Two months after the Great Depression began, it is doubtful Alan Gerry”™s parents were contemplating their newborn son would one day become one of Sullivan County”™s richest men and the builder of what he predicts will be the Hudson Valley”™s version of Saratoga”™s or Tanglewood”™s performing arts centers.
Gerry never finished high school and went into the Marines. He took advantage of the G.I. bill to take up television repair. Â During the 1950s, when TV was in its infancy and growing in popularity, he and his television repair business flourished.
Gerry embraced cable early, since the western side of Sullivan County was renowned for poor reception of the few channels available. His ability to see the desire that every American had to have “Your Show of Shows” in their living room made Gerry a billionaire, and since selling his company to Time Warner, he has put his money into giving Sullivan County a legacy he is sure will endure.
At the suggestion of his daughter, Robyn, Gerry decided to buy the portion of Max Yasgur”™s farm that hosted the Woodstock festival that left the New York State Thruway at a standstill in August 1969. The site has become a mecca for Woodstock devotees, who visit daily to pay homage to the concert site that defined 1960”™s counterculture. Even those who weren”™t born yet visit what many rockers consider hallowed ground.
Gerry also bought most of the 2,000 acres surrounding Yasgur”™s farm. This has put the Gerry Foundation in the catbird seat for future development of the lands surrounding Bethel Woods.
Gerry”™s spectacular venue, sitting on the hill above the original Woodstock site, is decidedly more upscale than the tent event that touted “three days of peace, love and music” and that drew 500,000 mud-slathered revelers.
The $70 million center for the performing arts has a copper-topped band shell with a 7,500-square-foot stage and seating for 4,800. A sloping lawn allows thousands more to enjoy the music. At capacity, Gerry says Bethel Woods can hold up to 17,000 people.
Gerry”™s debut in July 2006 highlighted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and was a sellout. Bethel Woods promises an earlier opening date this year: June 16, when the rock bands Chicago and America will open the 2007 season.
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This summer”™s lineup includes music of all types: from orchestral to an homage to the Woodstock festival called Hippiefest planned for mid-August. Other 2007 concerts include the New York Philharmonic;Â Widespread Panic; Last of the Breed featuring Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Ray Price; Earth Wind and Fire; Bob Dylan; The Boston Pops; and the Original New York Doo Wop Show. For dates and ticket prices, visit www.bethelwoods.com
Gerry met with the media prior to opening Bethel Woods, along with the performing center”™s architect, Paul Westlake of Westlake Reed.
The 17B road leading to the venue is still a two-lane highway, but Gerry expressed confidence that with each passing year, Bethel Woods would become for the Catskills what Saratoga and Tanglewood have become for their respective locations, attracting restaurants, hotels and other recreation activities. (Three new restaurants have already opened at Kauneonga Lake, signaling what may be the beginning of the “shot heard round Sullivan County.”)
Bethel Woods, about 10 miles from Monticello Raceway, may also have a new neighbor, if plans for the Mohawk-Regis casino planned at the track see fruition.
The 5,300-acre Chapin Estates, a gated community with lot sizes ranging from 5 to 40 acres, has locals concerned they”™re going to lose their rustic Sullivan County setting. For others, venues like Bethel Woods and the possibility of a casino coming to the Catskills are worth the wait in traffic for the punch it will give to the area”™s stagnant economic base.
The Bethel Planning Board will meet June 14 to hold a public hearing to consider a moratorium on new construction, citing a need for some intelligent design as Bethel booms.
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