Bethel to sue Yasgur Road Productions

By CHARLIE BUTERBAUGH

BETHEL, NY — The Town of Bethel will pursue a lawsuit against Roy Howard and Jeryl Abramson, hosts of the annual Woodstock Festival reunion for the past 10 years, for hosting the festival in August without permits from the town.

In his own defense, Howard said, “We didn’t have an event.” He and Abramson had not heard anything about the lawsuit when contacted by The River Reporter on Monday evening. Howard said Yasgur Road Productions cancelled the reunion after the town ruled his applications for camping and festival permits incomplete.

Abramson added: “In no way did we encourage or advertise or put on the event. We did have a private party.” Howard said, “There might have been somewhere in the vicinity of several hundred” at the party.

The town will sue on the grounds that Abramson and Howard violated a 1998 injunction decided by the State Supreme Court in Sullivan County. The ruling permanently forbade Howard from holding a festival on his property along Route 17B without obtaining permits and approvals from the town. Following an executive session last week, Bethel Town Board members retained attorney Robert S. McEwan to argue its case.

Asked if he would fight the lawsuit, Howard said, “I don’t fight. I just defend myself. They fight,” Howard said.