The year of Bethel Woods

The birth of an arts institution

By FRITZ MAYER

BETHEL, NY — Sullivan County was still reeling from torrential rains and record flooding on June 28, when Allen Gerry walked out on stage to a rock star’s welcome for the inaugural performance at the Bethel Woods Center for Arts on the evening of July 1.

A few minutes later, when the New York Philharmonic launched into Gershwin’s “Strike up the Band,” a chill seemed to run through the audience in recognition that everyone in the facility at that moment was witness to a bit of history. The hills on which the facility was perched, of course, are drenched in history from another decade. In 1969, 400,000 people gathered on the land to celebrate peace, love and music at the original Woodstock Music and Arts Fair.

In the intervening years, however, the land had been the subject of legal disputes, and the county had slipped into a seemingly ever-present state of disrepair and neglect.

But on the evening of July 1, 2006, on the lawn in front of the glimmering, state-of-the-art amphitheater at Bethel Woods, it seemed that if Alan Gerry and the Gerry Foundation could build this $70 million dollar facility and convince some of the biggest stars from the worlds of classical, country, rock, pop and jazz music to turn up and put on a show, well-if he could do that- it seemed that anything was possible in Sullivan County.

And throughout the summer, the performances of Wynton Marsalis, Crosby, Stills Nash and Young and the rest of the stellar lineup underscored the message that Bethel Woods was an unqualified hit.

While there were minor complaints about such things as traffic and seating, the overwhelming reaction from the community was that the facility provided an enormous boost to the county and the region.

The coming year promises additions to the already impressive venue. Bethel Woods will open a museum that will honor the Woodstock festival and the 1960s.