Photo Left to right: Organizing Committee Chair Sara Squires Jones; Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman; Bacon James in the back; Bradley Waldron, Dale Dollar, and Lisa Dollar of Saylor Dollar; Sweet William Billy Ennis; Joe First with his musicians Martin Sensiper and John White; Franc Robert and Cindy Bear of Bear and Robert; and Rena Ann Peck.
HAHIRA – The Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest winners were recently announced in the WWALS River Revue.
Release:
Six songs were sung at the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest in WWALS River Revue, September 6, 2025. The two judges chose a group from Tallahassee for Best Song from Outside the Suwannee River Basin, and a group from Dowling Park, Florida, as overall winner.
The overall winner was Joe First of Dowling Park, Florida, with his Americana song, “Beautiful Florida Day.” He got a large plaque and $300. He played accordion, which is a first for the Contest. John White on percussion and Martin Sensiper on guitar.
Dale Dollar got Best Song from Outside the Suwannee River Basin with his Bluegrass song, “Suwannee,” performed by his group, Saylor Dollar, consisting of him on guitar and his wife, Lisa Dollar on fiddle, backed by Bradley Waldron on standup bass, all from Tallahassee. They received a plaque and $50.
Other Finalists got honorable mentions:
Cindy Bear and Franc Robert, performing as Bear and Robert, sang a Folk song, “Suwannee River in White Springs.” The song was co-written by Susan Grandy.
Bacon James from Gainesville, Florida, sang a Bluegrass song, “Ellaville.”
Sweet William Billy Ennis of Palatka, Florida, sang a Folk song, “Suwannee Cracker Cowboys.”
Rena Ann Peck of Atlanta Georgia sang an Americana Folk Revival song, “Okefenokee,” backed by Saylor Dollar. The song was co-written by Michelle Malone and Jim Woodcox.
The Judges were Anna Stange from Madison, Florida, and Robert Griner from Nashville, Georgia.
Before the Finalists, Headliner Rachel Grubb from Lake City, Florida, played: she won overall last year.
Before her, Suzanne Welander spoke about her book, Canoeing and Kayaking Georgia and her work to get the Georgia legislature to fix its antique 1863 navigability law.
Rick Davis, Madison County Commissioner District 5, spoke about fecal contamination in the Withlacoochee River and nearby wells, and the task force he chairs of the dozen downstream Florida counties.
Thanks to MC Tim Carroll, trumpet player, long-time WWALS supporter, and Valdosta City Council District 5.
WWALS River Revue is an indoor fundraising dinner to benefit WWALS Watershed Coalition, with an evening of food, drink, speakers from Georgia and Florida, a silent auction, the music of a headliner and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest Finalists. It was held 5-9 PM, Saturday, September 6, 2025, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia.
WWALS Membership Director Janet Martin said, “Your ticket or sponsorship helps support everything WWALS does, from water quality tests, paddle outings and swimming & boating lessons, to chainsaw cleanups, and beyond to advocacy to stop trash at its sources, strip mines, and pipelines. We work for water trails, solar power, and Right to Clean Water, with growing engagement for youth and marginalized communities.”
Thanks to all the Sponsors, especially Big Shoals Sponsor Georgia Power, River Sponsors Dr. Bret Wagenhorst, Langdale Capital Assets, and Mike Byerly, and Stream Sponsors Ace Electric, Inc., Brooksco Dairy, and Russ Tatum, as well as to all the others.
About WWALS: Since June 2012, WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS) is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity working for a healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.
Mission: WWALS advocates for conservation and stewardship of the surface waters and groundwater of the Suwannee River Basin and Estuary, in south Georgia and north Florida, among them the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, Santa Fe, and Suwannee River watersheds, through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities.
Our Watershed: The 10,000-square-mile WWALS territory includes the Suwannee River from the Okefenokee Swamp to the Gulf of Mexico, plus the Suwannee River Estuary, and tributaries such as the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers as far north as Cordele in Georgia, as well as parts of the Floridan Aquifer— the primary water source for drinking, agriculture, and industry for millions of Georgia and Florida residents.
Suwannee Riverkeeper: Since December 2016, WWALS is the WATERKEEPER® Alliance Member for the Suwannee River Basin and Estuary as Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®, which is a project and a staff position of WWALS focusing on our advocacy.
Contact: John S. Quarterman
Suwannee Riverkeeper
song@suwanneeriverkeeper.org
850-290-2350
