The Beat

Jamestown, N.Y. (March 12, 2019) – The National Comedy Center was formally designated today as the nation’s official cultural institution dedicated to the art form of comedy. In a tremendous bi-partisan show of support, both the Senate and House of Representatives passed this bill in February, and the president signed it into law today, recognizing the Center as the “Official National Comedy Center of the United States.”

The bill, as written, recognizes that the National Comedy Center, located in Jamestown, New York, “exists for the exclusive purpose of celebrating comedy in all its forms” and officially designates the Center as the “National Comedy Center.”…

The Museum re-opens for A Season of Song and Celebration March 30^th featuring the 2019 Special Exhibit We Are Golden

BETHEL, NY (March 8, 2019)  – On March 30^th, The Museum at Bethel Woods, located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, will open for the 2019 season and mark the 50^th Anniversary with the Special Exhibit We Are Golden: Reflections on the 50^th Anniversary of The Woodstock Festival & Aspirations for a Peaceful Future, part of A Season of Song and Celebration. This exhibit examines the desires of the youth of 1969, places the legendary festival within the context of the positive societal changes it inspired and asks today's youth what THEY are asking of the world now. 
We Are Golden will feature a large collection of authentic Woodstock artifacts such as instruments, clothing, equipment, art and photography. Highlights include Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane's bass guitar and tunic, handwritten lyrics for "Goin' Up the Country" by Alan Wilson of Canned Heat, a speaker cabinet and mixing equipment used by Bill Hanley at Woodstock which helped to set the standard for outdoor sound engineering and world-class photographs from the 15 best photographers of the festival.

New Exhibit Pays Tribute to New York Women of Change—Those Who Were First, and Those Who Have Been Forgotten to be Honored in the Capitol

Hear Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa Discuss the Exhibit Here

See Photos of Exhibit Here and Here

New York (March 6, 2019) – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the opening of the Women's History Month exhibit honoring New York State female trailblazers and public servants. The exhibit is located in the Governor's Reception Room on the second floor of the New York State Capitol and will run through the end of March.

Part of Bethel Woods Season of Song & Celebration Anniversary Weekend
Tickets On-Sale Friday, March 8^th at 10 AM

Bethel, N.Y. (March 5, 2019) – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Carlos Santana has announced that he will return to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival on Saturday, August 17^th – exactly 50 years after Santana made history during the legendary festival.
 
Santana’s performance will be a highlight of Bethel Woods’ Anniversary Week programming, commemorating the semi-centennial of the greatest festival of all time on the days in which it happened.  Anniversary Week will include extended museum hours, docent tours of the exhibits and historic site, and a variety of events and programs, beginning with a screening of the Warner Bros. Academy-Award winning documentary Woodstock: the Director’s Cut on Thursday, August 15^th.

Newburgh, NY …. February 14, 2019) When someone like General George Washington has a birthday, one day to celebrate just isn’t enough. At least that’s how we feel at Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site, in Newburgh, and why we are having three days of fun and festivities in honor of him – Saturday, February 16^th, Sunday, February 17^th and Monday, February 18^th, 12 PM until 4 PM.

Join us in singing “Happy Birthday” to the General, who will the start the festivities each day by cutting into his birthday cake. Then explore all that each day offers - music, military demonstrations, topical talks, and a take-home craft - something for everyone!…

Exploring the Impact and Inspiration of the Sixties

Changemakers, artists, and influencers inspire thinking and awaken purpose throughout series of eight events from May to October 2019

Part of a Year-Long Celebration of Woodstock’s Golden Anniversary

 Bethel, NY, February 12, 2019 - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a nonprofit cultural center located on the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, today announces Vibrations, a series of eight events celebrating the iconic festival’s Golden Anniversary from many angles. From May to October 2019, Vibrations will explore music, iconic photography, film, mindfulness, environmental stewardship, deep space and more, connecting these conversations to the legacy of the sixties and movements of today.

Peace, Love & Posters Contest

Original Woodstock poster designer David Edward Byrd and renowned Broadway poster artist Frank “Fraver” Verlizzo to serve as judges

Bethel, NY, January 10, 2019 - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a nonprofit cultural organization located on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock festival, today announced a national poster contest in celebration of the iconic festival’s 50th anniversary this year. Woodstock spawned one of the most recognizable posters of the century with its signature bird and guitar celebrating “3 Days of Peace & Music.”
 
The Peace, Love & Posters Contest invites student, amateur and professional artists to create a poster that visually expresses values of kindness, community, and our aspirations for the next fifty years. The contest opens for submissions on February 6 and ends on March 14, 2019. The grand prize winner will receive a cash prize of $2,500 and national exposure for their work.

Dates for Navigation Season Through 2021 are Also Released

White Plains, N.Y. —The New York State Canal Corporation Board of Directors today approved a continued waiver of tolls for recreational vessels through 2021, following two years of toll-free travel that saw increases in canal traffic.

The tolls, $25 to $100 depending on the size of the boat, had been waived in 2017 and 2018 to celebrate the Erie Canal bicentennial and the 100-year anniversary of the New York State Barge Canal, now known as the New York State Canal System.

Newburgh, NY (December 5, 2018)  -- You are invited to Warm Up at the Washingtons’ at Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site, in Newburgh, on Sunday, December 9th, 12 PM until 4 PM. Historic interpreters in each seasonally decorated room will greet visitors and share what took place when the Washingtons occupied the Hasbrouck farmhouse during the last winter of the Revolutionary War. The Salmagundi Consort will perform period appropriate music by an indoor Dutch jambless fireplace, and cookies and warm cider will be served near an outdoor fire.

Acquisition in partnership with Open Space Institute ensures this National Historic Landmark will be forever protected

Ticonderoga, N.Y. – The Fort Ticonderoga Association today announced that it has acquired 47 acres on the east face of Mount Defiance, ensuring the entire historically important mountain will be forever protected. The acquisition was made possible through partnership with the Open Space Institute (OSI) which provided a $46,000 grant for the purchase and related expenses.

“Fort Ticonderoga has a long history of land conservation and historic preservation dating back to 1820 when William Ferris Pell purchased the garrison grounds and placed a fence around the fort ruins marking the earliest act of preservation by a private individual in America,” said Beth L. Hill, Fort Ticonderoga President and CEO. “This recent acquisition is an important addition to our 2000-acre historic campus and will preserve the historic land and its natural beauty forever.”…