June 23, 2008 – Woodstock – the Festival

Today we took the journey to the actual site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. The site is now owned by a foundation that wanted to preserve the legacy as well as promote art and music and is now know as the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. (http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/)

Two years ago, concerts were started and on June 2, 2008, a museum opened.

The museum had sections on the 1960’s from history, politics, music, etc.; background on the Woodstock Festival; music and films of the Festival; interviews (current) of attendees, townspeople, musicians and the effect of Woodstock and the 1960’s on them.

For me, it was an incredible experience – the memories of that time from TV to music to all the things that were happening. I just kept smiling and saying, “I remember that”. I still believe that was the best music!!!

I am not going to go into the history because there is so much on the internet but I will leave you with some pictures.

The plaque:
The field:

The Bethel Museum:

Memories!!

Woodstock
by Joni Mitchell

I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him where are you going
And this he told me
I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm
I'm going to join in a rock 'n' roll band
I'm going to camp out on the land
I'm going to try an' get my soul free

We are stardust
We are golden
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

Then can I walk beside you
I have come here to lose the smog
And I feel to be a cog in something turning
Well maybe it is just the time of year
Or maybe it's the time of man
I don't know who I am
But you know life is for learning

We are stardust

We are golden

And we've got to get ourselves

Back to the garden

By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation

We are stardust
Billion year old carbon
We are golden
Caught in the devil's bargain
And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden

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