Back to Woodstock, with Wi-Fi: Women return after 55 years to glamp and relive the famous festival

BETHEL, N.Y. (AP) — Beverly “Cookie” Grant hitchhiked to the Woodstock music festival in 1969 without a ticket and slept on straw. Ellen Shelburne arrived in a VW microbus and pitched a pup tent.

Fifty-five years later, the two longtime friends finally got back to the garden, but this time in high style.

The women, now 76, were recently treated to a two-bedroom glamping tent at the upstate New York site equipped with comfy beds, a shower, a coffee maker and Wi-Fi. No mud from drenching rains this time. They sat in pavilion seats to watch shows by Woodstock veterans John Fogerty and Roger Daltrey.

“We’re like hippie queens!” Grant joked over breakfast during the trip earlier this month.

The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the not-for-profit organization that runs the site, rolled out the tie-dyed carpet for Grant and Shelburne to promote its new glamping facilities and to delve deeper into Shelburne’s trove of photos from the generation-defining festival held Aug. 15-18, 1969.

The once-trampled hillside by the main stage is now a manicured green space near a Woodstock-and-’60s-themed museum and the concert pavilion. But the return visit still bought back a flood of memories. Shelburne was able to retrace the steps she took as a 21-year-old college student in the photos taken by her then-boyfriend, and future husband, David Shelburne.

“I’m looking at this person in the photograph, who is me, but a person just starting out in life at that age. And now I’m looking back at sort of bookends of my life," Ellen Shelburne said. “All these decades later, I’m back at Woodstock and it just brings it all up in such a positive way.”

Grant and Shelburne did not know each other in August 1969 and they attended the concert separately.

Shelburne came from Columbus, Ohio, with David Shelburne, his best friend and another woman. They purchased tickets, got there early and bought ponchos at a local store after rain was forecast. She slept in a pup tent.

“I was never cold, wet, hungry, muddy, dirty, uncomfortable or miserable," she said. "It was the total opposite.”

Grant went to Woodstock on a lark.

A long-haired surfer she knew named Ray came up to her and a friend on a beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and said, “There’s this music festival happening in New York. You want to hitchhike up there with me?” Grant's friend dropped out along the way, but she and the surfer made it to the town of Bethel. The last driver dropped them off at the edge of the epic traffic jam outside the festival and gave them a blanket.

Grant walked the last several miles to Woodstock barefoot.

Both women were wowed by Jimi Hendrix, The Who and other musical acts, but also by the good vibes from the 400,000 or more people who converged on Max Yasgur's dairy farm some 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of New York City.

“If we needed food, someone gave us food. Someone gave us water. We needed nothing,” Grant said.

The two women met months later in Columbus, where they each ran shops adjacent to Ohio State University with the men they went to Woodstock with. And they each married their concert companions, though Grant got a divorce several years later.

David and Ellen Shelburne ran a film and video production company together until he died four years ago. Grant moved to Florida and eventually became a chef on mega-yachts before starting her own business providing crews for those big boats.

Each woman kept a spark of the Woodstock spirit. Shelburne said she's “stuck in the ’60s and proud of it.” They got the bug to return to the festival site last year after providing oral histories in Columbus to curators for the Museum at Bethel Woods.

Just like in 1969, the women were provided what they needed during their recent long weekend of peace, love and nostalgia — though this time it was a “Luxury 2 Bedroom Safari Tent” with a front deck and the shower in a bathroom. And when it rained this time, they were able to stay dry in the museum.

On a sunny Saturday, Bethel Woods senior curator Neal Hitch drove the women around in a golf cart to explore the spots where David Shelburne shot his festival photos. Unlike others who focused their cameras on the stage, he documented festivalgoers camping, swimming, selling goods, relaxing and having fun. Hitch noted that David Shelburne's images also are valuable because they are in sequence, meaning they tell a story.

At one stop, Shelburne stood by a tree line as she held a photo of a field full of campers. She was standing on the spot where her late husband took the photograph and was looking at the same field, minus the campers, 55 years later. Visibly moved, she said “oh” a few times and let out a deep breath before exclaiming, “Wow!”

It broke her heart that her husband is not in the photographs, but she felt his presence that weekend.

The women ranged across the festival site over several days, from the stage area to the woods where vendors had set up stalls. Despite the changes — the luxury tents, the fences, the museum — the women said they recognized the same mellow, friendly vibes here that they experienced as 21-year-olds.

And they were thrilled to immerse themselves in it again decades later.

“It’s very wonderful to see that it’s in history forever,” Grant said, “and we’re a part of that.”

A bus drives through Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Ellen Shelburne looks out at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Ellen Shelburne, right, puts a necklace on Beverly "Cookie" Grant inside their glamping tent at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Ellen Shelburne looks out at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, from her clamping tent, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Ellen Shelburne attaches a pin to her purse at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Ellen Shelburne, left, and Beverly "Cookie" Grant hug inside their glamping tent at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Ellen Shelburne looks out at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, from her clamping tent porch, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Beverly "Cookie" Grant, left, and Ellen Shelburne walk through Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Buildings sit on the site of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair's main stage at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

This August 1969 photo shows campers and tents set up on the grounds of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, N.Y. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the not-for-profit organization that runs the current site, now features new glamping facilities. (David Shelburne via AP)

This August 1969 photo shows campers and tents set up on the grounds of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, N.Y. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the not-for-profit organization that runs the current site, now features new glamping facilities. (David Shelburne via AP)

Ellen Shelburne photographs Beverly "Cookie" Grant in front of the glamping tents at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Beverly "Cookie" Grant and Ellen Shelburne talk on the phone with Ray Frey at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. Frey and Grant, who are now divorced, attended Woodstock together and got married in 1971. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Beverly "Cookie" Grant reacts to the Fanflashtic experience, an operational replica of one constructed at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, at the Museum At Bethel Woods, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Beverly "Cookie" Grant tests out her glamping tent bed at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Beverly "Cookie" Grant, left, and Ellen Shelburne unpack inside their glamping tent at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

This August 1969 photo shows attendees of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair camping with shelters made from bales of hay on the grounds in Bethel, N.Y. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the not-for-profit organization that runs the site, now features new glamping facilities. (David Shelburne via AP)

This August 1969 photo shows Ellen Shelburne, center, on a swing on the grounds of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, N.Y. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the not-for-profit organization that runs the site, rolled out the tie-dyed carpet for Shelburne and her friend, Beverly Grant (not pictured) to promote its new glamping facilities and to delve deeper into Shelburne's trove of photos from the generation-defining festival held Aug. 15-18, 1969. (David Shelburne via AP)

Ellen Shelburne and Beverly "Cookie" Grant sit in the original Woodstock Music and Art Fair tire swing at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Ellen Shelburne and Beverly "Cookie" Grant react while touring Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, their first time back since the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in 1969, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

This August 1969 photo shows Ellen Shelburne, walking through the grounds of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, N.Y. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the not-for-profit organization that runs the site, rolled out the tie-dyed carpet for Shelburne and her friend, Beverly Grant (not pictured) to promote its new glamping facilities and to delve deeper into Shelburne's trove of photos from the generation-defining festival held Aug. 15-18, 1969. (David Shelburne via AP)

This August 1969 photo shows attendees of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair making their way along the grounds near the main stage. In Bethel, N.Y. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the not-for-profit organization that runs the site, now features glamping facilities. (David Shelburne via AP)

Ellen Shelburne's Woodstock Music and Art Fair ticket is displayed in a photo album, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Beverly "Cookie" Grant and Ellen Shelburne watch George Thorogood & The Destroyers perform at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Beverly "Cookie" Grant, left, and Ellen Shelburne watch George Thorogood & The Destroyers perform at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Beverly "Cookie" Grant enters her clamping tent at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Tents are set up at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — The wind at Newport Country Club hasn’t been able to slow down Hiroyuki Fujita in the U.S. Senior Open.

Maybe the rain will stop him.

The Japanese Tour veteran shot a 3-under 67 on Saturday to improve to 14 under in pursuit of a wire-to-wire win and his first victory on American soil. He’ll have to withstand thunderstorms forecast for the final round as well as a charge from 2019 champion Steve Stricker, who made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 to shoot his third straight 66 and cut a four-stroke deficit in half.

“The conditions are supposed to be pretty bad, from what I hear, tomorrow,” Fujita said. “I don’t have a lot of distance on my club, so I’m definitely going to be in some tough spots. I’m just going to focus on the fact that I’m playing on the last day in the last group and focus on the fact that I’m lucky to be here.”

Richard Green shot 69 to sit at minus-11, with Richard Bland (69) at 9 under and Bob Estes (66) at 8 under.

Players teed off early and in threesomes from both nines on Saturday in an attempt to finish before the fog rolled in on the 7,024-yard, par-70 course on the mouth of Narragansett Bay. Tee times were moved up again for the final round on Sunday, when rain and lightning were forecast for the afternoon.

“This place is meant to be kind of firm and fast and kind of linksy in feel. If it stayed this way, a little breezy, and firmed up a little bit, it would be a really tough test tomorrow,” 2021 winner Jim Furyk said.

“If it rains quite a bit, I think you’ll see some guys who are able to score, where it’s easier to keep it on the fairway, easier to get the balls on the greens, and maybe a little less difficult,” he said. “If it’s wet, if it rains, someone will go out there and fire it.”

Fujita, who had never broken 70 on the 50-and-over tour, did it for the third day in a row while posting the only bogey-free round on Saturday. He has just one bogey in the first 54 holes and has missed just one fairway in the tournament.

“He didn’t really miss a shot all the way around. He’s very consistent,” said Stricker, who was the tournament’s runner-up in each of the last two years. “We’re going to have to go out and have a good round to try to catch him. It looks like he’s in control of what’s going on with his game and emotion.”

Fujita had three birdies on the front on Saturday to open a big lead at 14 under before making nine straight pars on the back nine.

“He just didn’t make any mistakes,” Green said. “If he plays like that tomorrow, it’s going to take a good round from the guys coming from behind to catch him. You never know in the pressure of a U.S. Open at the end of the week what might happen. But I’ll just play my game and see where it ends up.”

Stricker fell four strokes back with a bogey on the par-3 13th but then got the stroke back on No. 16. He drained a 40-foot putt on the 17th right before Fujita missed his birdie putt from about 12 feet.

Stricker, who was second by two strokes to Padraig Harrington in 2022 and one shot behind Bernhard Langer last year, has posted a 33 on all six nine-hole sides of the tournament.

“You’ve got Greenie, obviously, who’s playing great at the minute. Steve Stricker’s been there, done it," Bland said. "I don’t know too much about the guy that’s in front, but he’s pretty much had the lead all week.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

The clubhouse at the Newport Country Club is visible Friday, June 28, 2024, behind a sign for the U.S. Senior Open which is being played June 27-30 in Newport, R.I. (AP Photo/Jimmy Golen)