2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage to the new world on the Half Moon up the river that bears his name. Two festivals will pay tribute to that this month – the 2009 Clearwater Great Hudson River Revival and the Old Songs Festival.

Slated for Saturday -Sunday, June 20-21, at Croton Point Park in Croton-On-Hudson, in New York’s Hudson Valley, Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival celebrates its own 40th anniversary and that of the sloop Clearwater, founder and folk icon Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday, and the 25th anniversary of the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus that Seeger launched as a way of spreading the word of Clearwater’s mission to clean up the Hudson River.

Former sloop Clearwater captains and crewmembers will gather to honor Pete and Toshi Seeger on Sunday in commemoration of the sloop’s anniversary. A very special celebration is set for Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. on The Rainbow Stage when Pete and his grandson, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, will be joined by friends Happy Traum, Arlo Guthrie, Mike and Ruthie Merenda, Work o’ the Weavers and more for a set of classic favorites and sing-alongs. “Clearwater has always been about family and what better way for my family to celebrate this amazing year than with some of our closest musical friends, says Tao Rodriguez-Seeger. Pete Seeger also is expected to perform several other times during the festival.

Among the other artists scheduled to appear at the festival over the weekend are such notables as Alejandro Escovedo, Richie Havens, Taj Mahal, Allison Moorer, The Persuasions, and Susan Tedeschi. Festival newcomers include Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Dr. Dog, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, A.C. Newman, and bluegrass/jambands Old Crow Medicine Show and Cornmeal. Regional artists of note include Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, Sleepy Hollow String Band, the Vanaver Caravan, The Dirty Stay Out Skifflers, Gillen and Turk, Hope Machine, storytellers Heather Forest and Jonathan Kruk, and, of course, the Hudson River Sloop Singers.

Produced by and benefiting the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc., a nonprofit, member-supported organization launched by Pete Seeger and others to preserve and protect the Hudson River and its tributaries, the festival celebrates environmental activism and education. It features a Green Living Expo, riverfront activities, environmental workshops and exhibits, and booths run by educational and activist organizations. The sloop Clearwater and the schooner Mystic Whaler will be there during the weekend, affording visitors the opportunity to sail on the Hudson. Juried crafts and the Circle of Song, where audience participation is the focus, also are on the docket.

“This has already been a very exciting year for Clearwater and it feels as if it has all been building up to the festival,” said Jon Dindas, the environmental organization’s festival director. “The volunteers – both those who have been helping this event run for decades and those with us for the first time – have come out in record numbers to support Clearwater and the festival. This has always been a community – one of artists and educators, professionals and volunteers, young and old – that comes together to celebrate the river, along with the music and spirit that makes us a family.”

Advance ticket sales for the 2009 Great Hudson River Revival have reportedly already tripled last year’s totals. However, weekend and individual day tickets will be available at the gate. For more information and to order tickets in advance, visit www.clearwater.org/festival.

The 29th Annual Old Songs Festival takes place June 26-28, at Altamont Fairgrounds in Altamont, approximately 10 miles west of Albany. Produced by Old Songs, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in the New York State Capitol Region that seeks to keep traditional music and dance alive through this festival, as well as twice monthly concerts, monthly dances and educational programs, the festival will feature an array of folk, Celtic, blues, old-time and multicultural/world musicians.

This year’s music will range from the acoustic blues guitar riffs of master fingerstyle player Little Toby Walker to the Indian vibes of Galitcha, the traditional Quebecois sounds of Reveillons!, the “new” old-time sounds of Red Hen, and the witty songs of Christine Lavin and Lou & Peter Berryman. Traditional and contemporary English ballads will be sung by Jez Lowe, Louis Killen and John Roberts & Tony Barrand. Also featured will be Peggy Seeger, Michael Cooney, folk duo Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen, folk/blues veteran Josh White, Jr., New England fiddler Lissa Scheneckenburger and her trio, Chicago-based Celtic group Bua, the Vanaver Caravan dance and music ensemble, and Grammy Award-winning family entertainer Bill Harley, among others.

Main Stage concerts are slated for Friday and Saturday evening, as well as Sunday afternoon, while eight stages will feature music and dance on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contra dances featuring music by Bill Spence & Fennig’s All-Stars and The Flying Garbanzos follow the Friday and Saturday night concerts on the main stage.

In recognition of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage, Nanne & Ankie and the Hudson Crew, six musicians from the Netherlands, will present a special 90-minute show late Saturday afternoon featuring original songs in Dutch and English with English narration. Festival performers also will conduct Friday afternoon classes focusing on various instruments and singing styles.

A very participatory event, the Old Songs Festival also features “sacred harp” or shape-note singing on Saturday and Sunday mornings with Peter and Mary Alice Amidon, a gospel choral workshop led by Lea Gilmore followed by a gospel sing on Sunday afternoon, as well as lots of festival performer-led and impromptu jam sessions. The family-friendly event also features a dedicated children’s area, as well as a wide array of artisans, vendors and food.

Individual day tickets and all-festival tickets (with or without camping) are available at the gate. For more information, visit www.oldsongs.org/festival.