“I was there, really, with my best friend Bobby Jones “…by the time we got to Woodstock, they were half-a million strong”, and the collectors could’ve cared less about taking tickets at that point. It was raining, it was muddy, and we had a canvas pup tent that had no floor, and leaked like a sieve. It was wonderful. My tickets returned home, and my Dad tucked them away. He’s gone now, but I’m convinced they will someday turn up.”
Bob Mills
“Sue and I were fifteen, and we both told our parents we were staying over the others house for the weekend. Everything was good until my dad ran into Sue’s mom at the grocery store. Once he figured out where I actually was, he drove to Woodstock and convinced someone in charge to announce from the stage that he was looking for me, and he actually found us. Needless to say it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but it was still one of the greatest experiences of my life.”
Mary Sampson
The Bindy Bazaar Woods
“Sue and I were fifteen, and we both told our parents we were staying over the others house for the weekend. Everything was good until my dad ran into Sue’s mom at the grocery store. Once he figured out where I actually was, he drove to Woodstock and convinced someone in charge to announce from the stage that he was looking for me, and he actually found us. Needless to say it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but it was still one of the greatest experiences of my life.”
Mary Sampson
The crossroads with the Message Tree on the right.
Gift shop in Woodstock, NY
We're also visiting the town of Woodstock because it is forever intertwined with what happened on Max Yasgur's alfalfa field in1969.
Part 1—The Beginning
The incubation began in the village of Woodstock, New York, a small town in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. It has been a mecca for artists and musicians for the past 100 years. By the 1960s it was home to likes of; Bob Dylan, The Band, Tim Hardin, Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. It was also home to Albert Grossman, an entrepreneur and manager of rock and roll and American folk music personalities, such as those listed above as well as; Peter, Paul and Mary; and Gordon Lightfoot. Woodstock was ruled out as a possible site early on, and an alternative site fell through before Max Yasgur allowed Woodstock Ventures to rent his field.
Part 2—The Festival
The site is today on the National Register of Historic Places and although the new owner has planted trees, installed fences and built the Bethel Center for the Performing Arts at the crest of the hill, much of the site is as it was in 1969.
Part 3—Back to Max’s Farm
People who participated in this historic event or were lucky enough to be a part of Woodstock Nation, visit in two different ways. Some visit Bethel Woods as senior citizens to explore and remember the feelings they experienced during this seminal event of their youth. Others participate in the Yasgur Farm Reunion that takes place at the Yasgur homestead a mile or so down the road. We want to explore because they bring us full circle and complete the experience that made many of us, who we are today.
We're headed back to Max's Farm to see what we can see. We're also visiting the town of Woodstock because it is forever intertwined with what happened on Max Yasgur's alfalfa field in1969.