Tickets to an April fundraiser for the Santa Fe River watershed recently became available online.
The sixth annual Santa Fe RiverFest will be held April 17 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Rum 138, a canoe and kayak rental service situated at 2070 SW County Road 138 in Fort White, Florida.
The annual event is hosted by Our Santa Fe River, Inc., a Florida nonprofit concerned with the safety and quality of the river area, including its springs and underlying aquifer, President Pam Smith said.
The organization is currently selling tickets on its website for $5, and they also will be available at the event for $7. Children under the age of 12 get in for free, according to a press release.
“By printing more pamphlets, speaking on NPR, filing legal motions, creating a Monthly Aquifer Report and more, we are able to bring recognition to the river and to protecting the water and land,” Smith said.
She said this year’s event features music by Terraplane Rhythm & Blues, a new kids corner and a songwriting contest, along with more food and a larger silent action than last year’s.
Contestants who submitted entry forms and MP3 files by March 1 will have their songs judged for quality, execution and innovation, policy director Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson said.
She said the winner will receive a $300 cash prize.
“Our organization is hoping the cash prize will be attractive to the contestants,” she said.
Threats such as fracking, mining and concentrated animal feeding are limiting the flow of connected springs — including Ginnie Springs and Blue Spring State Park — by 50 percent, Smith said.
The money, she said, will go toward education, advocacy and stewardship.
“We need young people to get involved,” she said.
