PrintTaos Summer of Love celebrates 40th anniversary of Easy Rider
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Easy Rider, the quintessential American counterculture road movie, was released in 1969 as the legendary decade drew to a close.
Written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, the film follows two bikers (played by Fonda and Hopper) as they ride through the American Southwest, capturing the social and political landscape of the times.
Celebrating the film's 40th anniversary, the Taos Summer of Love 2009 pays tribute to the film — and to the town Hopper then called home. Movie fans still trek to Taos to see where a number of Easy Rider scenes were filmed, hoping to catch Hopper revisiting old haunts.
One Easy Rider fan, known on his blog as Mr. Zip66, has mapped (and biked) the entire movie route. Click here to see the re-created route taken by Billy and Captain America from Ballarat, California, to New Orleans.
This summer, make the pilgrimage yourself for love-beading workshops, Indian dances, rock concerts, radio flashbacks, and Hopper at the Harwood — two art exhibitions featuring Hopper's own photographs and paintings, as well as works by some of his contemporary conceptual artist pals from the last four decades.
Also be sure to check out the September issue of C&I for "Easy Rider Summer," an article by Wolf Schneider about the film and festival, as well as for feature travel stories on Taos' sister city of Santa Fe.
LUV CALENDAR
Taos is commemorating the 40-year anniversary of Easy Rider with 300 events. Here are some of our favorites. For more events and information, head to the festival website at www.taossummeroflove.com.
MAY
May 1-31: 26th Annual Taos Spring Arts Celebration with museum exhibitions and gallery openings
May 1–September 30: "Flashbacks" and "Trips" daily radio segments discussing hippie days on KTAO 1019 FM
May 9–September 18: The "Hopper at the Harwood" exhibition features two concurrent shows at the Harwood Museum of Art: "Dennis Hopper Photographs and Paintings" and "Hopper Curates — Larry Bell, Ron Cooper, Ronald Davis, Ken Price, and Robert Dean Stockwell"
May 23–June 21: "Far Out: Plein Air Landscapes Show" at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art
May 24–June 28: "Summer of Love to Woodstock Show" with photographer Lisa Law at Taos Center for the Arts
JUNE
June 6: Country Joe McDonald live concert at K-TAOS Solar Center
June 12–July 31: "The Edge of Innocence: Photos by Doug Magnus" at RB Ravens Gallery
June 12–14: Bohemian Taos course at University of New Mexico, Taos
June 19–October 18: "Kindred Spirits: EI Couse and JH Sharp Show" at the Harwood Museum
June 20: New Buffalo Summer Solstice Celebration at New Buffalo Commune
June 20–21: Easy Rider screenings and motorcycle rally at the Taos Storyteller Cinemas
June 20–July 4: "New Works" by Marvin Moon at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art
June 27–28: Annual Rodeo de Taos at Taos Rodeo Grounds
JULY
July 3–11: Toast of Taos Wine Festival
July 4: Parades in Red River, Eagle Nest, and Arroyo Seco
July 4–27: "Sixties Survivor: Jim Wagner Art Show" at Parks Gallery
July 10–12: Taos Pueblo Pow Wow
July 24–26: Las Fiestas de Taos at Taos Plaza
AUGUST
August 1: Discussion with Dave Hickey and Dennis Hopper at the Harwood Museum in conjunction with "Hopper at The Harwood," which continues until September 18
August 1: Caravan For Peace travels through Taos
August 1–2: 3rd Annual Taste of New Mexico
August 1–24: Spiritual Heir of the Sixties: Erin Currier Show at Parks Gallery
August 8–9: Taos Summer Arts & Crafts Fair at Taos Plaza
August 11–October 15: Birds, Beasts, & Flowers Tribute to Dennis Hopper and DH Lawrence at Two Graces
August 21–23: Taos County Fair
SEPTEMBER
September 5: Kit Carson 200th Anniversary parade with Native American tribes
September 8 & 12: BMW Motorcycle Rally in Sipapu
September 12: "Robert M Ellis Retrospective" at 203 Fine Art
September 13: Top of the World Mountain Bike Race
September 19: Ledoux Street Art Stroll with special happenings
September 29-30: San Geronimo Day at Taos Pueblo
—W.S.
