Special to The Sun
Craig Reeder and Adrian Fogelin, who make music as the local duo Hot Tamale have been using their musical talents to support environmental causes for many years and have just produced an educational music video titled “I Wanna Be a Turtle” designed for kids, and big folks too.
“We want kids to bond with sea turtles as a way of luring them toward the natural sciences, and then, as they get older, understanding the critical need for environmental conservation,” says Reeder, who produced the upbeat video featuring turtles in the wild as well as festive scenes from turtle releases carried out on the beaches of the Big Bend by the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab located in Panacea.
“Kids will be amazed watching sea turtles swim and dive and skitter across the sand,” says Fogelin. “And maybe they’ll get to the next turtle release being done by this wonderful organization located right here in our own back yard.”
As a former educator and an award-winning author of middle grade novels, she knows the power of getting kids excited about things like science at an early age. “The images and music will definitely speak to kids—and who doesn’t want to be a turtle?”
The video was produced with the help and support of the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab and has been shared with a number of schools and nature conservancy organizations.
Initial feedback has been positive says Reeder, who proudly shared this quote from Jessica Swindall, the director of the Florida Coastal Conservancy: “Oh my goodness, this is WONDERFUL! We’ll be delighted to share it with our guests and students, they will love it.”
To view the video on YouTube. Search: I Wanna Be a Turtle by Hot Tamale.” The video is also available at Vimeo.com. The duo hopes people will share the video, and feel free to sing along.
Hot Tamale is an acoustic duo based in Tallahassee with deep roots in Wakulla County. Folks in Wakulla have seen them at the Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin’ Festival, the Palaver Tree Theater, at the St. Marks NWR, Wakulla Springs, the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab, at yearly performances for the students at Crawfordville Elementary School, and most recently at the Oyster & Mullet Festival in Sopchoppy.
More information about Hot Tamale is available on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/hottamalemusic
