Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, located in Bethel, NY at the historic site of the greatest festival of all time, is asking those who attended Woodstock over 50 years ago to join the Alumni Registry.
The Alumni Registry keeps the spirit of Woodstock alive through the stories and memories of the people who were there. The information provided from participants near and far is added to the permanent Museum archive, where it will serve as a useful research tool for visitors and scholars as they seek to learn more about the festival and its participants. The testimonies allow visitors to enrich their understanding of the event and its continued impact. Registry alumni will have the opportunity to receive information about special events and programs designed especially for them.
"Woodstock became an exemplary part of history because 450,000 strangers were able to come together and share in peace, love, and music, despite overcrowding and a lack of resources," says Neal Hitch, Museum Senior Curator. "We'd like to hear from anyone and everyone who helped contribute to this legacy."
The simple survey asks participants to recall those they attended the festival with, their favorite performance of the event, and consider what their Woodstock experience has meant to them in years since. The Museum also requests that the relatives of alumni who have passed to participate in their relative's memory.
"We naively did not bring a tent or food. Planned on meeting other friends there that did have both. However, because of the overwhelming crowd it was not easy finding them. No problem...a group of people we had just met welcomed us into their camp site and provided us with both," one alum, a female born in 1953 from Mount Sinai, NY recalls. "Everyone we came in contact with was generous and welcoming even the police that were there for crowd control... It truly was a magical experience to be with such a large group and share nothing but good vibes and great music."
In addition to first-hand accounts, The Museum at Bethel Woods, is home to a large and growing historical collection that includes snapshots and home movies of the festival. The Bethel Woods Collection Online
Archive features photographs and videos collected from nearly 30 contributors - all bringing new life and context to the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair. Less polished than the images most are familiar with, candid moments from before, during, and after the festival are captured, preserving both the joyous experiences of festival attendees as well as the less-than-perfect aspects such as mud and the traffic jams on rural country roads. Photos and videos are available for purchase and may be downloaded with licenses for personal, nonprofit, and commercial uses. To view,
please click here.
For more information and to share a personal story or the story of a loved one, please visit
BethelWoodsCenter.org/Alumni
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