Woodstock Peacefence: A Legacy Of Brotherly Love
http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=13073&catid=111
The Alexy family takes the green-era term "reduce, reuse, recycle" to
a new level in fashion with their authentic line of PeaceFence.com peace signs
August 04, 2009
by Beth Ann Hilton
BETHEL, NY
The very fence that couldn't keep the love out of Woodstock '69 now
binds the Bethel, NY-based Alexy family together in spirit, as their
unique line of accessories formed from the original Woodstock chain
link fence continues the legacy of PeaceFence.com founder James Alexy.
In 1969, the organizers of Woodstock realized the fences they had
constructed around the Woodstock concert site on Max Yasgur's dairy
farm in Bethel, NY, couldn't possibly control the exuberant crowds
they had attracted. They made the radical decision to make Woodstock
a free concert. The announcement was made, the gates opened wide,
and the fence became unnecessary.
When the 400,000-plus concert goers dispersed after three days of
peace, love and music, lengths of fencing were left behind. Soon
after, a thrifty local farmer picked it up to contain livestock on
his property, blind to its historical significance. In the 1980s,
that farmer and the fence were both still intact when young James
Alexy crossed their paths. Jamesenamored with the era even though
he was born in 1969had begun collecting Woodstock photos from local
folks. He eventually met the farmer and a vision emerged: to share
bits of the fence with others as collectible art and jewelry. He
acquired the fence and two of the gates, and PeaceFence.com was
founded as a family project. After James' untimely death in 1999,
the family of artisans decided to keep the project going in his
honor. Sadly, James' younger brother Jeremiah never fully recovered
from grieving the loss of his brother, and also died in 2008.
Cornelius Alexyfather of James, Jeremiah, Joseph and Elizabethlives
just a mile or so from the original concert site with his wife,
Sharon. Explaining the process James created, he says "We cut a bit
of the fence, bend it, then shape and weld it into the desired shape,
which is followed by a finishing process. To us, each one is a work
of art. We don't make a living at it; this is just our own way of
honoring our sons' memories."
Amidst the mass merchandising of Woodstock, the peace sign, and The
Summer of Love (see Target's massive storewide promotion),
PeaceFence.com accessories truly stand out as one of the only
authentic tokens of the original concert. Each comes with a
notarized certificate of authenticity, and both everyday fans and
celebrities are collecting the items. Alexy says sales of the
necklaces and key chains jumped during the hullabaloo surrounding the
25th and 30th anniversaries, and orders are on the rise in
anticipation of 40th Anniversary tours and tribute concerts around
the world starting in August 2009 and continuing through the rest of
the year. Alexy says that while he has a "good bit of fence" left,
the supply is definitely limited.
Owners of PeaceFence.com items say they make for interesting
conversation pieces, as it is unique to wear authentic memorabilia to
the events. Several recent New York governors are proud owners of
the peace signs, as are numerous authors, musicians and artists.
"My Peace Sign Pendant was given to me as a gift and is one of my
most prized possessions," says Joanne Hague, co-author of Woodstock
Peace, Music & Memories: Three History-Making Days in '69, which was
recently featured on Good Morning America.
"Today it's usual to buy some remembrance of the concerts we've
attended, but merchandising for Woodstock '69 was virtually
non-existent. There are the posters, programs and tickets available
from that 40 year old event, most just copies, and originals are very
high priced IF you are lucky enough to find one, but to own a piece
of the fence... a piece of history... something you can wear or carry
with you... something that has its own 'story'... is truly a
remarkable, unique piece of 'Woodstock' for anyone's collection."
As many who have made the pilgrimage to Bethel, NY already know, the
concert site is now home to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and
the Museum at Bethel Woods, which opened in June 2008. In an
interesting twist, the museum accepted the Alexy family's 10-year
loan of an original Woodstock gate to show in its exhibits, but
declined to sell PeaceFence.com items in their gift shop, reasoning
that the necklaces are original artifacts that a museum store should not sell.
While that underscores PeaceFence.com's authenticity, Alexy's
customers clearly disagree, as witnessed by their enthusiastic
feedback sent to the PeaceFence.com website, which sells directly to
consumers. In fact, the "Mother of Woodstock" Lisa Law-- author of
"Flashing on the Sixties" and "Interviews with Icons" says she
proudly wears her PeaceFence.com peace sign. In her own words, "The
peace sign that Roger gifted me is quite the conversation piece.
Every time I wear it people tell me how they like it and when I tell
them that it was made from the fence around the original Woodstock in
1969 they are even more intrigued. Then the conversation turns to the
fact that I helped feed 200,000 people at Woodstock with the Hog
Farmers and Wavy Gravy…The most recent time I proudly wore it was at
the Rainbow Gathering in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. It is a
great and most appropriate symbol of the times."
Law's sentiments were seconded by another happy customer from Dallas,
TX, who wrote, "The Peace Sign is one of the most enduring symbols of
the 1960s. The pendantsmade from the fencing that surrounded the
Woodstock Music and Art Fairembody the spirit of an extraordinary
generation. Each is a one-of-a-kind keepsake…a sacred artifact that
transports us back in time to those three memorable days of peace and
music some 40 years ago on Yasgur's Farm. Woodstock was a happening…a
piece of Americana that never will be duplicated. Carry a magical
piece of history and share the vibe of the Woodstock generation."
The Alexy family has enjoyed supporting the memory of Woodstock
throughout the years, but nothing is as meaningful as knowing that
their son and brother James' art and vision will live on with every
PeaceFence.com item sold. Today, the fence truly serves us the way
James envisioned: it brings people together instead of keeping them
apart. (www.PeaceFence.com)
--
Sidebar 1: Paying It Forward: Roger P. Orcutt, Ph.D. Gifts the Celeb Set
According to Roger P. Orcutt, Ph.D., the peace pendants by
PeaceFence.com, made from the original chain link fence, are a unique
and unparalleled piece of history of the original Woodstock
Festival. He is such a fan, in fact, that he says the artifacts
"are my favorite gifts to give as they are a TRUE piece of that
history which was able to survive, and now has been molded into a
symbol of what that concert was all about. I have not only given
them to family and friends, but to some of the major figures who took
part in the Festival," citing his gifts to the 1960s luminaries
Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Elliot Tiber ("The
Father of Woodstock") and author of the book Taking Woodstock; Lisa
Law; Roy Howard and Jeryl Abramson, who ran the Annual Woodstock
reunions; Toney Burkhart, jeweler and friend of Janis Joplin, who is
involved in producing WestFest, the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock in
San Francisco's Golden Gate Park this October 25, 2009. Orcutt hopes
to gift a PeaceFence.com necklace to singer Mary Travers of Peter,
Paul and Mary, to lift her spirits during her reported battle with cancer.
--
Sidebar 2: Fun Fan Quote
"I received my pendant today…WOW…It feels historical around my neck…I
can close my eyes and live that incredible time again, call it a
flash back or a memory. THANK YOU FOR THE TRIP!" M.I.M.
--
The B Company
Beth Ann Hilton
[email protected]
Tel: (310) 560-8390
.
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