The excitement began when the state of Illinois blocked a rock festival in Galena. The promoters crossed the Mississippi and scoured northeast Iowa for a suitable site, finally buying a farm near the tiny town of Wadena. Meanwhile, attorneys took up the cause in the courtrooms when Iowa tried to stop the festival. Tension built as some 40,000 members of the long-haired generation descended on the farm. Would the festival go on as scheduled? That became the million dollar question.
