Editor's pick: Woodstock plus 40

Havens, Country Joe and others return to Bethel for a gala weekend

WHEN: Friday, August 14 through Monday, August 17

WHERE: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY

COST: Varies—see article for details

CONTACT: BethelWoodsCenter.org

BETHEL, NY — Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will host a gala weekend featuring performances by many of the bands that appeared at Woodstock in 1969 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair.

On Friday, August 14, renowned folk artist Richie Havens will perform live in Bethel Woods’ intimate Events Gallery. At the 1969 event, Havens held the crowd spellbound for nearly three hours after being called back for encore after encore. Having run out of material, he improvised a song based on the old spiritual “Motherless Child” that became “Freedom,” a song now considered to be the anthem of a generation. The subsequent film footage of the performance helped Havens reach a worldwide audience of millions.

On Saturday, August 15 at 5:00 p.m., the Heroes of Woodstock will appear on the Pavilion stage (Woodstock® is a registered trademark of Woodstock Ventures, LC and is used under license.) Among the performers will be the Levon Helm Band, Jefferson Starship, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Mountain, Tom Constanten and Country Joe McDonald.

There will also be an arts and craft show from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m., including a wheel-throwing pottery demonstration, a glass blowing demonstration and much more; and an Eco Expo, presented by Sullivan Renaissance, which will feature a variety of local and regional organizations exhibiting on topics of renewable energy, resource conservation and environmental protection.

Tickets cost $19.69 to $69, and may be purchased at www.BethelWoodsCenter.org, by calling 800/745.3000, or from Ticketmaster.

On Sunday, August 16, The Museum at Bethel Woods will present the first of its new speaker series, “Woodstock Remembered Panelists Share Their Memories of the Three Days that Rocked the World” from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the Museum Event Gallery. This event, for which tickets were free, is sold out. On Monday, August 17, The Museum at Bethel Woods will present a book signing and panel reading of “Woodstock Revisted: 50 Far-Out, Groovy, Peace-Loving, Flashback-Inducing Stories from Those Who Were There.” Participants will read excerpts, answer questions and sign copies of the book from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. in the Events Gallery.