Enshrining 3 days of peace and music in ’69

BETHEL, N.Y. —  Wanted: tie-dyed shirts, signs, guitars, snapshots, bits of trampled fence and other groovy artifacts from the 1969 Woodstock concert.

The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts wants the artifacts for a museum honoring Woodstock and the ‘60s, which could open next year. A 4,800-seat concert pavilion at the former farm 80 miles northwest of New York City opened this summer.

The planned museum already has film, tickets, posters, security jackets and other items from the concert but is looking for more donations and long-term loans, said Michael Egan, who is developing the museum for the not-for-profit Gerry Foundation. The foundation also is looking for ‘60s artifacts such as JFK campaign posters or ticket stubs from the Beatles concert at Shea Stadium.

“We’re telling the stories of the ‘60s, and we’re telling the story of Woodstock,” Egan said. “The chance for the visitor to see the real thing up close helps tell the story.”

The museum and pavilion are just over a hill from the location of the stage that drew 400,000 people Aug. 15-17, 1969, with headliners that included Jimi Hendrix and the Who.

The hay field was hastily chosen by promoters after they were rejected by officials in Woodstock, N.Y., the Catskill arts colony that gave the celebrated show its name.