Heritage Trail
projects
Town of Bethel Heritage Trail
Home of the 1969 Woodstock Festival
A trail comprised of nine branded interpretive sites and selfie spots to engage and educate tourists and locals on the different perspectives of how a quiet upstate town changed from the time the concert venue was changed from Woodstock, New York to Bethel.
Taking a “then and now” approach, each interpretive panel reflects on how the three-day Woodstock Art & Music Festival influenced local life, and how residents and the world reflect on and pay homage to the event today.
We are stardust
W Design emerged ourselves in music and art from artists in attendance at the festival. Alongside the project committee, we researched hundreds of photos and sifted through memorabilia to match the identified sites with imagery from the day. We visited with locals who went to the festival and those who catered to the hundreds of thousands of concertgoers during that unique time. Some who continue to do so today.
We got to get back to the Farm...
“...Young people together with our local residents turned the Aquarian Festival into a dramatic victory for the spirit of peace, goodwill, and human kindness.”
Max Yasgur, shared on the last day of the festival, August 18, 1969, Sullivan County Democrat
Sullivan County has been home to numerous dairy, chicken, corn, and feed farms.
Max Yasgur, who rented his farm for the festival, had the largest dairy operation in the area at the time. The actual festival took place in one of his alfalfa fields, three miles from is home.
A journey back in time
We worked with photographer Noah Kolina and The Museum at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts to photograph the "love bug" inside their museum to bring it to the field on Happy Avenue where music lovers and experience seekers found themselves stuck in a traffic jam. They then abandoned their vehicles to follow the music on foot.
Making magic that brings tears to their eyes
Mr. Peanut Butter Man, Art Vassmer, who appears in the movie "Woodstock – Three Days of Peace & Music" and who also was the father to one and uncle to another of the project committee members came to life after constructing a full-scale image from two photos of Art and another of designer Jim Santiago.
Art's relatives were thrilled to see him once again greeting visitors to the area.
