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 Mt. Kisco, NY - Celebrate spring and the return of the shad to their Hudson River home with music, food, crafts, children's entertainment, boating demonstrations and much more during the 19th annual Riverlovers Shadfest, Sunday, May 17, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson.
The festival marks the traditional return of the shad to spawn in the river between Kingston and Albany. Sponsored by Westchester County Parks and Riverlovers Inc., the Shadfest is presented in cooperation with the Hudson River Foundation, the Beacon Sloop Club, and Ferry Sloops, Inc.
The festival features music and food, including fresh shad dinners, along with hamburgers, hot dogs and corn on the cob, and tasty vegetarian chili. There will also be environmental exhibits, information booths, craft vendors, Native-American craft demonstrations and fun for the whole family.
Hudson River Foundation educator Christopher Letts will cook shad over hot coals and will serve free samples at 2 p.m. Hudson River fisherman and educator Tom Lake will discuss the shad's life cycle and other Hudson River lore.
Music for the day begins with Solar Punch who will kick off the day’s festivities with its own solar-powered music and message. The Westchester County sound stage will be powered by current supplied by the Beacon Sloop Club’s solar power trailers. At noon, the Hastings Bluesmothers take the stage for an exciting hour of rhythm and blues, followed by the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus, a local group founded by music legend Pete Seeger and dedicated to spreading an environmental message. At 3:30 p.m., Lightning Screamed from Gertrude will close the festival as they bring to life the rock music of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
At 2:30 p.m., everyone can enjoy a performance by the Arm-of-the-Sea Theater who will present an all-new program entitled “Mutual Strangers: Henry Hudson & and the River that Discovered Him.” The troupe combines the symbolic visual language of mask and puppet theater with a musical menagerie of horns, bells, drums, shells, flutes and whistles.
For boat lovers, a fleet of 25-foot Whitehall gigs from "Floating the Apple" will be on display. The gig is a boat design that dates back to the 1700s. There will also be canoes and kayaks along with a traditional Hudson River Shad fishing boat on display.
Admission to Shadfest is free. Parking is $4 with a Westchester County Park Pass and $8 without the pass. The event will be held rain or shine.
Vendors are welcome; call Riverlovers at (914) 432-3112 or log on to www.Riverlovers.org.
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