By Daniel Hooker
Recently a friend/acquaintance passed, Country Joe MacDonald, a Navy veteran honorably discharged who served from 1959-1962. Joe’s service to his countrymen/women continues through his gift called music. It has been documented in a film called “Woodstock” where between 400,000-600,000 “hippies / peacenicks” gathered to celebrate life, liberty, and not just the pursuit of happiness, but the joy of music, and enlightenment in a gathering of love.
Country Joe MacDonald gave a voice in his song to how crazy the world had become over war.
To me, his performance at Woodstock evoked the same sort of feeling that you get when you go into church and you’re singing hymns with a bunch of people. But just imagine that you suddenly have hundreds of thousands of people singing that hymn, questioning authority and media-driven realities, and asking, “What am I fighting for?” That feeling and question infused our country.
If you look at the documentary, you recognize that the festival didn’t have enough food and water to cater to the people. Suddenly, there were volunteer lines and the town brought in food. And when the concert was over, the cleaning-up effort was taken up by the Woodstock-goers themselves. They picked up after themselves and left the land as clean as they found it.
Consider that a farmer, who didn’t necessarily share their political views, said, “Yeah, this freedom of expression, this freedom of song, this freedom of speech is going to be held on my property.” To find that even today? He wasn’t worried about the constrictions of: “Oh, someone gets hurt. I should have insurance.” All these little things that we have to leap over today, weren’t there.
A community effort ensued to continue that several-day concert to the point that the whole town stepped up to feed these young people. No one was telling them what to do. The energy from this festival spilled over into the community. It wiped away prejudices, conclusions, and categorizing people as “hippies or peaceniks.” It replaced such notions with the realization: “Hey, there are human beings here who are in need.”
That’s the sort of spirit we still need today.
The success of that concert wasn’t in the money or in the fame, but in the power of Oneness – the unity of the people coming together – for this expression of peace and freedom. This was the festival’s hallmark.
The farmer offering his space, the community creating the sustenance, Jimi Hendricks who played his version of the “Star Spangled Banner” (probably the most celebrated version of our anthem in history), the music of Country Joe MacDonald and the other Woodstock musicians – all demonstrated the power of One. The effect of this three-day event carried on into people’s lives, changing the way we live and the way we approach the ecology of our land and each other.
A wonderful expression of what it is to be a Washingtonian and a part of the Vashon-Maury Island community is that we show we care for each other. When individuals facilitate change, our neighbors’ lives are transformed. Making a community gel, coming together, leaving difference of gender, beliefs, and politics all behind, is how we grow together in this tapestry, where our weaknesses become our strengths.
Our Island (world) expresses a colorful, vibrant life of creativity that weaves a tapestry of strengths that most flags cannot interpret in a single panel.
As an example, Bruce Phares, an accomplished musician and bassist, brings wonderful artists to this Island by way of Vashon Center for the Arts. His lifelong partner and wife, Donna Bertolino, read an article in The Loop about the Clothing Drive and immediately donated clothes, blankets, shoes, and finances. Granny’s Attic also jumped on board after one of the managers, Berry Cooper, read about my efforts. I’ve retired from the four-day a week Clothing and Bedding Drive, but I did pass the torch, and six people took my place, including a 93-year-old Girl Scout named Carol.
We as a community think outside of the box. We play outside of the box. Living as examples by spontaneously participating, we inspire others to be engaged. This completes our needs, too.
The stars we witness are in the night skies, as well as in the eyes of the people, who, being just caring individuals, joyfully reach out, brighten and touch each other with the sincerity of heartfelt action.
For more about Country Joe MacDonald and Daniel’s connection with him, read Daniel’s article,“Art and Music – A Meditation That Affects Our Hearts and Collective Minds,” published Dec. 2025 on vashonloop.com.
