Woodstock: Fran Eaker and Lorraine Lapinski

Fran Eaker,55, Baldwin, ophthalmic technician, and Lorraine Lapinski, 55, New Hyde Park, special education teacher.

We were only 15 and the greatest concert in history was just weeks away. How we convinced our parents to let us go is still a mystery. We explained there would be three full days of nonstop music for only $6 a day and agreed to stay at a nearby motel.

We were off, four girlfriends from Queens, heading there by Greyhound bus. Parts of the New York State Thruway and Route 17 had been closed and cars were left abandoned all over. At 15 years old, we never saw so many people in our lives. We walked for miles, walking beside cars, riding on top of cars.

The entrance had been trampled over and there wasn't anyone collecting tickets. (We still have ours.) When we finally found a nice spot to park our weary selves, it started to pour. We were not prepared at all; we didn't have food, extra clothing, blankets or rain gear. The group of friends next to us were nice enough to share their ponchos so we didn't get too wet.

There were so many bands performing it's hard to remember them all, but Hendrix, Joplin, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young definitively stand out. The music brought joy, sorrow and love to our hearts and signified much of what was going on in the '60s. We were surrounded by so many others who believed in having a peaceful, fun-loving time.

We still hold the experience close to our hearts because we know that we were part of a historical, peace-loving event that has been recorded in history.