Sunday, July 19, 2009

1969 Fast Facts: Woodstock

1969 Fast Facts: WOODSTOCK

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,533823,00.html

• Woodstock Music and Art Fair took place August 15-17, 1969

• Woodstock was described as an "An Aquarian Exposition, Three Days of Peace and Music"

• Woodstock drew 400,000 young people to Bethel, New York in the Catskill Mountains.

• The festival created massive traffic jams and extreme shortages of food, water, and medical and sanitary facilities.

• No incidents of violence occurred at the Woodstock festival.

• Most of the 80 arrests at Woodstock were made on drug charges involving LSD, amphetamines and heroin.

• Marijuana smokers, estimated to be the majority of the audience, were not arrested at Woodstock.

• Three accidental deaths were reported at Woodstock.

• The Festival had been scheduled to be held in Walkill, New York.

• After Walkill townspeople objected, it was moved to the 600-acre farm of dairyman Max B. Yasgur.

• The organizers of the festival, John Roberts, Michael Lang and Joel Rosenman, had originally estimated expenses, to be covered by admissions fees, at $750,000.

• The crush of spectators, however, caused ticket-taking to be abandoned.

• Ultimately, Woodstock Ventures, Inc. spent $2.5 million while collecting only $1.5 million.

• The $1 million debt was to be offset by a film of the festival and recordings of the music.

• Acts at Woodstock included Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Joan Baez, Santana, The Who and a nascent Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

• Festival featured 33 musical acts

• Janis Joplin was paid was paid $7,500 at Woodstock

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