Woodstock Museum Opens
BETHEL New York -- Richie Havens was on stage in 1969, adjusting his guitar strings, when he felt the enormity of Woodstock and the massive crowd sprawled across the field in front of him.
“It's all about you, and me, and everybody around the stage, and everybody who hasn't gotten here yet," he said at that now-hallowed site. “And the people who are going to read about you tomorrow, and how really groovy you were."
With the June 2 opening of The Museum at Bethel Woods, old hippies and a new generation of culture lovers will experience the grooviness of Woodstock in film, photos and a collection of memorabilia.
The 6,728-square-foot museum features 20 films, 164 artifacts and more than 300 photo murals of the original 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Visitors can see the keyboard played by the band Sha Na Na, watch Jimi Hendrix riffing the national anthem, and hear locals from Sullivan County talk about how three days of fun and music affected their lives.
A wall-length time line shows the Vietnam War, Cuban Missile Crisis, and other events that provided the context for Woodstock. That Woodstock happened only 39 years ago presented a challenge to museum designer Patrick Gallagher.
“We had to deal with this museum straight on, because most of the people who were at Woodstock are still alive and they have very strong feelings about it," he said.
“It's all about you, and me, and everybody around the stage, and everybody who hasn't gotten here yet," he said at that now-hallowed site. “And the people who are going to read about you tomorrow, and how really groovy you were."
With the June 2 opening of The Museum at Bethel Woods, old hippies and a new generation of culture lovers will experience the grooviness of Woodstock in film, photos and a collection of memorabilia.
The 6,728-square-foot museum features 20 films, 164 artifacts and more than 300 photo murals of the original 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Visitors can see the keyboard played by the band Sha Na Na, watch Jimi Hendrix riffing the national anthem, and hear locals from Sullivan County talk about how three days of fun and music affected their lives.
A wall-length time line shows the Vietnam War, Cuban Missile Crisis, and other events that provided the context for Woodstock. That Woodstock happened only 39 years ago presented a challenge to museum designer Patrick Gallagher.
“We had to deal with this museum straight on, because most of the people who were at Woodstock are still alive and they have very strong feelings about it," he said.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
