Photo by Holon Photo.

Did you realize that it’s the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock? If not, congratulations! You have successfully reached the underground and are no longer privy to the reach of any modern media.

Yes, it’s been a week of Woodstock-o-rama for news providers everywhere — all of which are understandably desperate to fill time in these dog days of August, when nothing much is happening. Of course, there’s stories about the festival and the small town that hosted it, stories about the new Ang Lee movie about the festival, and stories about where performers at the festival are today, among a million others. But our personal favorite piece of reportage concerning the big 4-0 for the venerable music festival is this from the Washington Post, which documents yesterday’s anniversary celebration on the Mall featuring a concert by the Paul Green School of Rock. From parents who express their displeasure with the length of their kids’ hair (how original), an owner of the School telling kids to “look more rock,” and regretful attendees who passed up chances to go in ’69 because they weren’t “necessarily…rock music fan[s]” to coolers, digital cameras on tripods, and joyous statements about the lack of mud and rain on the Mall — it was a suburban dreamland out there. Which just goes to show you that despite the collective power of peace, love, and music, we all turn into intolerable cranks at some point.

Turn on, tune in, drop out? Not if Falls Church, Woodbridge, Silver Spring, and Ashburn have anything to say about it! Now get off their lawn, you hippies.