It’s been said, “If you remember Woodstock, you weren’t there, man!” The inference being that anyone who attended that infamous music fest in 1969 was probably too blissed-out to recall specific details. That old cliché does not ring true for this aging hippie, however. I was not there—I was on the other side of the continent working a summer job to pay my way through college—but I remember. The coverage on television showing 400,000 young people swarming onto the fields of Max Yasgur’s farm in upstate New York to enjoy three days of peace, love, and rock & roll was both culmination and calling for a vast majority of those of us known as Baby Boomers. I could not help, nor could most Americans, but be affected by this movement, this sea of humanity gathering near Bethel.

The two decades following our nation’s success in a popular war-to-end-all-wars had brought us to a condition of relative privilege in the world; this privilege, perhaps inadvertently, had also provided us with the opportunity to observe our modern culture from the inside and question its ethics, its validity. Did the images of life on television shows like Father Knows Best represent an accurate reality? These, and other very personal incongruencies, came to our collective attention. An undercurrent of unrest among the disenfranchised of our society erupted; meanwhile a new, perhaps unjust, war raged on, ultimately claiming 58,000 of us. Sparked by leaders whose visions of possibility matched our yearnings, we waged our own private and public wars for freedom of speech, individual liberty, equal rights and peace. We protested against nuclear testing, racism and the drafting of our brothers into a game we did not want to play.

The culmination of all that, combined with shocking political assassinations, prompted the call to rejection of the faltering values of what we considered an out-of-touch establishment; and to action for doing what we thought was right and aligned with our own ideals. The Woodstock Festival represented an all-out celebration of both the outward trappings of rebellious youthful expression—the hair, the fashion, the drugs—and the more fundamental lifestyle changes against traditional values and commercialism, changes our generation came to embrace to one conscientious degree or another.

A year ago, the Museum at Bethel Woods opened its doors to a public once again entrenched in what many consider an unjust war, and once again questioning the established values under which our nation operates in the world. Equal rights, ecology, economic viability and peace on Earth are still issues that we grapple with daily. It’s no wonder that response to the Museum’s offerings has been overwhelmingly positive amongst visiting families, school groups and individuals of all ages, from all strata of society, from every continent on the planet. The venue is a multi-media, multi-faceted look at what constituted American life in the ‘60s. It includes newsreels of then-current events, artifacts both amusing (The Bus) and sobering (footage of flag-draped coffins returning from Vietnam), thousands of photographs and artwork depicting the era’s broad reach and video capturing both historical glimpses of the Festival and current commentary of many of its main players. Throughout the exhibit run strains of Ritchie Havens and his various fellow musicians. In fact, the music holds the entire exhibit together, just as it did a diversity of kids back in the day.

As Director of the Museum, Wade Lawrence calls himself a student of popular culture, and puts his more than twenty years of historical museum experience to use in achieving the goals of creating a dynamic research center for the era, and perhaps inspiring new generations of kids to connect the dots between cause and effect, hopefully igniting that desire to make our world a better place. His associate Margaret Hughes is the Museum Education Manager. She was not yet born in 1969, but it’s her job—to which she contributes great enthusiasm—to bring young people in to examine the unique aspects of what made the ‘60s so revolutionary in terms of civic engagement and social justice. Her outreach to area high schools and community colleges introduces the legacy of the era to contemporary students with the objective of questioning what it means to us now—what changed in society then out of the counter-culture, what’s still with is now, and what might no longer be relevant? She’s established a teacher advisory committee and has conducted teacher workshops to coordinate school curriculum with Museum offerings. With an undergraduate degree in American Studies and graduate level study of Museum Education, plus a two year stint at the Birmingham Museum of Art, Hughes brings both a vibrant scholarship and a refreshing perspective to the program. Under Hughes’ direction, the Museum will offer a Speaker Series in August, September and October, delving into the sociological shifts brought on by the youth of that tumultuous decade and comparing societal conditions then to what’s happening in our world now.

This year not only commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, it also marks the beginning of special exhibitions curated for particular interests surrounding the ‘60s. Give Peace a Chance opens on June 12, the U.S. premiere of a photographic exhibit of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s bed-in for peace, and will run through September 7. Lawrence says that while the permanent gallery is now complete, he is always looking for great artifacts and special items to fill out these temporary exhibits. He reiterates, “The Museum is not just about the Woodstock Festival. It’s an historical repository, an archive of an era.” He and everyone else involved are excited to produce programming that educates and entertains—the educational component being of primary importance.

A two-hour historical walk through a time that produced phenomenal changes in our world, from civil rights and gender equality to social consciousness, environmental awareness and the dramatic ending of a horrific war, is reminiscent for some of us who lived through the era and now contemplate its ultimate effects. Where did all the flowers go? For others, the tour is an exposure to an era yet unmatched in its colorful extravagance, its unabashed commitment to direct experience (legal or not), and its outrageous indulgences. And don’t forget the music, man! That catalyst for reflection and action, that poetry which spoke to a generation disaffected by war and injustice, that talent fueled by sheer ecstasy (and sometimes destroyed by it)—just sit through the film at the end of the tour and watch, listen. If you’re not moved, you might want to check for a pulse. And if you are moved, then the Museum principles have gotten their job done. Far out!

In addition to a varied lineup of concerts throughout the season, Heroes of Woodstock, a special 40th anniversary concert, will be held on August 15 starring the Levon Helm Band, Jefferson Starship, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Mountain, Tom Constanten of Grateful Dead fame and Country Joe McDonald. The Museum is located at 200 Hurd Road outside the Village of Bethel, New York. For further information and ticketing for all Bethel Woods events, visit www.bethelwoodscenter.org.