Hosts Open House; Vows to
Hire Locals, Possibly Hold Future Events at Racino
WOODSTOCK, NY—July 15, 2019—Organizers of Woodstock
50 and Jeffrey Gural, owner of Vernon Downs, today invited the community of
Vernon to embrace the Festival’s spirit of peace, love and music by stopping by
an open house to meet the team and preview a proposal for a 50th
Anniversary celebration at the race
track.
Woodstock 50 is seeking an administrative permit from
the Town of Vernon to host the three-day Festival at Vernon Downs on August
16-18. The open house will take place at the Vernon Downs Casino Hotel at 6:30
p.m. on Monday and from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Refreshments will be
served.
Gural will be one of several speakers at a formal
presentation of the Festival’s comprehensive plan to the Town of Vernon Tuesday
night. The meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Vernon Town Hall, is open to
the public.
“The
original Woodstock prevailed against all odds because of the determination of
the founders and we hope that, with the help of the people of Vernon, history
can repeat itself and turn Woodstock 50 into a great American comeback story,” said
Greg Peck, co-owner of Woodstock 50. “We
purchased the rights from the founders to put on Woodstock 50 because of our
belief in what the Festival stands for. We have put enormous care and thought into
our security, safety, traffic and medical plan and are eager to show the
officials and residents of Vernon that this Festival will be not only memorable
and historic, but peaceful and safe for everyone involved.”
“This
is an opportunity of a lifetime for Vernon Downs and the Town of Vernon to be
part of history,” said Gural, a real estate developer who also runs harness
tracks at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey and Tioga Downs in southern New
York. “We have long dreamed of hosting music festivals at Vernon Downs as a way
of shoring up the long-term economic viability of the operation. Woodstock 50
would be the beginning of a tremendous legacy that would help secure jobs today
and for future generations.”
Woodstock
50 has assembled a world-class team of experts to help with the expedited
schedule of the Festival. Among the consultants is Virgin Produced, the entertainment
production arm of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
Music
festivals have proven to be a boon for the local economies where they are held.
In its 17th year, the
Bonnaroo Music Festival, held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, TN, pumped an
estimated $56 million into the regional economy, including its host town of 10,000
people, according to the Tennessean.
Woodstock
50 would be no different. If permits are secured, Woodstock 50 could foresee
hiring local residents to help with ticketing, security, logistical support,
transportation, set up, break down and clean up. Peck and Gural said they have
discussed holding annual Woodstock 50 events at Vernon Downs in the future.
Gural
said he is prepared to make a contribution to local non-profit organizations
from the proceeds of the Festival just as he has done in other communities
where he operates. On Friday, Gural is donating $500,000 to local non-profits
in Nichols, N.Y., the home of Tioga Downs.
Peck
said Woodstock 50 also would like to establish a committee of local residents
to identify and invite certain local vendors onto the site during the Festival.
The committee would also be in charge of managing a VIP lounge for local
residents and guests.
Peck said
the committee also could help identify a community project such as a playground
or children’s recreational center that Woodstock 50 could leave as a thank you
to the people of Vernon.
“We
see the Town of Vernon as our partners in putting on this Festival,” Peck said.
“We can’t do it without their help and want the Festival to be a great source
of community pride. We want everyone to be able to enjoy the experience.”
###
About
Woodstock 50:
Created
in 1969 and billed as “3 Days of Peace and Music,” the legendary Woodstock
Music and Arts Fair was a reaction by the youth of its time to the tumultuous
conditions they faced and the causes that inspired them —civil rights, women’s
rights and the antiwar movement. Woodstock was a defining cultural and
historical moment that brought hundreds of thousands of attendees together for
music, peace and love.
Woodstock
co-producer and co-founder, Michael Lang and partners are bringing the festival
back in the true spirit of the original – to unite people in a shared
experience with great artists, and encourage active support of equality,
inclusion and a shared sustainable future. The Official Woodstock 50th
Anniversary Festival will bring three days of peace, love and music back to
Upstate New York from Friday, Aug. 16 through Sunday, Aug. 18, at Watkins Glen
International.
Contact:
