For over 15 years I have volunteered at this wonderful music and environmental festival. The staff and volunteers are like a second family. The mission of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater — the brainchild of Pete Seeger back in 1969 — is to preserve and protect the Hudson River and its communities, and to inspire, educate, and activate the next generation of environmental leaders. They do so by conducting educational sails on the sloop during the sailing season, and through classroom educational programs as well as political activism. This requires a tremendous amount of volunteers as well as money, and Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival is one of the ways that helps to fund this amazing grass-roots organization. This year’s festival brought such musical legends as Los Lobos, Neko Case, David Crosby, Tom Paxton, Ani DiFranco, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Toshi Reagon & Big Lovely and countless more musicians to the banks of the Hudson River for a weekend of music, activism and community. There are song circles and jam tents, artisans and local food-crafters, a family stage and story-telling grove, and even a musical instrument petting zoo where everyone can pick up an instrument and test it out! It is an incredibly family-friendly event and only a short, beautiful ride on Metro North to Croton (about an hour north of the city.) It is usually on Father’s Day weekend, so make a mental note to attend next year — or better yet, sign up to volunteer. It will quickly become a much-anticipated annual event for you — trust me on this!