Many well known musicians supported the event including but not limited to founder Pete Seeger, Drive-By Truckers, Martin Sexton, Indigo Girls, Arlo Guthrie, Josh Ritter, Suzanne Vega, Jorma Kaukonen, Billy Bragg, Dar Williams, David Bromberg, Peter Yarrow, John Sebastian, Janis Ian, The Low Anthem, Red Horse (Lucy Kaplansky, John Gorka & Eliza Gilkyson), The Felice Brothers, Toubab Krewe, Justin Townes Earle, Jen Chapin and Joe D'Urso. The 2011 festival also featured a special fundraising show on Friday June 17th, starring Jackson Browne - a longtime defender of environmental issues.

The Indigo Girls set was a high water moment at the Clearwater Festival.

Thanks to the Clearwater staff, organizers and over 900 volunteers the festival sailed like a well managed vessel. The comprehensive program guide given upon entry had maps, show times for all seven stages and lists of all the participants from activists to vendors. It also explained the history of Clearwater and the key issues that they are working on including:

1) The closing of New York 's Indian Point nuclear power plant with hopes to obtain electricity from a combination of solar, wind, tidal and other renewable resources.
2) Continue to oversee the PCB clean up of the Hudson River.
3) Prevent hydrofracking (a blasting method used to obtain natural gas that has negative environmental impacts) in New York state.
4) Support green cities and sustainable planning in the region including the towns of Kingston and Newburgh.
5) Promoting environmental justice and education.
6) On-going protection of local watersheds.

The Clearwater Festival flowed smoothly with access paths kept clear and safe by friendly volunteers. Artists were on stage at the appointed times and most impressive was the "zero waste" initiative. Volunteers assisted at garbage cans to make sure that all items were sorted properly. Not only did Clearwater recycle but they composted all food scraps and litter was kept to a minimum.

Rock legend Jorma Kaukonen played some new songs and fan favorites.

Croton Point along the shores of the Hudson River was an ideal location for the festival and the weather was great, which was a bonus. There are views of the river, shady trees and plenty of places for families to spread out away from but still close to the action.

We arrived early Sunday morning and set up near the Rainbow Stage with time to take in the exhibits and vendors. At the Sloop Stage we saw the feisty Joel Plaskett and musician Joe D'Urso. Joe is a well-known musician and activist from the region whose songwriting and musical styles are steeped in folk, traditional rock and roll and the occasional Jersey shore style influences.

Many of the artists mentioned Father's Day including John Sebastian who shared a few stories between songs that were strummed on an acoustic guitar combined with harmonica playing.

The Hudson Stage right along the river featured full bands. James McMurtry was engaging with his energetic performance combined with edgy lyrics. The Tao Seeger Band was a fusion of folk and contemporary rock. Tao is the grandson of Pete and some of his set featured an electric banjo with effects that were intriguing. Sarah Lee & Johnny were a husband and wife team playing a diverse blend of insightful folk and rock. Sarah, is the daughter of Arlo Guthrie, and another promising performer from the next generation of our proud musical heritage.

The Drive-By Truckers brought the spirit of the south up north.

On the Rainbow stage, Jorma Kaukonen was armed with only an acoustic but he is the type of player that gets so much texture and tone from the guitar that no accompaniment is necessary. He played a clean concise set of his classics and a new song, the reflective "Things That Might Have Been".

Each artist on the Rainbow Stage had one hour and many chose to focus mainly on the familiar. Suzanne Vega played acoustic with Jerry Leonard on electric guitar. Suzanne's set was compelling as she shared comments about her songs and how she is reworking her catalogue into a more stripped down form. Vega closed her well played set with the haunting "Luka" and the funky folk rap of "Tom's Diner".

The Indigo Girls (Emily Saliers & Amy Ray) both playing guitars were supported by fellow musicians on electric violin and keys to achieve their satisfying signature sound. Their animated hour was a mix of past and present songs. They looked like they were having fun as they performed fan favorites "Shame On You", "Pull Out The Map", "Closer to Fine" and "Galileo".

Fans in boats set up shop on the shoreline to listen to the music on the Hudson Stage.

The Drive-By Truckers were the most rocking of the Rainbow Stage performers with two guitars, bass, drums, keys and slide. They played a lively set of new and old songs that combined their patented southern style with alternative country and rock. Their sound was diverse with different singers and spirited solos.

Clearwater Generations was a family jam of musicians that included Pete Seeger and his grandson Tao, the Amrams, the Yarrows and the Chapins. The set was a mix of singers playing instruments and remembering the generations. In the case of the Chapins, Harry's daughter Jen and her Uncle Tom sang the classic "Cats In The Cradle" and asked fans to help commemorate the 30 years since his passing in July.

It was an honor to see the legendary Mr. Seeger performing at this concert. It was Pete who started this whole thing simply playing his banjo for the river. That small act of determined activism planted the seeds for the continuing comprehensive fund raising concerts and the emergence of the Clearwater organization. The Clearwater Festival is music, fun and conservation for all generations that is still growing strong today on the banks of the river.

The concert closing Generations set kept the folk fun in the family.

Related Links: For more information on the CLEARWATER FESTIVAL and the pictured artists please visit the following links -- ClearwaterFestival.org