Editing Bethel, New York (section)

== Woodstock Festival ==
{{main|Woodstock}}
[[File:VW at Bethel, NY.JPG|thumb|270px|Roadtrippers with a vintage VW camper making a pilgrimage to Bethel, NY (circa 2012).]]
The Town of Bethel was brought to the world's attention in 1969, when nearly 500,000 people gathered at [[Max Yasgur]]'s Farm for "Three Days of Peace and Music".<ref name="Nason">{{cite news|last1=Nason|first1=Robert|date=August 16, 2019|title=When the Boy Scouts met the hippies at Woodstock|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-08-15/woodstock-anniversary-hendrix-baez|access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref> [[Woodstock (film)|The documentary]] made about [[Woodstock]] released in 1970 showed interviews with numerous Bethel residents, including Art Vassmer, co-owner of Vassmers General Store in Kauneonga Lake. A movie called ''[[Taking Woodstock]]'' was released in August 2009 based on the book of the same title by [[Elliot Tiber]], whose parents owned the nearby El Monaco Motel in White Lake and played a pivotal role in bringing the Woodstock nation to Bethel.

In 1998, a concert was hosted at the original site and this helped ignite the vision of philanthropist [[Alan Gerry]] and daughter Robyn to acquire the land and build what was to become [[Bethel Woods Center for the Arts]].

On July 1, 2006, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts opened on the site of the original Woodstock Festival and hosted the [[New York Philharmonic]]. [[Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]] closed out the inaugural season in August 2006, bringing the foursome back to Bethel for the first time since August 1969. The summer 2007 concert lineup at Bethel Woods began in June 2007 with the bands Chicago and America. Other performers during the summer of 2007 included the New York Philharmonic, [[Bob Dylan]], [[Brad Paisley]], [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]] with [[The Marshall Tucker Band]], [[Earth, Wind & Fire]], [[Arlo Guthrie]], [[Richie Havens]], [[Phish]] and others. The 2008 season featured the [[New York Philharmonic]], the [[Boston Pops]], [[Steely Dan]], [[The Allman Brothers Band]], and sold-out performances by the [[Jonas Brothers]] and the last concert of the season, featuring [[Heart (band)|Heart]], [[Journey (band)|Journey]] and [[Cheap Trick]]. The 2009 season was headlined by [[Brad Paisley]] and his band "The Drama Kings".

In early 2008, [[The Museum at Bethel Woods]] opened near the original site of Max Yasgur's farm to complement the concert space. The multi-media interactive museum commemorates Woodstock and the [[Baby boomers|Baby Boomer]] and [[hippie]] generation.

The state and the town council of Bethel subsequently passed laws prohibiting mass-event types of festivals. In 2019, a 50th anniversary celebration of Woodstock was organized in Sullivan County.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.recordonline.com/news/20190803/50-years-later-sullivan-county-shows-love-for-woodstock-festival |title=50 years later, Sullivan County shows love for Woodstock festival |access-date=March 13, 2021 |archive-date=September 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920041246/https://www.recordonline.com/news/20190803/50-years-later-sullivan-county-shows-love-for-woodstock-festival |url-status=dead }}</ref> The ''Woodstock 50'' festival, scheduled for August, was canceled months earlier so it did not take place.<ref>[https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2019/08/14/woodstock-2019-bethel-woods-ready-party-50-years-making/1954872001/ Woodstock 2019: Bethel Woods ready for party 50 years in making]</ref> The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts did organize a weekend of "low-key" concerts.<ref>[https://variety.com/2019/music/news/returning-to-woodstock-50th-anniversary-album-cover-couple-album-cover-ringo-starr-1203306065/ Woodstock Gets a Low-Key 50th Party With Ringo, Santana and That Album Cover Couple]</ref>