Special Moments

Name:	Mark Parisi
City/State:	Then, NYC
Date:	Mon Nov 14, 2005
Remembers... What a trip! I was in the service at the time, stationed at Fort Bliss, Tx. I was really bummed at missing woodstock and was determined to get to the APF.As I had no leave time I went awol to attend the festival. I left El Paso with a bag of my belongings, about $20.00 in cash, stuck out my thumb and arrived in Atlanta on Thursday. Much to my dismay, after trying to find the festival, I discovered it was in a smaal town just south, at Byron.I got down there Friday morning, remember traffic at a crawl, thanked my ride and began to walk toward the gate. Wound up riding on a car hood or two, and seem to have gotten to the 'Gate' as the concert was declared a FREE festival.I remember many booths seemingly set up along the dirt road selling every mind altering psychodelic I have ever heard of. I seem to remember making a $2 purchase of something that kept me tripping for 3 days.As most of you have indicated, all is a large haze - I remember smoking much weed, angle dust or whatever. I remember the water trucks and seem to remember hellicopters?? The music and the people are what I have the most fun recolecting. People who were not there just dont know what it feels like to have heard Hendrix play his, at the time, very radical version of the SSB, So loud that the notes seemed to permiate your very being while watching the light show above etch itself into your brain - - wow. The time has come today, ticcccc toccccc.... Freedom, Freedom... God those were some fine sets.Having grown up in the city, I had seen many of the acts at the Fillmore (East), including the Allman Brothers (wiht their double bass drum), but out in that field, out in the air it was just incredable. I am very glad to have been a part of the '70's Festival and could talk for hours about the people who befriended me there, about the commarorerie shared by 'we the people' and of course about the music. I am truely glad to have found this site and read the posts of the many people who were there.Because it helps me believe that the whole thing was not just a drug induced figment of my twisted mind. Peace and Love Parisi BTW, I returned to the army, got an article 15, paid my fine and got on with my life.