My name is Edward Arlie Watson. I'm 36 years old and I live in Downingtown, PA, which is in the
southeastern corner of the state (i.e. Philly suburbs). I'm married to the most wonderful woman in
world. Her name is Deborah. We also have the most wonderful son in the world. He's six years old,
and his name is Nikolas (Niko for short). Our immediate family also includes Jake the dawg, two
cats and a tank full of fish.

I work for Bentley Systems, Inc, a software company. I work in the tech support department which
means I spend all day at my computer and phone answering questions from the software's users. I
got into the computer field after 10 years (and 3 mergers) in banking. I like my new career MUCH
better.

My father ran a Christian coffee house named "Icthus" (greek for "fish", the ancient Christian symbol)
in Ocean City, Maryland during the late sixties and early seventies. The coffee house was there to
help the many hippie street kids that were around in those days. My dad talked down more than one
bad trip in his day and was able to help many people during the years we were there. Because of
this, I was exposed to the hippie culture as a young boy and as I grew, I took an interest in the event
known as Woodstock. I studied it, bought the album, watched the movie, I even did a report on
Woodstock in high school. I had always wanted to see the site, but I never made it until 1999. I had
no idea how much that trip would change my life.

I've never been on the "board" of anything, so I suppose I would have a lot to learn about the
techniques of activism and media communication, but I would bring a real passion to this job. I've
never had the pleasure of camping on the site and I would like nothing more than to be able to do
that one day.

As with many of you, we live too far away to make regular trips to Bethel, but fortunately my job
provides me with a computer and high speed Internet access, which means that I would be available
for the "chat room" meetings Bob has mentioned.

I'd just like to add some insights to my attitude regarding our cause. There have been many changes
to the hill over the last five years and unfortunately, no one has been able to stop any of it. At this
point, I would have to say that if Alan Gerry decides to build the PAC on the site, our chances of
stopping him would be slim. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't stand up for what we believe
in and exercise our rights as American citizens. I believe Nurse John said it best (I'm paraphrasing
here John, so bear with me). He said this country is filled with monuments to generals, battles and
wars. What we need is a monument to peace, love and understanding. I can think of no concepts
that our country needs more.

There's one last thing I feel I need to say. While I consider saving the site for future generations to be
very important, it's not the real reason we pack up our family and make the 4 hour drive to Bethel,
or the reason we just bought a more "camping friendly" vehicle. In the end, the hill and the monument
are just things. The real reason we are doing this, is because of you all, the people we have met. I
received nothing but love and acceptance from the first time I arrived at the farm 14 months ago and
I now consider you all family. We may ultimately lose the site, but there is NOTHING Alan Gerry or
anyone else can do to take us away from each other. If I never get to camp on the site, I'll keep
coming to Bethel, and I'll keep going home with a refreshed spirit and sense of purpose.

I love you all.

Ed

My name isPeggy K. Smith-Beischer and I am 34 years old. I live in Lackawaxen, PA located at
the northern tip of Pike County just across the Delaware River from Sullivan County, NY. I was
born in Port Jervis, NY because of a HUGE snowstorm in 1965 that prevented my parents from
going to Honesdale, Pa for my birth. I was raised my entire life in Pike county, Pa. My Father was a
Carpenter who died when I was 15 in 1980. My mother was a waitress/bartender who just passed
on this summer, a month before the August Festival.

May God bless them both.

I married young (20yrs old) and divorced young (24yrs old) but got a wonderful son out of the
experience whose name is Antony. (Love ya honey!) I was blessed with the most remarkable man
(Hippie) whose name is Alfred Perlowski in 1989. He literally saved my life (and my son’s) at a time
when he barely knew me (us). His kindness and compassion has awakened my soul and because of
him I strive to be a better person every day that he is in my life.

As I’ve said before, I hold no deed to any property in NY, it holds a deed to me. I have camped,
loved, laughed, cried and lived on that field in Bethel. My cousin’s have played on the stages there. I
have been going to that field long before the 20yr anniversary. Babies were born and people have
died there. For 31 years people have flocked there to experience the love and peace that comes
from that special place.

In 1995 Jerry Garcia died and my life changed forever. I no longer had tens of thousands of hippies
around me several times a year. (Sorry Futher Fest, but it was too painful for me w/o Jerry) All that
was left was "Woodstock"-once a year. I was forced to change my way of life and tried to conform.
I couldn’t do it…. I was not accepted. Then the trouble with "Woodstock" began…. My only and
last hope for some kind of happiness in that very special part of my life began slipping away. I fear
the kind of person I will become if "Woodstock" is taken away completely. Yes, (god forbid the site
is the new home for the new PAC) we can go other places to experience that "feeling" we get when
we are around other hippies but that’s really not the point here is it? (Not to me, anyway.) The point
for me is that I just want Alan Gerry to leave the field alone. Money is not what makes the world go
‘round. Love is. And that place, that simple little field of grass, represents love and peace for all of us
and it needs to be preserved for the future. Not just for us but for my son and yours. My son is only
13yrs old and even he wants to go back. I brought him there in 1994 after the festival and he was so
impressed and inspired. He still can’t understand why we can’t go back. Poor kid. I can’t bear the
thought of him not having "Woodstock" to free his soul like I did growing up. I will do whatever it
takes to help my son’s future. That place can change people and their ways of life and he knows that
already and is eager to experience it.

Living in one area for almost 35yrs I have seen many big developers come into this area and do what
they please, no matter how the locals feel about it. Once an outsider gets voted into office all is lost.
Some call it progress, I call it rape. Pike county PA is one of the top 5 fastest growing counties in the
country for years now and I have seen this kind of thing all too much. This does not mean we
shouldn’t try to preserve the site in NY. In all the years those developers came in (which the town
councils allowed in) there WERE small victories about. They were few and far between but some
did accomplish their goals. The ones who refused to fold under the pressure of everyone telling them
to stop and live with the change. The ones who kept going to meetings and writing letters and
informing everyone who would listen. They are the ones who saved our natural resources and stayed
to protect and benefit from them. The ones who kept quiet and "let someone else do the job" lost
their homeland to the outsiders…and then moved away.

So, as a candidate for this new alliance to save "Woodstock" I promise to keep getting up every
time someone knocks me down. I promise to keep writing letters, and going to meetings until
someone acknowledges our cause and stops the raping of our "peace and love" masterpiece that
was once called "Woodstock". I will not be afraid of criticism or humiliation. All of these things are a
small sacrifice on my part to save something so precious as the place where our hearts and spirits
live. Everything must be done to save this sacred place and I will not let naysayers chase me away. If
people who can’t understand us try to put us down, I will try to educate them so they might have a
higher knowledge of our cause.

One last thought before I wrap this up… I almost drown in the Delaware as a child where the
Delaware and the Lackawaxen rivers meet, I’ve been hit by lightning, and I’ve been literally run over
by a 3000lb overweight tractor-trailer with no brakes (and various other car accidents.) I often
wonder why my life was spared from all these horrible things and I have to wonder now… if THIS is
why.
 

Peace and Love be with you all
Oxoxo’s
Peggy Beischer (Hippiechic)

ãcopyright 1998 EGGINK "a family business"

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