Woodstock + Bethel

Picnicking @ Bethel

The second annual "Party Bus to Bethel" departed from Woodstock on Friday, August 12, promptly at 3 p.m. On the way to Bethel we enjoyed a DVD and complimentary sandwiches. Guests also shared wine and other treats. Once at Bethel, a number of us visited The Museum, while others were transported directly to the picnic area. Three tables were reserved there for our group. The concert gates opened at 6:30. Just after 8 p.m. Leon Russell took the stage in fine form. Next up . . . a great performance from the poet of the 60s generation: Bob Dylan, together with his band.

After the concert the party bus picked us up in the VIP circle, and we were whisked away, munching homemade chocolate chip cookies. The party bus is a fun, green way to experience Woodstock + Bethel.

The party bus @ Bethel

If you'd like to recapture the magic of the sixties and the 1969 festival, the party bus is one way to do it. But there are additional options. The Bethel Woods web site offers The Woodstock Daytripper as well as the Total Woodstock Experience Overnighter. Both begin in Bethel at The Museum, and travel on to Woodstock, where visitors can explore the roots of the famous '69 festival . . . at the Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony campus, the handcrafted Maverick Concert Hall, the Sound-Out meadow and much more.

Another way to enjoy Woodstock + Bethel is through the Experience Woodstock Card. Check out the top section labeled "Experience Woodstock Corridor." Offers include a special on admission to The Museum at Bethel Woods. That's also where we post "Party Bus to Bethel" news and related offers.

Norwegian Folk College Travels the Experience Woodstock Corridor

The Norwegian students in Woodstock

In January the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce & Arts inaugurated the Experience Woodstock Corridor between Woodstock and Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The Woodstock Festival of 1969 was conceived and was supposed to take place in Woodstock, NY—but due to space constraints, among other factors, was eventually sited in Bethel. The corridor has been established to honor the connection between the roots of Woodstock and the event itself.

At CPW (formerly Café Espresso)

On Bethel’s seasonal opening day of April 2nd, a tour bus of 37 students and instructors from a Norwegian folk college (folkehØgskoler) began their day at The Museum, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, and then travelled the Experience Woodstock Corridor to Woodstock. Here they were met and welcomed by Marcus Lindner of Journey Art, who is also a board member of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce & Arts.

At WBG with photo of Dylan

Lindner first took the visitors to the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild (WBG) building at 34 Tinker Street. He explained how the organization is the steward for the Byrdcliffe Art Colony. The Byrdcliffe campus is about a mile from the town center and was founded in 1902. This organization jumpstarted the artistic and creative tradition that survives to the present day. Next he took them across the street to the Center for Photography (CPW) at 59 Tinker Street. It was here, he explained, that one of the key musical hotbeds of the 1960s was located. The Café Espresso, as it was known then, was run by Bernard and Mary Lou Paturel. On weekends, many of the leading folk acts of the day played. They included performers like Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs, Happy Traum, John Herald and Rev. Gary Davis. Upstairs in a studio Bob Dylan wrote Another Side of Bob Dylan and Bringing It All Back Home.

The Norwegian visitors stayed in Woodstock for several hours before heading back out on the road . . .

~Weston Blelock

With thanks to Marcus Lindner for the photos

Experience Woodstock Through Art

With its many galleries, Woodstock offers an incredible array of artists and their endeavors—presented for locals and visitors alike. For example, if you stop into SweetHeart Gallery right now, you will see that they are featuring beautiful jewelry created by Margaret Ellis. If you go into Fletcher Gallery, you might be interested in the fact that they are advertising for the Equestrian Art Exhibition and Auction for September. VARGA Gallery just celebrated its seven year anniversary in June, while showcasing the Visionary Art Collective, which supports Woodstock's artistic community.

There is a myriad of local artists featured at these galleries, and even in regular shops in Woodstock; photographer Elliott Landy's pictures of Bob Dylan hang proudly in more than one store. Woodstock is a leading community for the appreciation of art, and with so many places to encounter it, who wouldn't want to take an afternoon to discover what our town has to offer?

~Danielle Barthel