Woodstock 25th anniversary Aug 1994: During the summer of 1994, my husband talked me into going to Woodstock 94. I would have preferred Disneyland, but he said it was a once in a life experience and the kids were free. So we bought our $135 a piece tickets and took off driving from Nebraska with two of his friends and our 3 children ages 1, 2 and 5. We arrived in New York 3 days before the concert because we wanted to set up camp early and they were letting people in early. We had to park in a makeshift parking lot in a field 25 miles from the concert and take a Woodstock bus to the site. The parking lot was alive with activity. Tents were being set up right next to the cars and people were honking horns, screaming, playing music and having fun socializing with each other. People were selling balloons filled with nitrous gas to get high on. We had brought light ropes to sell and make some extra money so my husband and 5 year old daughter went car to car selling them. It was late when we finally dragged all our stuff (tent, food, clothes, diapers, camera, and stroller painted with hippy colors) and kids to the bus to ride to Woodstock. Another party was going on in the bus. We arrived and our tickets and bags were checked quickly. We set up camp in the nearest field from the entrance and slept well. We awoke to the noise of many more people arriving as the gates were crashed and it became a free for all and we were right in the path. So we moved our campsite a mile in on the side of the mountain. To keep the kids from being lost, they each wore bright tie-dyes and a fanny pack with a jump rope attached and then tied to my husband’s belt. Needless to say, we were quite a site and photographers took a lot of pictures of our menagerie. Along the way, we passed makeshift outdoor facilities–a large 25” by 25” wood frame with many sinks and showers attached. Eventually this is where mud people originated and got cleaned up. By the time we were set up, it was a sea of tents, all very close together. We had the largest tent and easy to spot, which helped us quickly find our way back from the port-a potties. People were playing bongos in their tents and this went on day and night the whole time we were there. My husband and his friends took the kids to the first concert, Sheryl Crow. There were three stages set up and the next day we walked everywhere checking out the different bands and extras. I had never seen so many people in one place in my life. Tents were everywhere, many of them with signs selling different kinds of drugs. People were walking around naked, and the mud people were created from the wet ground around the wash areas. Our friend Dave was attacked by mud people and became one himself for a day. The food was expensive, so I am glad we brought our own. Eventually the food tents ran out of food too. The forecast for the next day was for rain, so I packed up me and the kids and we started our long trek to the front gates through 400,000 people. Along the way we passed by the mud slide and by guys trying to get any girl within earshot to lift their shirt. I was glad to be out of there. My husband and friends stayed two more days, living off of peanut butter and crackers. I picked up the muddy trio by the parking lot where I had parked. It had become a mud hole and cars had to be towed from it for $200 each by tractors, so I had got out just in time. We happily made our way home with unforgettable memories.