About Us

           Woodstock was and is history... it happened in Bethel, N.Y.
on August 15th, 16th, and 17th, 1969.

We were there... 3 miles from the festival... minding the store!

...and mom and dad looked out the window that Friday morning and thought, maybe they shouldn't open... but after thinking better of it... dad said, "Oh hell... let's do what we can." and he opened his family grocery store. Their younger daughter Vicky was left up-stairs and told to stay there... she was 11.He and mom, and their oldest daughter, Linda, who was just 16 and Art's brothers Fred and Ben, opened the door and... they were overwhelemed!!!! This wasn't going to work!!

So, with the help of Ben Vassmer, Tom Long, John Ramsey, and some Hog Farmers, only 10 people would shop at a time.  The line of people outside the store was a mile long!!! They came through the main door and were ushered out through the hardware side of the store... which is now the museum!

Art was pro-woodstock in a small town that was divided after the festival. He was interviewed for years about that week-end and NEVER said a bad word about it or 'the kids' as he always called the festival goers... he was interviewed by Japan, Germany, Italy, Holland, England and France... Art gave the Woodstock promoters and 400,000 plus... praise for a wonderful event.

Well, Art Vassmer, sadly for family and the community, passed away Dec. 1997... so, in his memory, his family built the museum on the hardware side of the store and opened June 26th, 1999. The saddest part for us was... Art had talked about doing this before he died... but we all know how that goes!!! 

So, to present... we are open all year... FREE ADMISSION... and ready to talk and listen about Woodstock!

Hanging out in front of the Woodstock Museum

Designed by Debbie, creator of Bethel Woodstock Museum &
Alexander Pereluka - "Orion Service"