A group of Towson High School students are organizing the 2023 Tributary Festival, the third annual music festival to benefit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The Tributary Festival was first launched in 2021 by Reed Spaulding.
Spaulding, now a freshman at Drexel University, began the project when she was a junior at Towson High.
The festival raised a whopping $19,000 in its first two years, all of which went to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Spaulding, when asked how the festival came to be, said “I love music and the Bay, and found that this festival would be the perfect way to connect the two.”
Many of Spaulding’s, along with a majority of the organizers, most fond memories have been formed on the Chesapeake Bay.
Some of Spaulding’s memories include boating with her grandparents on the Piankatank River, tubing with her cousins on the Gunpowder in Baltimore County and attending Sandy Hill Camp on the Susquehanna.
The significance of the Chesapeake bay is undeniable, not only is it the nations largest estuary but it is where millions of people live, work, eat and, play.
According to The Tributary Festival, experts project that 20 million people will inhabit the Chesapeake Bay watershed by 2030.
Although the bay is adored by people, it is human action that injures the region.
The Tributary Festival shares that the bay’s problems include pollution, agricultural runoff, chemical contamination and more.
The festival stresses that the effects of the bay’s issues extend beyond the body of water and into our everyday life.
In discussing some of the effects, the festival shares that:
“Oyster beds, shellfish, and other fish are impacted and tainted by runoff, as they are often found with dangerously high levels of mercury. This damages the local fishery economy and can make them unsafe to eat for consumers nationwide.”
The festival is favored to be a success with student and professional bands, engaging tents from environmental organizations, hundreds of guests and more.
The festival is set to take place on Sept. 9 between 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Patriot Plaza.
For those looking to attend, admission is free for students and only $10 for non-students.
Tickets are available for purchase here.
