Pete Seeger Celebrated in Maplewood

This weekend, revered folk music icon and peace activist Pete Seeger turned 90. Seeger, a guiding light for the ‘60s folk scene that spawned Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and other luminaries, is revered equally for his commitment to progressive social change as he is for his music.

Sunday saw a huge number of celebrations of Seeger’s legacy, including a 15,000-plus crowd at Madison Square Garden on Sunday which Seeger himself attended. Performers included Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez and, via a broadcast message, President Obama.

On a more local and slightly less star-studded note, Maplewood residents gathered at the Ethical Culture Society to watch and hear the Solidarity Singers of the New Jersey Industrial Union Council lift their voices in tribute to Seeger.

Patch contributor Ellen Kahaner caught the Singers in mid-musical uprising.