to the Newport Folk Festival.  She recruited up-and-coming musical artists to perform at the festival through its planning committee, including Tracy Chapman, before they achieved popularity elsewhere.

In 1965, she took part in the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. She developed a career as a filmmaker and producer, often focusing on folk music and musicians.

Toshi executive produced the 2007 PBS documentary, Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, which won an Emmy Award. She was 85 years old at the time of the documentary’s production. She served on numerous civic, environmental and artistic organizations, including the NYS Council on the Arts.

Toshi Seeger died at her home in Beacon, New York, on July 9, 2013, at the age of 91.

Bios courtesy of River Pool at Beacon: https://www.riverpool.org/pete-toshi-seeger-river-front-park/