GOLDEN CELEBRATION
Bethel readies for Woodstock 50th anniversary this weekend
Max Yasgur’s former farm will be alive this weekend with the sound of music as the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock music festival takes place starting Friday through Sunday evening.
There is one big difference from the original festival, however. There is no camping out and sleeping on the farm allowed this time around. This means that attendees will have to leave after the concert every night and find a place to sleep.
Sullivan County has very limited hotel space and the two hotels at the nearby Resorts World Catskills as well as facilities in neighboring counties, including Orange, are expected to be at full capacity.
Sullivan County Visitors Association President Roberta Byron Lockwood said while the Woodstock anniversary may be the big attraction this weekend, there are plenty of other things to do as well.
“We’ve got all kinds of wonderful things happening from activity over at Resort World, at the Kartright,” Byron-Lockwood said. “We’ve got Porchfest out at the Callicoon area. We have got all kinds of music
everywhere throughout the county. We’ve got our 150th anniversary of our Little World’s Fair here; we’ve got Yasgur’s Farm; we’ve got Arrowhead. We’ve got so much music packed everywhere.”
Earlier this week, state police warned motorists to expect unusually long delays on state Route 17 and 17B in Sullivan County coinciding with the celebration.
Police said traffic is expected to be particularly heavy on state Route 17 west between the the New York State Thruway tolls in Harriman and exit 104 on to state Route-17b in Monticello.
Authorities said they expect peak traffic for westbound lanes is anticipated between the hours of 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and eastbound between the hours of 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. each day of the celebration.
Police said motorists are encouraged to make alternate travel plans and avoid unnecessary travel during these hours on each day of the celebration.
Police said heavy traffic on state Route 17 at exit 104 westbound may necessitate detours being put into place and motorists should be aware of alternate routes and plan for the detours and heavy traffic.
Additionally, people going to any of the weekend shows must have a Bethel Woods Center travel pass for their vehicle in addition to their concert tickets to attend each day’s performances and events.
The Film on the Field at Bethel Woods scheduled for late Friday afternoon is sold out. The Ringo Starr concert will be held on Friday at 7 p.m. Santana and the Doobie Brothers will perform at 7 p.m. on Saturday and John Fogerty will round out the weekend at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Travel passes can be picked up on the day of the event from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the center’s satellite checkpoint at 53 Pucky Huddle Road, Bethel located half a mile past the concert venue on 17b on the left side of the road.
Event/concert ticket holders should watch their e-mail for detailed information allowing seamless entry on each event day.
Individuals without concert or event tickets during Anniversary Weekend must visit Bethel Woods on a different weekend as the Center will be at permitted capacity. Visitation, to Bethel Woods, including the Museum, monument, and grounds, will be available to ticketholders only.
The site will resume normal operations next week.