Sarasota Farmers Market holds Woodstock Revival event

It was 1969. The counterculture was on the cusp of combustion and a dairy farm 43 miles southwest of Woodstock, N.Y., was about to become the epicenter of popular culture.

It’s estimated that more than 400,000 people descended on the area for the Woodstock Music Festival, clogging roads and causing property damage.

Although Sarasota Farmers Market Manager Phil Pagano isn’t expecting quite that sort of reception, he is hoping the market’s first Woodstock Revival event will be a hit.

“It’s nice to dip into history a little bit even though it wasn’t that long ago,” Pagano said.

Pagano and his staff have organized market-wide events in the past, most notably its annual Shrimp and Lobster Festival.

“It was very successful, and we thought we would change it up a little,” Pagano said.

So Pagano ditched the seafood in search of some psychedelic sounds. The event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the Aug. 19 farmers market, includes vintage Volkswagens, children’s crafts and live music by ’60s cover band Paisley Craze.

“All the music is going to be from Woodstock,” he said.

Depending on your family (it was the ’60s after all), the original Woodstock may have lacked family-friendly vibes. But Pagano said Sarasota’s tribute to the iconic event is a festival for all.

“I think it’s going to be a blend of both young and old,” Pagano said. “I just think it’s a fun thing.”

The market has promoted the event on its social media platforms and during the Saturday morning markets. Based on the public’s reception, Pagano expects visitors from as far south as Fort Myers and as far north as Tampa to make the trek to see Sarasota’s downtown market show its groovier side.

For those who remember the days of peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll, the Woodstock Revival offers the opportunity for nostalgia. For those who don’t, it’s simply a day to bust out that tie-dye headband that’s been gathering dust since Halloween of 2010.

As for Pagano, he never made it Woodstock. He was 14.

“I always wished I went to Woodstock,” he said. “Now, I’m having my own.”