Woodstock Turns 40

There are no hippies left, only Phish fans and other wandering dread-head souls who travel from jam festival to jam festival, yearning for the 1960s like a pothead for a brownie. Thus the revolutionary tone of the decade is sometimes lost through tie-dye-colored Sixties nostalgia. But for a lot of people, the political turmoil of the Sixties was hardly a big party. The Vietnam War raged on as feminists, gay rights activists, civil rights activists, and various Chicano movements fought deep-seated and often violent ignorance.

Such consciousness-raising and questioning of social norms inspired a counter-culture united in spirit and music. And nowhere was the cultural revolution better captured than at Woodstock, the legendary three-day 1969 music festival. Cinema Paradiso (503 SE 6th St., Fort Lauderdale) will celebrate the festival’s 40th anniversary Saturday with a series of concert films, arts and crafts, and displays of work by local artists. Starting at 2 p.m. in the courtyard, attendees can participate in an acoustic jam session, walk around the local artist exhibition, and munch on organic food.

All films shown will pertain to artists who played at Woodstock, though not all include actual Woodstock performances. The Who: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, Monterey Pop documents the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967, and A Night at the Family Dog stars three of the most recognized bands to emerge from the Bay Area: The Grateful Dead, Jeffereson Airplane, and Santana. Other highlights include Jimi Hendrix: Live at Woodstock and Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music, the three-hour documentary that captures the verve of the short-lived mini-city from cleanup crews to naked hippies to National Guard helicopters flying in supplies.

The event begins at 2 p.m., but the first film doesn’t start until 4. Admission is free. On Monday, the theater will feature the Rolling Stones film Gimme Shelter at 7 p.m. Call 954-525-3456, or visit fliff.com.
Sat., Aug. 15, 2 p.m., 2009