Bill Lubinsky, the keeper of the flame of the Woodstock Festival died this past September. Bill, my late husband and I have been going to Yasgur's farm every year since 1971. I would like people to know of the awesome responsibility Bill took on over the years of keeping the spirit of Woodstock live on forever.

Over the years Bill would play host to the hundreds of reporters and T.V. crews who wanted to go and see where this great event took place. He did so with love and out of the cheer joy of sharing his incredible experiences at the actual concert. He never asked for anything in return. He loved retelling his stories to kids who weren't even born at the time of the festival in 1969. He would point out where different things were located on the field, and his intimate stories were always a joy to hear.

Each year the people who we met at the festival reunions (unplanned) came back again with friends and family. It just snowballed. And those friends and family brought more people and so on. The crowds swelled to incredible proportions each year and our Woodstock family also grew greatly. The year of the 20th anniversary just blew us away. We never would have thought that our family would grow so much.

As the anniversary rolled around each year we were always wondering what type of obstacle would be thrown in the way of our celebration. One year it was roadblocks of snowplows. Another year a heavy dosing of chicken manure. They tried every trick in the book to keep us all from coming back each year. I really can't figure that one out. It was always an adventure and always fun.

Over the years we've lost some of our friends who we would look forward to seeing each August. Some will remain on the field forever in their ashes which were thrown upon the field which they loved so much.

All of you who enjoy Woodstock and the reunions should always remember that if it hadn't been for Bill Lubinsky the celebrations would never have grown to such epic proportions.

Bill's company Woodstock Festival still lives on sharing information, stories and festival memorabilia through myself and Bill's son, Alexander.

This last anniversary was difficult for Bill to attend. His body wasn't cooperating and he had trouble walking but he managed to get there and was saddened at how things were handled there. He knew that that would be his last physical visit to the site. He died about a month later but his spirit will live on with his stories and through the hearts of all those he met over the many years.