|
SOLICITING SUPPORT
And the Events that Changed Perspectives
 Over
the course of time, an unrelenting effort was extended through e-mails,
letters and telephone calls to promote awareness and solicit support for
the preservation movement. It
was that determination which drew the attention and assistance of notable
people such as Michael
Wadleigh, and Wavy Gravy, who
provided letters to the
National Trust, and Lisa Law, who granted permission for the use of
her photo's in the preservation efforts.
However,
there were key turning points in the way the WPA was perceived.
The first was our filing of the application to the National
Trust’s 11 Most Endangered Places, and announced intentions to seek
listing the Woodstock Site to the National Register.
That validated our resolve, and with a subsequent article that
printed in the Sullivan County Democrat “Preservationists Seek
Historic Status” (Dan Hust 16 Feb 2003), an avenue of opportunity was
broadened. It had now become
apparent that we had evolved into historical preservation activists, and
we were able to employ that news article to substantiate our mission.
 In
conjunction, it provided a better perspective of our efforts, and our goals.
It demonstrated the dedication and commitment of the
preservationists in this mission, and it opened doors through which we
were able to propagate the issues to a much more receptive audience,
including an audience "of name."
We pursued magazines such as Rolling Stone and Creem, contacted
television/news/radio personalities, and corresponded with Woodstock 1969
alumni including Michael Lang, John Morris and John Roberts.
Now aware of the plans for developing the Woodstock Site, renown
personalities to include Bill Hanley and Chip Monck were
sympathetic to our cause and their letters of opinion are included in the
records of public comment. Artie
Kornfeld - Father of Woodstock, became an advocate for the historical
preservation movement. Mr.
Kornfeld’s involvement, not only included attempts at contacting Alan
Gerry, but also issuing a personal statement to the Town of Bethel
promoting the importance and viability of an unaltered Woodstock Site.
The Who’s Who of the 1969 Woodstock Festival
A
second event which changed the course was the highly publicized Public
Hearing that was held on 3/11/04, regarding the Special Uses Permit. The
Woodstock Preservationists, prior to that meeting, informed the Planning
Board, and issued a press release stating our intentions to deliver statements
to the Town, which included an audio from Artie Kornfeld.
Unaware and uninformed of procedure, when called upon to speak that
night, it was learned that our time was limited, and that the audio of
Artie would not be heard. This
brought about an outcry. We
felt that our concerns were not being addressed and that the residents of
Bethel were not given the opportunity to hear all sides.
This… brought about an attention from all news media interested
in what had transpired. Ultimately,
the events that had taken place that night, worked to our advantage.
The publicity brought about an even greater audience, including
Bethel residents, and increased the public’s awareness of our struggles
to preserve history.
|
