Woodstock 50 again denied permit with festival weeks away

The Associated Press

5 years ago

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 16, 2019, file photo, Michael Lang, right, Woodstock 50 co-produce ... — FILE – In this Tuesday, July 16, 2019, file photo, Michael Lang, right, Woodstock 50 co-producer and co-founder, sits in Vernon Town Hall before a planning board hearing in Vernon, N.Y., for his appeal to grant a permit for the Woodstock 50 music festival. Woodstock 50 organizers have again been denied a permit to hold a three-day festival at an upstate New York horse track. Town of Vernon officials say Monday, July 22, 2019, the permit application for a festival Aug. 16-18 at the Vernon Downs racetrack and casino was filed too late and was rife with problems. (Edward Harris/Observer-Dispatch via AP)

VERNON, N.Y. — Woodstock 50 organizers have again been denied a permit to hold a three-day festival at an upstate New York horse track.

Town of Vernon officials say Monday the permit application for a festival Aug. 16-18 at the Vernon Downs racetrack and casino was filed too late and was rife with problems.

Vernon became a possible alternative site for Woodstock 50 after the original venue, Watkins Glen International, pulled out.

But local officials have repeatedly denied permit applications amid concerns about planning for up to 65,000 people coming to this largely rural area on short notice.

A spokeswoman for Woodstock 50 said they had no comment.

The festival has faced a series of setbacks, including the losses of a financial partner and a production company.