More than 400,000 peaceful people packed the town of Bethel to witness the Woodstock music festival in 1969, but none of them are like Duke Devlin. He’s the hippie who came to Bethel and never left.
“I haven't had a weekend like it since, let's put it that way," Devlin said. "It was a happy place to be, everybody got along. The music was great, it was the who's who of the culture, you know, the king and the queen, Jimi (Hendrix) and Janis (Joplin).”
But he’s more than a witness to history. In the 54 years he’s spent in the Sullivan County community, he’s become a popular member of it – and a pretty good neighbor.
So when his next door neighbor, Karen Reilly, asked if he’d be OK with her selling handmade felt figures inspired by his image, he, of course, said "yes."
Reilly is the owner of Farmhouse Traders. She sells handmade crafts like the Duke figures. She said she knew pretty early on that the Duke figures were a big hit, but it’s still a shock to her.
“Kind of blows my mind that they became that popular, and everybody wants them," she said. "Just embracing the spirit of Woodstock and honoring Duke and people being in the Sullivan Catskills and Sullivan County.”
Every figure is different from the other, with different shapes, colors and names derived from roads, parks and towns in Sullivan County. Karen is grateful to her neighbor, the local legend, for his support of her business.
“I make sure that I honor Duke in a way that he can be proud of," she said. "And I hope he is proud of it because I really appreciate it. His support has meant a lot. I do make other items besides the Duke figures, but these are by far the most popular and by far the most important to me.”
To Devlin, it’s a perfect representation of this community.
“It’s a happy, fun thing," he said. "It's such a Woodstock move."
You can find Reilly's Duke figures at local spots like the Bethel Market Cafe or the Farmhouse Traders website.