Local Events Happening This Month - Listed In ALBB's Event's Guide

A Little Beacon Blog shares events happening in and around Beacon all the time! We are constantly updating our list & featuring it in our newsletter to keep you in the loop!

Here’s what we JUST updated and added to our events to fill your October with the best festivities:

Serious. Comedy Theatre Presents Open Mic Stand Up Show
Day: Friday, October 14, 2022
Time: 8pm
Location: 22 Kent Street, Room #109, Beacon, NY 12508 (Old Beacon High School)
Information >
Serious. Comedy Theatre is a sponsor of A Little Beacon Blog. Thank you!!

Haunted Huguenot Street
Days: Friday & Saturday Nights (October 14, 2022 - October 29, 2022)
Time: 5pm-9pm
Location: 81 Huguenot St, New Paltz, NY, 12561
Haunted Huguenot Street will run from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Friday and Saturday nights, from October 14th-October 29th. The cost for pre-registered tickets will be $25 for general admission and $20 for discounted admission (for HHS members, seniors, students, active and retired military personnel, and children under 13). Children under 6 will receive free admission. Those expecting to register upon arrival on the evening of the tour will be charged a flat fee of $30 per registrant, space permitting.
Information >

Serious. Comedy Theatre Presents Fire Sale! Comedy Show
Day: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Time: 8pm
Location: 22 Kent Street, Room #109, Beacon, NY 12508 (Old Beacon High School)
Information >
Serious. Comedy Theatre is a sponsor of A Little Beacon Blog. Thank you!!

Complimentary Screening of Pixar hit “Inside Out”
Day: Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022
Time: 11am
Location: Bardavon 1869 Opera House, 35 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY
Seating is limited; registration is required and can be completed here >

The Beacon Sloop Club Annual Pumpkin Festival
Day: Sunday, October 16, 2022
Time: 12:00pm-5:00pm
Location: Pete and Toshi Seeger Park, 1 Flynn Dr. Beacon, NY
Hudson Valley Pumpkins all sizes & shapes! Fresh homemade baked pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream, cider, and other delights. Food and craft vendors, children's activities, environmental displays. Free sails on the Sloop Woody Guthrie. Two solar powered music stages. Performers include Betty and the Baby Boomers, The B2’s, Rick and Donna Nestler David & Jacob Bernz, The Judith Tulloch Band, Last Minute Soulmates, Spirit of Thunderheart, Beacon High School Chorus Singers, Beacon Songsmiths, Cosby Gibson and Tom Staudle, Bindlestick Bill, Pat Jones & Laurie Siegel, The Neverly Brothers, Lydia Adams Davis At Pete and Toshi Seeger Park, 2 Flynn Drive, Beacon, NY Free Admission.
Information >

BeaconArts - Now accepting artist submissions for our 2022 Member Exhibition [Must be a current Artist Member to apply]
Deadline: October 20, 2022
Days: Saturdays & Sundays - November 5-27
Time: 12pm-6pm
Location: KuBe Art Center, 3rd fl. Gallery, 211 Fishkill Ave. Beacon, New York
Opening reception & performance: Nov. 5, 4-6 p.m. Second Saturday Meet the Artist reception: Nov. 12, 4-6 p.m.

Beacon Film Society presents... BATTLEGROUND
Day: Thursday, October 20, 2022
Time: 7pm (doors at 6:30pm)
Location: StoryScreen Theater, 445 Main St. Beacon, NY 12508
‘Battleground’ is an urgently timely window into the intersection of abortion and politics in America, following three women who lead formidable anti-abortion organizations to witness the enormous influence they wield. As the nation faces the end of Roe, the film also depicts those on the front lines of the fierce fight to maintain access.
Information >

Serious. Comedy Theatre Presents Improv Witchy Jam
Day: Friday, October 21, 2022
Time: 7:30pm
Location: 22 Kent Street, Room #109, Beacon, NY 12508 (Old Beacon High School)
Information >
Serious. Comedy Theatre is a sponsor of A Little Beacon Blog. Thank you!!

Hocus Pocus Parade
Day: Saturday, October 29, 2022 (Rain date Oct. 30th)
Time: 2:00pm — line up begins at 1:30pm
Location: Bank Square, Beacon, NY
All are welcome to join in costume and walk down Main St. to the Dummy Light. Trick or Treating at participating stores along the way. Beacon School of Rock will have a band playing Halloween music at the Roundhouse Patio at the end of the parade.

Murder Mystery Night
Day: Saturday, October 29, 2022
Time: 6pm
Location: Veterans Memorial Bldg, 413 Main St, Beacon, NY
Tickets are $40 per person. Free snacks and refreshments available. Proceeds benefit Castle Point VA Wheelchair games. Call 203 at 845-831-7750 for tickets or visit below link for more information.
Information >

Harvest Festival
Day: Saturday, October 29, 2022
Time: 3pm-5pm
Location: Memorial Park Pavilion
All are welcome to this free event at Memorial Park hosted by Goodwill Church Beacon! Join us for games, refreshments, face painting, hot chocolate, and more
Information >

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Writerly Happenings: October Edition

Beloveds, it’s been a long, long time since we last met here; I hope you are all well and surviving if not all the way to thriving.  So there’s much to catch up on. What did you read and love this summer? My summer reading favorites were:  Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans (who is an extremely talented writer), Interior, Chinatown by Charles Yu (innovative structure for a novel-as-screenplay), and The Porpoise by Mark Haddon (trigger warning in an Ancient Greek kind of way). 

I just finished The Matrix by Lauren Groff, which, oh my goodness, knocked my socks off and also made me feel slightly self-conscious that I was reading about nun sex in a public place. Currently reading Fault Lines by Emily Itami which may veer too far into the sad mommy genre, but also delivers whoppers like “It’s hard to remember who you are without people who know you that way.”

I took an amazing field trip over the summer to Hobart, NY – the used bookstore lover’s dream. Made me incredibly grateful we have Binnacle Books here in Beacon with their used book selection, but how great would it be if there were, say seven more used bookstores?

So what’s happening this month in the world of literary pursuits? 

The Howland Library has a great program set up for October: Stop by at any time starting Friday, October 15th to pick up a cookbook titled, "Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors" by famed chef and author, Andrea Nguyen. FREE! 2021 Big Read's chosen title is the graphic novel memoir "The Best We Could Do" by Thi Bui. The memoir follows a family's journey from Vietnam to America and is being discussed on October 20th outside in Memorial Park. 

Split Rock Books in Cold Spring has a couple of great events lined up this fall, as well as their graphic novel and fiction book clubs which meet at the end of the month. Their fiction pick is one that has been on my list: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead: A Novel by Olga Tokarczuk, and translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.

Over the bridge in our sister city is the Newburgh Literary Festival at the end of the month. I’m so happy to see this event return, it was so fantastic the first year it happened. The festival will begin Saturday, October 30 at 11am with a full day of readings, interviews, and conversations with eight featured writers. Sunday, October 31, will feature a series of in-person writing workshops with award-winning, Hudson Valley-based authors and artists. The Saturday event, which has been curated by writers Ruth Danon and Belinda McKeon, will include paired readings and moderated conversations and will feature an in-conversation event with Joe Donahue, host of The Book Show and The Round Table on WAMC, Northeast Public Radio. We stan for Joe Donahue!

Here in Beacon, our very own Donna Minkowitz is putting on Lit Lit, a monthly writer’s salon at Homespun Foods on Main Street. This month the reading is October 7th, from 7-9pm, and going forward will meet the first Thursday of every month, with Friday as the rain date. Writers can read their own writing of any genre, up to five minutes in length.

Zoom Readings?!

If you want to attend some killer zoom readings with famous authors, may I suggest The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence, who has some heavy hitters booked for later this month and November. If you want to take a workshop, The Poetry Project in NYC has some really far-out offerings coming up. The Hudson Valley Writer’s Center has a number of readings and workshops, including a Legend of Sleepy Hollow family storytelling workshop on October 17th that looks like a lot of fun.

Here’s to cozy reading and blue skies and bright leaves for the next little longer, friends. I promise not to let it be so long before we meet again.

Writerly Happenings: 2020 Edition

Happy New Year sweet readers! Have you been reading anything good, or just floating around on a graham cracker raft in a sea of egg nog? I’ve been busy recovering from surgery and have been reading nonstop in the absence of anything else to do besides “heal.” Feel free to send me a pillow with an inspirational message on it if you like, OR just tell me what to read next.

Top Picks

Here are my top picks from an array of genres: Garments Against Women by Anne Boyer (poems); Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh; Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock; The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner; Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister; and I reread the still-transformative Women Who Run With the Wolves for good measure (by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D.). And I’m reading Dr. Dolittle with my kids in anticipation of the movie coming out next week. It’s still funny. Chapter 8 is basically a feminist manifesto.

What is ALBB up to in the reading department these days? Well, magazine devotee Katie Hellmuth Martin is turning those mags into 2020 foresight with Vision Boarding at the A Little Beacon Space. Check back for more workshop dates!

Happening In January

On Saturday, January 11, there’s another amazing edition of The Artichoke at the Howland Cultural Center. It promises to be “a superb evening of storytelling with Sam Dingman (The Moth Grand Slam Winner & host of Family Ghosts), Micaela Blei (The Moth Radio Hour), Erin Barker (The Story Collider), Sandi Marx (Stories from the Stage), Mike Cho (Risk!) and Beacon's own Mike Burdge (Story Screen).” 8 pm; $17.50 in advance, a cool $20 at the door.

On Saturday, January 25, the Spring Street series kicks off the new year at Atlas with an evening of international writers and translation. “The writers are: Mercedes Roffe, whose wonderful book Ghost Opera was translated by Beacon's own Judith Filc. Also appearing that night are Pierre Joris, whose translations of Celan and Adonis will be featured along with his own work. Jeanne Bonner will be reading her translation of the amazing work by a Hungarian writer who actually wrote in Italian, and, following up on the terrific discourse on cheese in The Odyssey at our last food fest event, we have Charles Stein, who will be presenting from his translation of The Odyssey and maybe even the Iliad.” 6:30 pm; donations appreciated.

Writing Workshops Galore!

Did you resolve to write more, even at the risk of harming your social standing and neglecting your family? Well, we support you 100 percent! There are a number of workshops you can join that are starting soon. Find a group to make you accountable!

Danielle Trussoni, writer and organizer of the fantastic Newburgh Literary Festival in October, is leading a writing workshop that will begin Sunday, January 26, 4 to 6 pm, and go for six weekly sessions. “This course is a reprisal of the sold-out course that I taught at Hudson Valley Writers Center, in 2019. It was designed to offer another opportunity to participate - especially for the people in and around Newburgh who could not make the trip, or were closed out.” RSVP to danielle@danielletrussoni.com to reserve a spot.

Ruth Danon is offering live writing poetry-centric workshops beginning in early February. She’s planning to run a “six-week session, take a break and then run another six-week session, the second of which would culminate in a reading by the workshop participants. The fee for the six-week session is $250 and will include private conferences.” Email Ruth for details about time and day: ruthdanonpoetry@gmail.com.

Also in Beacon, Donna Minkowitz is offering a memoir-writing workshop starting Wednesday, January 22, at 7 pm and it “goes for eight Wednesday nights, [until] March 11. The focus is on craft, especially on using the senses, lyricism, emotion, critical thinking, and storytelling to create meaningful and relatable works of memoir. Students get frequent feedback in a supportive atmosphere, and all levels of writers are welcome.” The cost is $275, and people who are interested can write her at Minkowitz46@gmail.com. 

Split Rock Books in Cold Spring is rolling into 2020 with a cute new baby, some great book clubs and events and a writing workshop with Lynn Seeger Strong, author of Hold Still. The course is described as a “hybrid craft and reading seminar/workshop.” Spend the first three weeks reading short stories and excerpts, and generating work. The second half will be a more traditional writing workshop: Each student will submit up to 25 pages of work and get written feedback from the instructor as well as from the class. Cost: $395 for six weeks. Meets consecutive Mondays. Capped at 12 people. Sign up at the store. Check out their website (www.splitrockbks.com) for book club info!

Coming In February!

In Beacon, Binnacle Books continues to tempt me with all their beautiful instagram photos of books I want, as well as the promise of a book release event for Jenny Offill (author of Department of Speculation) and her new book Weather. She'll be in conversation with Lynn Seeger Strong, leader of a workshop above. It'll be in the evening of Saturday, February 15, and we’ll be writing more in depth about that soon.

No. 3 Reading Room is wisely hibernating for the rest of January, but you can make an appointment or get in there in February to check out works by a legion of talented artists and writers, as well as the latest book of poetry by Edwin Torres and photobooks by Ronnie Farley, both of whom reside in Beacon.

Deeper into the winter we go, my loves; let’s leave a trail of bookmarks behind us.

Second Saturday! Beacon Art Gallery Openings for May 2019

Happy Second Saturday for May 2019! New shows are opening all around Beacon. Some of them include, clockwise from top right: Martin D. Fowler at Big Mouth Coffee Roasters; the Rain Taxi Review of Books at Photo Book Works; Alessandro Keegan at Mother Gallery; and Meghan Spiro at Hudson Beach Glass.

Happy Second Saturday, people of Beacon! It’s time once again to head out into that fresh late-spring air, and see some art. Consider it a warm-up for your tour of Beacon Open Studios, opening (studios) next weekend! Get all the details in our Art Gallery Guide.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms and mom figures around town! Accordingly, stop by Mother Gallery’s new location on Route 9D, and check out their new show and new space. There are more shows opening at Catalyst Gallery, Hudson Beach Glass, Clutter Magazine, RiverWinds Gallery, Big Mouth Coffee Roasters, Photo Book Works, and the Howland Cultural Center. Plus, a few from last month have been extended. We've got it all covered in Beacon's most comprehensive Art Gallery Guide.

Writerly Happenings: New Literary Guide for Book Lovers & Writers

Hey there, reading anything good these days? 

If you want to know where to find your next book, and where to go to mix it up with other literary types, this new ALBB Guide to Writerly Happenings has you laced up. Every couple of weeks we’ll round up the best events happening in our growing local community of writers and readers and the people who love them.

Writerly Happenings in Cold Spring

Sunset Reading Series presents another stupendously located and top notch reading at The Chapel of Our Lady Restoration in Cold Spring on Sunday, October 7, at 4 pm when Sam Anderson, local author and New York Times Magazine Critic at Large, will read from his widely and wildly acclaimed book BOOM TOWN The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-Class Metropolis.

This event is being co-hosted by Split Rock Books, who is also kicking off their inaugural book club event on Thursday, October 11, from 7 to 8 pm with If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin. The film adaptation of this book, by Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, is due out in November. They are also having a storytime for kiddos with Bear and Wolf author Daniel Salmieri on Sunday, October 14 from 10:15 to 10:45 am.

Writing Groups In Beacon

If you are looking to join a writing group, on Monday, October 8, or Monday, October 15, you might check out Words & Womyn. This fresh weekly workshop from the Wyld Womyn, a new space on Main Street, is described as “a safe space that welcomes anyone female-identifying to sit and soak in the power of thought and prose.” 

The night before, you could also get your book club on with Binnacle Books’ ongoing book discussion at Denning’s Point Distillery. On Wednesday, October 10 at 7 pm that group will be diving in to There There, by Tommy Orange. 

Get Lit Beacon continues to work the room at Oak Vino in Beacon on the second Sunday of each month! Have a glass of wine and enjoy the salon there on October 14 at 5 pm. Katie from A Little Beacon Blog will be on hand to answer questions about local news media, as well as Brian PJ Cronin (Update: Danielle Trussoni, a memoirist and novelist, was slated to speak, but won’t join in this month). You can sign up to read for 5 minutes yourself. Get the lineup here.

Book Talks in Beacon

Later in the month, the Beacon Library is hosting a discussion of the much-acclaimed book Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng, so start reading now if you want to get in on that on Tuesday, October 30, from 2 to 3 pm. The discussion will be led by Dr. James Cotter as part of the NEA Big Read program.

Open Mic Nights That Literary Types Might Like

For monthly open mic nights check out The Falcon Underground in Marlboro, the Wherehouse in Newburgh, The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon and Fiesta Friday in Poughkeepsie.

Farther afield, but well worth the drive, are two favorite bookstores that host loads of writerly happenings: Golden Notebook in Woodstock, and Rough Draft Bar & Books in Kingston.

We’ll see you back here in a couple weeks with more upcoming events. Tell us where to go and what to read in the meantime, if you like - email phoebe@alittlebeaconblog.com.

Watch for Giant Turtles Crossing - What Do They Do On The Other Side?

In last weekend’s edition of the Highlands Current, the reporting was turned on Beacon beat reporter Jeff Simms, who normally writes up Beacon news for the newspaper. His animal-rescue experience landed him front-page treatment. Normally, his own article would be in this spot. Last week, however, he himself was in ink (not the ink on his arm, but on the page).

While riding his bike down Route 9D from Beacon to Cold Spring on his way to the Current's production meeting, Jeff spotted this snapping turtle gradually making his way across the road. According to the article, Jeff pulled his bike over and attempted to encourage the turtle to go faster or move away from the busy road.

May and June is prime time to see snapping turtles, which are one of 11 species native to New York. In the late spring and early summer, they're on the move, laying their eggs in sandy areas or loose soil, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The DEC issued an advisory last year reminding motorists to watch out for migrating turtles, whose populations are declining. "The reptiles lay just one small clutch of eggs each year, which means the loss of a breeding female can have a significant effect on the local turtle population," according to the advisory. Suffice to say, the turtle that Jeff spotted was on a mission and would not be deterred.

But its slow progress left it vulnerable, so Jeff’s next move was to call in the professionals: Mark Price, Beacon’s own director of the parks and recreation department. Together, they moved the turtle by lifting it by either side of its shell, the method DEC recommends if you need to move one (see the DEC's full recommendation on how to move a turtle to safety).

Exciting times for this Tree City! Beacon is an official Tree City, as designated by New York State’s Urban Forestry Program, which “fosters comprehensive planning, management and education throughout New York to create a healthy urban and community forest and enhance quality of life,” as stated in their mission. Spotting snapping turtles is a reminder that we are surrounded by an an ecosystem of fauna and flora, turtles to treetops, and it's good to keep them healthy!

Beacon Open Studios Maps Are Here!

Our most favoritest artist holiday of the year! Beacon Open Studios is coming to artists' studios all over town, Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29! The kick-off party is the Friday night before, on April 27 at Oak Vino, from 6 to 9 pm, and you're invited! Get the event's brochure - with a map! - here at A Little Beacon Blog’s Office, at 291 Main Street, First Floor, First Door. A Little Beacon Blog is a proud sponsor of Beacon Open Studios!

We highly recommend participating in this weekend-only event. It only happens once a year. You get to see inside the home studios of artists you’ve never heard of, who produce incredible work. See our past articles on Beacon Open Studios, including views into a few of the studios. Some participating artists are professionals in other fields, who commute to other places during the week, and only show off their passionate works in their studios here in Beacon. You never know who you will discover as an artist, or why.  

Put this date in your calendar as a must-do. You can even check out the art while out walking, since the studios are all over Beacon. Planning studio visits is flexible and commitment-free! (Just make sure that you do in fact go.)