|
|
|
| In August 1969, a major event changed the lives of over 500,00 people. It all started with four men, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeild, and Michael Lang, and one life changing event. John Roberts, age 26, supplied all money necessary for Woodstock. He was a multimillionaire with a degree from the University of Pennsylvania. |
| Joel Rosenman, age 24, and Artie Kornfeild, age 25, vice president for Capital Records, worked at a corporation selling millions of records. Michael Lang, oldest at age 26, produced the biggest rock show ever. It was a two day Pop Festival in Miami, Florida with an attendance of 40,000 people. They all still disagree to this day whose original idea it was to start Woodstock. |
| They decided to form a corporation in March, 1969. Each held 25% of the money they inherited. The name decided was, Woodstock Ventures, Incorporated. By the first meeting they discussed the attendance of Woodstock and how much it would cost. By estimation the decided on $500,00 and 50,000 attending. By the 3rd meeting they proposed 100,000 people attending, making it the largest concert by far. |
| One of the many problems faced was, where will the event be held? The Woodstock Ventures team scurried to find a site. Real estate agents across the mid-Hudson were scouring the countryside for land to rent for a few months. They went to Rockland County, then to Orange County. For $10,000 Woodstock Ventures had leased a tract of land in the town of Wallkill, owned by Howard Mills, Jr. |
| The 300-acre Mills Industrial Park offered perfect access. It was less than a mile from Route 17, which hooked into the New York State Thruway, and it was right off Route 211, a major local thoroughfare. It even had the access to electricity and water lines. Lang was looking for different qualities, but he had no other choice but to except the offer. |
| Out of the 3,900 people in the town of Bethel, 1,000 protested Woodstock. After a long debate, on July 15, 1969 the Wallkill Zoning Board of Appeals officially banned Woodstock. Reasons included: Lang lied to Mills about the number of people attending, outdoor toilets were illegal in Wallkill, New York, which they intended to use at the concert, and as of two weeks before Woodstock, a law was made, you must have a permit for a gathering of more than 5,000 people. Lang had no choice but to put ads in the newspaper and in magazines hoping to find land to have the concert. |
| Elliot Tiber read about the Woodstock getting tossed out of Wallkill. He decided to help and call Woodstock Ventures, not knowing even who to ask for. He offered them to use his land. Lang told him it wasn't big enough. Elliot told Lang about a friend who owned a large deal of land. He took him to Max Yasgur's alfalfa field. |
| It was perfect! Over 600 acres of land to deal with. They had only two weeks to prepare for Woodstock. There was not way it could be done. They still had the stage to build plus a place to cook meals at. Two days before the concert they had to declare it a free concert, for there was no fence or booths. |
| At 2 o'clock on Tuesday, 3 days before the concert, horns were honking and guitars were being played. Five lanes of headlights back up. By 11am, more than 24 hours before the concert, traffic was backed up all the way down Route 17B to Route 17, a distance of 10 miles. It was consider the worst traffic jam ever. |
One of the many reasons an event like this will never happen again. |
| Over 500,000 minds were open, drugs were all but legal and love was "free". It was next to impossible to stop drug usage. An estimation of at least 90% of those present were smoking marijuana. Only two deaths accrued, but two more were also born during Woodstock. |
Where's Waldo????? Over 500,000 attending. |
| Some say it was "a capstone of an era devoted to human advancement," while others say it was "a fitting ridiculous end to an era of naïveté." But 500,000 people say it was "one hell of a party!" |
|
That's no ordinary school bus! Who says all school buses have to be yellow?!
|
Two weeks before the concert over 180,000 tickets were sold, even though they were never used. |
|
Monument in remembrance of Woodstock, 1969.
|
| Jen Shaver
8th Grade American History Rossville Jr. High Woodstock '69 Project May 2002 |
