It’s late in July 1969 when farmer Max Yasgur, 49, agrees to allow the Aquarian Exposition—better known as the Woodstock Music and Art Fair—to happen on his property in Bethel, NY.
Not long after, he makes his way about two miles up Route 17B from his Cochecton home to visit Hector’s Inn at 14 Dr. Duggan Rd. in Bethel.
“Listen,” he says to John “Jerry” Hector, the proprietor, “I’m letting them do that concert on my farm. They’re expecting fifty thousand people a day. You might want to stock up.”
Jerry—a lifelong Bethel resident who will turn 39 on August 30—knows exactly what “that concert” is—and that there is major controversy surrounding it. Almost immediately, there are calls to block the event and boycott Yasgur’s milk.
Not so fast, says the 90-member Town of Bethel Businessman’s Association. They back the three-day event “of peace and music” 100 percent, and even hope to make it an annual happening.
“This is a shot in the arm to the town economy,” an excited TBBA president Kenneth Van Loan crows, “and the greatest thing that ever happened to Sullivan County. And it just fell into our lap.”
Jerry Hector agrees with them. And he plans to take action.
Bold action.
But first, a little history…
Hector’s Inn initially opened in 1949, when Jerry’s parents—Howard and Elsie Hector—decided to convert their home into a bar. The Hectors were always keen on inviting folks to pull up a barstool and stay for a drink. They also gifted homegrown vegetables to local families in need.
When Howard died in the mid-1960s, it fell to Jerry and his wife Kay to carry on the traditions—which they were happy to do. They hosted clam bakes, steak bakes and Oktoberfests.
Plus, they treated their customers like family. Anyone who was broke didn’t leave Hector’s without a meal and a couple of bucks in their pocket. They also didn’t leave without a nickname, since Jerry is infamously unable to remember real ones.
In addition to running Hector’s, Jerry and Kay were into the stock car scene—Jerry raced in both White Lake, NY and Middletown, NY for a number of years. Having served in Korea, Jerry was also in the VFW. Plus, he wa a member of the Middletown Elks and served as an honorary member of the White Lake Fire Department.
And now—in 1969—he’s thinking about what Yasgur’s news about a three-day festival might mean for Hector’s Inn.
Rolling the dice, Jerry and Kay characteristically go all in, mortgaging Hector’s. They fill a tractor-trailer with $5 cases of Rheingold beer.
Well, those “fifty thousand” attendees per day turn out to be closer to an estimated four or five hundred thousand. And when Route 17B becomes a parking lot on or around August 15, all of that beer sells out. Fast.
But Kay and Jerry aren’t all about profit. When word comes that food is getting scarce at the rainy, mud-soaked concert, they make piles of sandwiches and run them over to grateful attendees.
So, it’s more than fitting that the first dove revealed on the Sullivan Catskills Dove Trail—which I am honored to have designed and painted—is the one proudly displayed outside of Hector’s Inn. (For more information on the trail, see: sullivancatskills.com/sullivan-catskills-dove-trail/).
Meanwhile, helping Jerry and Kay—amidst the whirlwind that is Woodstock 1969—is their daughter, Bonnie.
And Bonnie—along with her husband, Barry—is running Hector’s to this day.
The change of hands happens gradually. Sadly, Kay dies in 2010. A brokenhearted Jerry forges ahead until his own death on July 27, 2012 at the age of 81.
Once Bonnie and Barry take over, they determine to keep the home-away-from-home feel, but also add some polish—including a state-of-the-art pavilion on the grounds outside for concerts and open mic events.
Plus, there is no holiday that Bonnie and Barry don’t celebrate by throwing a party, where they generously offer a variety of food—usually at no charge.
Bonnie even hosts a monthly birthday party for steady patrons that features food and a cake.
This in addition to the car shows, the Sip-and-Paints (which I’m honored to teach), the charitable events (e.g., for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital), the annual Hamburger Day (where delicious burgers are grilled to perfection outside), the Mary Kay parties, the pool league, the O.B. meetings…
The list is truly endless.
Oh, and a game of pool still costs only 75 cents. It’s no wonder that Hector’s Inn was voted “Best Neighborhood Bar” by the readers of this paper in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
This is why my project this month is a glass of Hector’s Inn Gummy Beer. As I mentioned last month, the popularity of the TV show “Is It Cake?” is at least partly due to the fact that people love cutting into something they have no idea is cake—until they do.
Well, the same holds true for this gelatinous confection. People will be amazed that what looks like beer tastes like—in this case, anyway—an orange.

As always with these projects, I encourage you to be creative. Feel free to experiment with any flavors you may like. Gummy Beer can serve as a decorative item, a unique treat or even a conversation piece.
Oh, and if you happen to find yourself in Bethel NY—and are of age—stop by Hector’s Inn, pull up a barstool, and have a friendly drink.
Kim M. Simons is an artist, food artist and cake artist. She is a two-time Food Network champion. The current Sullivan Catskills Dove Trail features 10-and-a-half of her doves, plus she has two more she’s working on currently in her dining room. Kim is available to teach classes, individually or in groups. Visit her website at www.cakesbykimsimons.com.