A crowd gathered on the side of Route 17B, across the street from Raceway Row, at 12 noon on Thursday, May 16, to commemorate the road’s new name, The Woodstock Way.

In attendance were Rep. Aileen Gunther, Sen. Jennifer Metzger, Lisa Hofflick representing Sen. Kristin Gillibrand, Sullivan County Legislative Chairman Luis Alvarez, District 1 Legislator Scott Samuelson, Sullivan County Historian John Conway and Town of Bethel Supervisor Dan Stern. 

“I want to express my appreciation to my colleague, Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, as well as my predecessor Sen. John Bonacic. The two of them made this happen, I just get to enjoy the fruits of it,” Sen. Jen Metzger said. “Woodstock really defined a generation—culturally, musically, aesthetically—it really became a symbol for the entire nation of peace and of a changing culture for young people, and it was all right here. It’s such a rich part of Sullivan’s history and it’s amazing how the counties come together and put so much into this celebration.”

The renaming of 17B to Woodstock Way is one of the recent, county-wide efforts to celebrate and embrace the historic Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. The Dovetrail continues to reveal itself throughout the county, and Bethel Woods Center for the Arts unvieled its restoration of the 1969 festival's Bindy Bazaar Trails on May 4. 

District 1 Legislator Scott Samuelson, who represents Bethel, Cochecton, Highland and Tusten spoke at the event on Thursday.

“If we can draw a crowd on the side of 17B like this today, what are we going to draw in August, right?” he said.