Misconceptions of Woodstock and What to know about Bethel Woods

For those of us who didn't live during the Woodstock era, take a moment to think of what was going on in the world leading up to Woodstock in the 1960s: Kennedy was elected and assassinated, the Cuban missile crisis, the Beatles/British invasion of music, the Vietnam War escalated and the draft quotas doubled, race riots broke out, the summer 1967 summer of love (first Rolling Stone magazine issue released, first black person elected onto the Supreme Court), the 1969 murders of seven people by the Manson family, Neil Armstrong landed on the moon (with a flag from Verona, NJ, based flag maker), troops pulled out of Vietnam, and the first Sesame Street episode aired.

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Now that we reminded you of the history of the 1960s, imagine finding out about a 3-day gathering of (mostly) young people to come together for peace, love, music, and art:

Interesting Facts about 1969's Woodstock and beyond

• Did you know that 1969's Woodstock was more than just a music festival? In fact, it was actually called Woodstock Music and Art Fair. They had arts and crafts, artisan booths, and even a petting zoo.
• There is a misconception that everyone at Woodstock was muddy, naked, and a hippie, when in fact there was only a relatively small area with the mudslides that happened to be heavily photographed and shared, and about 1 in 4 people were hippies.
• Woodstock did not take place in Woodstock, NY, in fact, the location was supposed to be Wallkill, NY, and one month before the 3-day concert it was changed to White Lakes, NY, aka Bethel.
• With medical aid on site, the most injuries at Woodstock were to people's (bare) feet. Out of 500,000 people, 65 overdose cases were flown out to seek emergency medical care.
• Binghamton University archaeology students recently were assigned to dig up bottle caps and bottle openers from the festival — how cool!
• There was a message tree where Woodstockers wrote notes on paper plates — and anything they could find — to other concertgoers.

When we think of Bethel Woods, we automatically think of Woodstock. With a grand tour across the 800 acres at Bethel Woods, we want to share with you:

Things to know about Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

• BWCA brings together community through education, art, and wellness for adult classes, teen classes, and kid's classes offered in both summer and after-school hours. Their art programming and play all-day summer program are taught by local artists from the tri-state area (even architecture). We visited the Atria and were greeted by musicians playing in a garage band. They have a two week rock program for 10 with performances at its conclusion.
• Lucky enough to have a behind-the-scenes tour where artists prep before a show and we learned artists love performing here because all facilities were strategically thought out from air-conditioned rooms, to laundry set ups, basketball courts, food options, and privacy.
• There is no bad seat in the concert venue! The lawn was designed to have complete visibility of the stage, and there are tons of food trucks and parking.
• Seasonal events we want to attend are The Harvest Festival, Peace, Love and Pumpkins (including a sensory friendly evening), and all of their concerts!
• Visiting the Woodstock Museum is a must!

Learn more about visiting Sullivan Catskills HERE.

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