Max Yasgur
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Max B. Yasgur (December 15, 1919—February 9, 1973) was the owner of the dairy farm in Bethel, New York at which the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held between August 15 and August 18, 1969.
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[edit] Woodstock Festival on Yasgur's farm
After area towns Saugerties (located about 40 miles (64 km) from Yasgur's farm) and Wallkill declined to provide a venue for the festival, Max Yasgur, convinced by the arguments of his son Sam, offered the nearly last minute use of his farm's alfalfa field. The town of Woodstock next to Saugerties was never seriously considered because it was too small. On the third day of the festival just before Joe Cocker's early afternoon set Max Yasgur addressed the crowd. 'The important thing that you've proven to the world...is that a half million young people can get together and have nothing but fun and music and I God Bless You (sic) for it!' Michael Wadleigh's 1970 documentary film of the event Woodstock includes the speech.
Joni Mitchell's song 'Woodstock' (also covered by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Richie Havens) includes a reference to 'Yasgur's Farm':
- I came upon a child of God
- He was walking along the road
- And I asked him where are you going
- And this he told me: he said
- I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm
- I'm going to join in a rock 'n' roll band
- I'm going to get back to the land
- And get my soul free... [1]
In addition, Mountain (who were also at the festival) recorded a song shortly after the event entitled 'For Yasgur's Farm'.
[edit] After Woodstock
On January 7, 1970, four-and-a-half months after the festival, Yasgur was sued by his neighbors for area property damage caused by the attendance of the "flower children". The damage to his own property was far more extensive and, over a year later, he received a $50,000 settlement to pay for the near-destruction of his dairy farm.
In 1971, less than two years after the festival, Max Yasgur sold the farm, and nineteen months later, died of a heart attack at the age of 53. He was given a full-page obituary in Rolling Stone magazine, one of the few non-musicians to receive such an honor.
[edit] Yasgur's Farm Today
In 1997, the site of the concert and 1,400 surrounding acres was purchased by Alan Gerry for the purpose of creating the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. In August 2007, the 103-acre (0.42 km²) parcel that contains Max Yasgur's former homestead was placed on the market for $8 million by its current owners, Roy Howard and Jeryl Abramson. [2] The home, barn, fieldhouse, and acreage, which are listed by Joshpe Real Estate of New York City, have been the site of frequent Woodstock reunions. [3]
[edit] Quotes
| “ | I'm a farmer...(interrupted by cheering from the audience)...I don't know how to speak to twenty people at one time, let alone a crowd like this. But I think you people have proven something to the world — not only to the Town of Bethel, or Sullivan County, or New York State; you've proven something to the world. This is the largest group of people ever assembled in one place. We have had no idea that there would be this size group, and because of that you've had quite a few inconveniences as far as water, food, and so forth. Your producers have done a mammoth job to see that you're taken care of... they'd enjoy a vote of thanks. But above that, the important thing that you've proven to the world is that a half a million kids — and I call you kids because I have children that are older than you are — a half million young people can get together and have three days of fun and music and have nothing but fun and music, and I God Bless You for it! | ” |
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—addressing the crowd at Woodstock on August 17, 1969, from the film, Woodstock |
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| “ | I made a deal with (Woodstock Producer) Mike Lang before the festival started. If anything went wrong I was going to give him a crew cut; if everything was O.K. I was going to let my hair grow long. I guess he won the bet, but I'm so bald I'll never be able to pay it off. | ” |
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—Life Magazine, Special Edition, Woodstock 1969 |
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