It was August 15, 1969, and the country was in turmoil. There were riots because young adults in America were angry, the war was killing our young men in Vietnam at a record pace and yes "the times they were a-changing." And then 4 twenty-something men decided the country needed a "Peace and Love Festival," and Woodstock became the iconic event that will never be duplicated.

Yes, there were a lot of crazy things that took place on that farm in Bethel, New York. However, there were some amazing things as well. For example, there were no social media, there was only word of mouth. The festival was advertised in New York papers and the promoters only expected 25,000 people. The 400,000 plus attendees clogged the airports, and roads surrounding the tiny town in upstate New York. They ran out of food and supplies on the first day. There were only enough toilet facilities for 865 people. So, the local citizens came to their rescue. They did not ask the police or the Army to move them out, they asked them to help bring in food, water, and medical assistance so that these peace-loving people could continue their festival.

The price of a ticket to the festival was $8.00 and they sold around 186,000 tickets before the weekend was over. So how did over 400,000 attend the event? It was in a field that they put a fence around, but as the numbers grew the fence eventually came down and there was no way to stop the men and women from setting up camp on the 43-acre farm. Besides, the four promoters lost a great deal of money on this event. Many of the bands wanted to be paid upfront, with headliners like Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, The Who, Grateful Dead, Joe Cocker, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Jimi Hendrix along with 24 other bands it was costly.

The four men that imagined this festival were not hippies, they met golfing and began their careers in the music industry. They came together in Woodstock, New York, in 1966 and began brainstorming a rock festival. Several musicians lived in the area and they were sure they could create a mega-festival that would bring the country together in music.

As the nation witnessed the killing of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, the rock and roll music of the time began to allow the peace and love generation to speak out against the establishment, giving young adults a voice. The tribal drums and lyrics of songs like "Fortunate Son" by Credence Clearwater, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec0XKhAHR5I and "My Generation" by The Who https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjN5uHRIcjM are just two examples. These young people wanted to find peace. Needed to know that others in the country thought and felt the same way they did. They were lost in a sea of anger and all they wanted was love.

Of course, there were drugs. Marijuana, LSD (Acid), and even though it isn't commonly known, there was heroin. There were close to 5,300 overdoses and two deaths due to overdose. There was a lot of nudity, with little indifference for it. Tents and tables were set up in the surrounding woods, selling food, drugs, pipes, and many other things found at a typical art festival.

Tents and buses of all sizes and colors were camped away from the stage and there were even other stages set up for musicians from the local area playing to the crowd. The security was minimal. There was no violence reported from this four-day festival event.

However the message, as a young girl of 11 in 1969, I learned about the festival from others and experienced the music from some of these bands first hand growing up when they came through my hometown. I am far from a hippy, but I am a classic rock and roller. I've watched many of the documentaries of Woodstock and there are times I close my eyes and imagine myself sitting in a field of grass grooving to Tim Hardin sing "If I Were a Carpenter" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-h5Qp-r_OM. Or Joan Baez sings "We Shall Overcome" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj_9KshfQuw. But nothing gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes as listening to Joe Cocker sing, "With A Little Help From My Friends," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s-dSoDptVc.

And on the last day of the festival Jimi Hendrix plays his iconic "Star-Spangled Banner" https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jimi+hendrix+star+spangled+banner+live&&view=detail&mid=CED4FE2EB5068E5F94D7CED4FE2EB5068E5F94D7&&FORM=VRDGAR, and brought the festival-goers back to the reality of life and the war happening beyond the green fields of the farm. Even though for four days thousands of young people left their mark on that piece of land it has been restored to its green pastures, but what happened was they have forever made the mark of "Peace and Love" in this countries culture.