08/03/2023
at Watkins Glen State Park:
"On July 28, 1973, the Village of Watkins Glen was absolutely overwhelmed by some 600,000 concert goers for the Summer Jam at the famed race track there. The enormous crowd, there to see the Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and The Band perform, was SO massive and impressive that the next day it made front page headlines in newspapers across America. An estimated 150,000 tickets were sold in advance at $10 each. Astoundingly, another 450,000 showed up and basically experienced a free concert. The Associated Press photo here of the gigantic crowd says it all. There are endless tales of folks stuck in traffic, abandoning their cars and walking miles to the race track. Many of my followers here have wonderful memories of that day—feel free to share them in the comments below. It is a day that will live on forever or in the Finger Lakes Region. It was a different era—in large part, folks behaved wonderfully, incidents were held to a minimum and most all had an experience they’ll never forget. Hard to believe that epic event was 50 years ago."
