The Beat

Capture the distinctive character of the Canal Corridor and be featured in the Erie Canalway Calendar

Waterford, N.Y. – Amateur and professional photographers are invited to submit entries for the 14^th annual Erie Canalway Photo Contest. Photos should convey the wealth of things to do and see along the waterway and express the beauty and unique character of the canal and canal communities. Winning photos will be featured in the 2020 Erie Canalway calendar.

75^th Anniversary Planning Committee will commemorate Aug. 5, 1944 arrival of 982 Holocaust Refugees at the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter

 “In the Spring of 1944 a crisis developed as refugees making their way through German lines began interfering with Allied military operations in Italy, and allied refugee camps were pushed to overflowing.  When America’s European allies balked at opening new refugee camps in their own countries and territories, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his intention to open the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter in Oswego, NY.  Roosevelt’s goal in opening a camp in the Continental United States was to convince our allies that America was serious about rescuing the Jews of Europe, and to accept refugees themselves.  Fort Ontario subsequently became the only camp or shelter for Holocaust refugees in the United States during World War II.  It is where every-day Americans and reporters first encountered the victims and their personal stories of persecution at the hands of the Nazis, and it resulted in Holocaust stories moving from the back to the front pages of American newspapers.  Fort Ontario is where the Holocaust came to America.”Paul Lear, Historic Site Manager, Fort Ontario State Historic Site…

New Exhibit Marks 50th Anniversary of the Iconic Year in U.S. History

Explore the Exhibit Online Here

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and New York State Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito today announced the opening of the exhibition "1969," which explores the end of one of the most iconic and turbulent decades in United States' history. Located at the Robert Abrams Justice Building's Vietnam Memorial Gallery at Empire State Plaza in Albany, the exhibition will be on display through December 2019. …

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.