June 4, 2008 Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 4, 2008
Contact: Garry Adelman
E-mail: gadelman@historyassociates.com
Telephone: (301) 279-9697

History Associates Gets Groovy

For more than two years, History Associates historians have been working to develop exhibits for a new museum located at the site of the August 1969 Woodstock music festival. Opening this week, The Museum at Bethel Woods examines the meaning and significance of the festival as a defining moment for the turbulent decade that helped shape modern America.

History Associates helped develop the museum storyline, wrote label text, and collected hundreds of historical images. They also wrestled with the challenging task of trying to document an event that has become an iconic part of America's cultural landscape—an event where memories and myth have become inescapably interwoven.

James H. Lide, vice president of History Associates, described the challenge: "Over the years, what actually happened at Woodstock has become obscured as memories have faded and stories get retold countless times. Our historians sought out a variety of original sources ranging from contemporary news articles to materials from local residents, and even State of New York Health Department memorandums." The museum offers visitors the chance to learn both about the reality of the festival and its symbolic importance to a generation.

History Associates worked alongside a group of designers, filmmakers, interactive developers, and the museum's in-house team to create one of the country's most intriguing new institutions. Designed by Gallagher & Associates, the museum uses interactive exhibits, multimedia presentations with never-before-seen footage, personal stories, and artifacts to provide an unparalleled look at one of the culminating events of a decade.

The Museum at Bethel Woods is an integral part of the larger Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a $100 million outdoor complex dedicated to bringing diverse performing arts and educational programs to the region. For more information on The Museum at Bethel Woods, please visit www.BethelWoodsCenter.org.

About History Associates Incorporated: For more than twenty-five years the historians and archivists at History Associates Incorporated have demonstrated that history is valuable in the market as well as the marketplace of ideas. HAI's nearly fifty employees provide professional historical research, writing, exhibit content, archives, and records management services to clients throughout the United States and around the world. HAI serves these corporate, government, and nonprofit clients from its headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, with an office in Brea, California. History Associates strives to be The Best Company in History®. For more information, call (301) 279-9697 or visit www.historyassociates.com.