Pete Seeger's Granddaughter, Moraya Seeger DeGeare, Launches City-Wide Art-Based Protest

Moraya Seeger DeGeare MA, LMFT is a therapist with BFF Therapy located here in Beacon on Rombout Avenue, and has just launched a big protest art project. As the granddaughter of Pete Seeger, activism runs through her blood. As Idealist.com explained in their interview with Moraya: "Taking action to fight for social justice was in her blood. 'I grew up going to rallies,' she says. 'Activism is really normal for me.' Ten days after giving birth to her second child, she could not take to the streets to protest, so she thought up a different way to participate through an art-based protest she has identified as #ToMyOldRacistEarth.

It’s important to note that Moraya provides culturally competent psychotherapy for youth through adulthood with a specialization working with Deaf and multicultural communities. Her area of expertise is racial identity development, relationships, and mixed-race couples. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes her work to Emotionally Focused Therapy for people in relationships. Her work specializes in providing culturally competent care with people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

About “To My old Racist Earth”

Moraya took inspiration from her grandfather's song "To My Old Brown Earth," and created "To My Old Racist Earth" for her art-based activism. Beacon businesses and residents have already started, like Studio Beacon, a cycling and boxing fitness center on Main Street that is rooted in community.

“I will be the first to say that having a baby in 2020 has been a “different” experience. These babies of ours are born in a time of pandemic and uprising. As we look for the good, it also means that our children will know a life that’s always been filled with deep conversations & protest ✊🏽Thank you @the_abbys for venturing out with your babies to make some chalk art! I told y’all Beacon is the most magical community.” - Moraya Seeger DeGeare. Photo Credit: Studio Beacon

The “My Old Racist Earth” Project Has Two Parts:

“I am here for this Cramer cousins collaboration, some quick work between Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York to create this magic. Feeling an extra level of love, allyship and support. Check out @twincitiesmakerscollective for more extraordinary protest art supporting the movement.” - Moraya Seeger DeGeare. Photo Credit: Moraya Seeger DeGeare

Moraya will explain how the project works in her own words. It’s important to hear from project or movement organizers in their own words sometimes, so that you can get the feel of a particular protest:

Part 1:
"The first is the visual. Truly any medium that inspires you. Chalk art outside if you have the space. It’s fun, yet temporary. This one has already washed away with the rain (pictured above). So we will be doing new ones all week, and especially on July 3rd. I encourage you to make signs, posters, murals, t-shirts, I told my cousin to make a #BLM in the corn field next door 🤣 Anything form that inspires you.“

Part 2:
”Now the second part is key also. Start drawing and start the conversations 🙏🏽 Some of us don’t have the privilege not to have these conversations. I challenge all of you to lean into the discomfort. I mean, this picture (above and in the flyer) is me two weeks post postpartum sitting on the ground..... the movement doesn’t stop for anything. So excited to see and hear what you create.”


When Moraya sees the protest sign All mothers were summoned when George Floyd called out for his mama, “my heart shatters,” she shared on her Instagram for the project.

In a letter to her friends, and in her Event description for this movement, Moraya tapped into her life with her grandfather, Pete Seeger: “I’m channeling the energy of those who knew they saw injustice but knew they had to stand alone in it sometimes. I tap into my grandfather Pete Seeger’s energy with this one. If you ever visited the Hudson Valley in the late 1990s or early 2000s, you might remember seeing him, by himself, standing on the corner of Route 9 and 9D every single week (if he was not traveling) with his “PEACE” protest signs. It was on the calendar in our family home for years.”

“Grandpa would always welcome people to join him, although he didn’t need a big organized event for him to embrace his need to protest. As he grew older others would drive and hold protests to end climate change; stop the war; and to protect our children, to name a few. He didn’t need it to be big, he just needed to protest. He wanted just one person sitting at that light to challenge the system with him.”

Moraya hopes to see a decorated town on July 4th: “How beautiful would our towns be waking up on July 4th decorated with your artwork? Decorated with our hurting hearts and our children’s love.”

To join in the movement protest digitally, tag the Instagram accounts: @ToMyOldRacistEarth & @BFFTherapy

Use the Hashtag #ToMyOldRacistEarth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Happening This Weekend - 5/3/2019

This weekend includes some popular annual events, such as Crafts at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, the Cupcake Festival at Stormville Airport, and celebrating the centennial of Pete Seeger at various Beacon venues. And whoa! There are a lot of runs this weekend! Get your running shoes on. What you won't want to miss is the Pete Seeger-inspired song circle happening down on the Hudson River at the Beacon Sloop Club from 2 to 4 pm. The friendly musicians from Jake's Main Street Music, who played with Pete many times, encourage everyone to come down and bring their instrument and/or voice to join in and sing by the river. If you're new to Pete Seeger and his involvement with the Hudson River, and why there is a celebration of him, know this: He is one of the biggest reasons the Hudson River is being cleaned up. Carrying on his legacy helps ensure that the river stays protected, and that cleaning continues even when corporations who caused damage want to pull out. Read this journalist's feature about Seeger in Hudson Valley Magazine after he died. The Beacon Sloop Club is down by the Metro-North train station. It's on the west side of it, literally right next to the Hudson River. It's quite relaxing, so even if you don't sing, do go down and enjoy. Photo Credits: Top right, Jake's Main Street Music; bottom left, Jeremy Baum Sponsored by Antalek & Moore for car insurance.   Pete Seeger Centennial Celebration at Towne Crier Cafe (Free) Day: Friday, May 3, 2019 Time: 7 pm Location: Towne Crier Cafe, 379 Main St., Beacon, NY Information > Crafts at Lyndhurst Day: Friday to Sunday, May 3-5, 2019 Time: Friday, 10 am to 5 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm; Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm Location: Lyndhurst Estate, 635 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY Information > Willy Wonka Kids Day: Friday to Sunday, May 3-5, 2019 Time: Friday and Saturday, 7 pm; Sunday, 12:30 and 3:30 pm Location: Beacon High School Theater, 101 Matteawan Road, Beacon, NY Information > K104.7 Cupcake Festival Day: Saturday, May 4, 2019 Time: Noon to 5 pm Location: Stormville Airport, 428 NY-216, Stormville, NY Information > 5Rhythms Family Dance Event in Cold Spring Day: Saturday, May 4, 2019 Time: 2 to 3:30 pm Location: Ascend Center, 75 Main St., Cold Spring, NY Information > Pete Seeger-Inspired Song Circle at Beacon Sloop Club (Free) Day: Saturday, May 4, 2019 Time: 2 to 4 pm Location: Beacon Sloop Club, 2 Red Flynn Drive, Beacon, NY Information > Celebrating Pete Seeger’s Centennial at the Howland Cultural Center Day: Saturday, May 4, 2019 Time: 8 pm Location: Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St., Beacon, NY Information > Elysium Furnace Works presents Evan Parker/Joe Morris/Ned Rothenberg/Alex Waterman Day: Saturday, May 4, 2019 Time: 8 pm Location: Beacon Yoga, 464 Main St., Beacon, NY Information > David Rothenberg & Rinde Eckert Book and CD Release Day: Sunday, May 5, 2019 Time: 7 pm Location: Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St., Beacon, NY Information > Roger's Folly | Dancing Under The Stars with The Bernstein Bard Trio Day: Sunday, May 5, 2019 Time: 7 to 9 pm Location: Rooftop of The Inn And Spa At Beacon, 151 Main St., Beacon, NY Information > Live Theater - “Rivers and Bridges” Day: Sunday, May 5, 2019 Time: 7:30 pm Location: The Denizen Theatre, 10 Main St., Suite 501, New Paltz, NY Information > Plan ahead and check out what's coming up this month in our Events Guide.   The North Face Endurance Challenge Day: Saturday & Sunday, May 4-5, 2019 Time: Check website for start times Location: Bear Mountain State Park, 55 Hessian Drive, Bear Mountain, NY Information > The Hard Cider Run: New York Days: Saturday & Sunday, May 4-5, 2019 Time: 10 am (both days) Location: Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, 114 Little York Road, Warwick, NY Information > Miles of Hope 15th Annual Family Fun 5K & Kids Run Day: Saturday, May 4, 2019 Time: 9 am (registration), 9:30 am (kids race), 10 am (5K) Location: Tymor Park, LaGrangeville, NY Information > Find out about more upcoming races in our 5K Races Guide.     BOUTIQUES ON THE WEST END Darryl's Women's Clothing Boutique 155 Main Street www.darrylsny.com Everyone, please meet Darryl himself. Usually Ed is in the Beacon shop, but they also have to keep tabs on their stores in NYC and Rhinebeck. They live in Wappingers, but Beacon charmed them. Inside Darryl's Clothing Boutique, the racks are filled with frilly little numbers like this one, and other comfortable but sexy sweaters, rain coats, and dresses. And pantsuits. And jewelry. See what you can find, and let them accessorize you. PS: Darryl's Beacon is now on Instagram!   Luxe Optique 183 Main Street www.luxeoptique.com Look at this cutie! She is a Beaconite, and this photo was taken the day she picked up her new glasses at Luxe Optique. These frames are part of the kids' line from the designer sabine be.. (yes, with two periods). You never know what you'll find in Luxe Optique. Walk in. Appointments are not needed. Just walk in like you would any other store. Then let us know what you find!     BOUTIQUES ON THE EAST END Lambs Hill Bridal Boutique 1 East Main, Retail #3 www.lambshillbridalboutique.com (near the dummy light) For those who like a classic look with a solid trim, yet your path doesn't follow a straight line. Lambs Hill Bridal Boutique has the dress for you from Haley Paige. Thank you to the following shops for sponsoring our Shopping Guide! Luxe Optique, Binnacle Books, Darryl's Boutique, and Lambs Hill. Thank you to Barb's Butchery and BAJA 328 for sponsoring the Restaurant Guide! Visit A Little Beacon Blog's Restaurant Guide for all of the restaurants in Beacon, and see our Brunch Guide for your morning dining needs!       Firefly Yoga & Juicebar Location: 992 Main St., Fishkill, NY If you're looking to slow things down, Firefly Yoga offers a Deep Stretch class every Wednesday night at 7:50 pm. Deep Stretch is a restorative and gentle yin fusion class unique to Firefly Yoga. In a warm room, the class creates space for physical stillness and release. Deep Stretch will allow your body the space to reset and rejuvenate through asana and meditation. Information > Genealogical Research Using Local Collections Day: Saturday, May 4, 2019 Time: 10:30 am to noon Location: Howland Public Library, 313 Main St., Beacon, NY Information > Tai Chi In The Galleries Day: Saturday, May 4, 2019 Time: 10:30 to 11:30 am Location: Hudson Valley MOCA, 1701 Main St., Peekskill, NY Information > Naturally Dyed Waxed Cotton Workshop Day: Sunday, May 5, 2019 Time: Noon to 3 pm Location: Colorant, 146 Main St., Beacon, NY Information > Thank you to Firefly Yoga for sponsoring the Adult Classes Guide! For a full list of upcoming classes, classes during the week, and workshops of all kinds, visit our Adult Classes Guide. Sponsor A Little Beacon Blog's Summer Camp Guide. Details here.                                 For a full list of upcoming classes, visit A Little Beacon Blog's Kids Classes Guide. Submission Guidelines for classes you'd like us to consider adding to these guides can be found here. Time to freshen up your hair style - or beard! Find a salon in Beacon at A Little Beacon Blog's Beauty Guide. REAL ESTATE LISTINGS 39 Willow Street, Beacon, NY 12508 Charmer Alert! This 3-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom home is this week's feature. It's new to the market, and well-priced - it probably is not going to stay on the market much longer... From Gate House Realty: “One of a kind! Charming light-filled traditional Cape-style home, steps to Main Street's restaurants and shops and Metro-North. Welcoming front porch with views of Mount Beacon. Tranquil private yard surrounded by flowering trees, perennial garden and lovely brick patio.” Price: $415,000 Real Estate Agent: Gate House Realty, (845) 831-9550 Details + Pictures > VIEW THIS LISTING VIEW ALL LISTINGS HEADLINE NEWS FROM OUR SPONSORS   Antalek & Moore :: Interview With Vince Lemma You want this guy on your team. A former assistant college lacrosse coach, Vince Lemma is co-Executive Partner at Antalek & Moore, and is ready to jump to meet the challenge of your next business insurance need. Expanding? Relocating? Adding a new vehicle? Read our interview with Vince to learn more about him, and call him today as your business grows: (845) 831-4300 Tin Shingle Sponsors Rock Out 4 Mental Health Supporting business owners, artists and makers in their outreach and business development is the backbone of Tin Shingle's programming. Pitching the media and getting the word out can be a lonely place. Heck, running your business can be a lonely place. Tin Shingle knows this, and offers a community as a touchstone to get feedback, help you feel not crazy, isolated, or rejected. While all of those things may be happening, Tin Shingle's community is here to push you back on your feet and into the direction of thinking big, and going for big. Tin Shingle is a proud sponsor of Rock Out 4 Mental Health for this reason. Learn More >         A Little Beacon Space :: Event Venue Host your pop-up shop, business meeting, client presentation, workshop, and more. Now offering a special rate for teachers and music recitals, so that creative flow can happen easily. Details > Upcoming Events at A Little Beacon Space > Branding Made Easy :: Social Media Card Templates Our philosophy at Katie James, Inc. is to make our clients' lives easy, branded and beautiful. We are designing blank Social Media Cards for clients to use as they share announcements, like "Open Hours" or if they posted a new workshop. These templates were designed for Knot Too Shabby. Now, she can use whatever photo she wants for a new Make and Take class, and put the official title on top of it, then upload it to her Shopify website, and voila! She is on-brand. What Can Katie James, Inc. Do For You? > Beacon Chamber of Commerce Business Directory Is your business in the Business Directory of the Beacon Chamber of Commerce yet? No? It should be! Join the chamber today, here. Learn More > NEW JOB LISTINGS ON ALBB The City of Beacon Seeks A Climate Smart Communities Coordinator Details > Luxe Optique Seeks A Licensed Optician And An Optometrist Details > List your job > MASTHEAD Producers of this newsletter include: Katie Hellmuth Martin, Publisher, Writer, Designer, Photographer Marilyn Perez, Managing Editor Catherine Sweet, Editor of the Second Saturday Guide Advertise With A Little Beacon Blog The support from every advertiser of A Little Beacon Blog helps make local news get produced. You can be part of making it happen, and get your business in front of the community in a meaningful way. Learn More > NEWSLETTER SIGNUP Until next week!

Pete Seeger Centennial Celebration - Honoring A Legend

There is a special event happening Friday, May 3, 2019 to celebrate what would have been Pete Seeger's 100th birthday. The event is FREE for the public to attend, but donations to Clearwater are recommended.

The following is the press release issued by Towne Crier Public Relations in full:

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Please join us on Friday, May 3 - the centennial of Pete Seeger's birth - for a spectacular evening of songs and stories honoring the Beacon songwriter, musician and activist. The Pete Seeger Centennial Celebration starts at 7 pm and will feature many local, regional and national performers paying tribute to Pete's music and life. The roster so far includes The Costellos, Carla Springer, Jerry Kitzrow, co-hosts Thom Joyce and David Bernz, singer-songwriters extraordinaire David Massengill, Christine Lavin and Don White - and the list keeps growing!

Admission is free, but donations are suggested to support Clearwater, the organization Pete founded and loved so well.

Born May 3, 1919, Pete Seeger was a legendary folksinger, musician and activist who called Beacon his home. He was a perennial supporter of the Towne Crier, too, having been one of our first performers when we started out in Beekman, and also played one of his last shows here at our Beacon location in November 2013, just a couple of months before he passed. He was a frequent visitor who also gave us our first food review in Beacon.

Days after his passing on January 27, 2014, we held a special Open Door tribute for Pete and drew the largest attendance in our history! So many wanted to share songs and stories of Pete; it was an overwhelming and emotional response to a beloved icon. He drew together diverse communities in the arts, environmental and activist circles, as well as the broader Beacon community.

Learn more about this event at The Towne Crier’s website.

New Corn Bread Contest at the Corn Festival 2018

CORN FESTIVAL
When: Sunday, August 12, 2018
Time: Noon to 5 pm
Price: Free
Ages: Family-friendly

This year, enjoy a new flavor at the Beacon Sloop Club's Corn Festival, down at the Pete and Toshi Seeger Park (Riverfront Park) in Beacon, NY, on Sunday, August 12, 2018 from noon to 5 pm. The event is rain or shine, so pack a poncho just in case!

How To Enter the Corn Bread Contest

1.  Anyone can enter. The only rule is that the corn bread must be made from scratch.
2. Prize for first place is $25.
3. To enter, bring your corn bread to the Contest Tent before 2 pm. Bring your corn bread on a dish or plate, along with a card with your name, phone number, and recipe. Besides the name of your recipe, please include the ingredients used. Attach the card to the plate. If you would like your plate returned, please note that on the card.
4. The judging will start about 2:15 pm and consider such aspects as taste, appearance, and texture.
5. Winners will be announced from the tent at 3 pm.

About the Corn Festival

Fresh picked, ready‐to‐eat, local‐grown sweet corn on the cob is the feature of this festival down at Riverfront Park, now known as the Pete and Toshi Seeger Park for their decades of work to improve and protect the Hudson River. Enjoy cold drinks and other summer treats. Environmental displays will be set up, and fun activities for all ages will be available.

The sloop Woody Guthrie will give free public sails (weather permitting), and there will be lots of craft and food vendors. Two solar music stages will feature great sounds. Free admission.

Music on the Main Stage:

• April Mae and the June Bugs
• Caroline Doctorow
• Cosby Gibson
• Hank Woji
• Spook Handy
• The Offshoots
• The Roadhouse Roosters.

Music on the Children's Stage:

• Bindlestick Bill
• Lydia Adams Davis
• Miss Vickie
• Solar Sound
• The Hudson Valley Troubadors
• The Quahog Quire

Vendor Opportunities

Those interested in vending can email rmthomas99@yahoo.com or call (845) 463-4660. For more information, check out the Beacon Sloop Club's website - www.beaconsloopclub.org.

The River Pool at Beacon IN The Hudson River Opens for 2018!

The left side of The Beacon River Pool - eye level.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

As you play at Riverfront Park, known since 2014 as Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park, you may have experienced the extreme desire to swim in the Hudson River to cool off. Well, now you can - because The River Pool at Beacon is open again this year! Starting in 2007, five years after submitting construction plans to New York State, the pool opened to the public for the first time. The river pool idea was originally proposed by the pool's co-founder, Pete Seeger, according to the pool's History page.

What's a River Pool?

The river pool is netted and shallow, with a net bottom designed by Meta Brunzema Architect P.C., a New York City-based design firm. You could crawl on it, with a child on your back, pretending you are an alligator gliding just under the water surface. Or you could sit or stand in the shallow water, enjoying the breeze off the water and gazing up or down the river, thankful you aren't in the traffic moving (or not moving) on the Newburgh/Beacon Bridge. Or, you could simply sit on the colorful plastic seats and bask in the sun, slipping further into the water as you're ready.

River pools aren't unique to this spot - they have been around since at least 1830, up and down the Hudson River - but they were removed after 1930 due to water pollution. Pete Seeger was a major advocate for cleanup of the Hudson River. Thanks to his efforts as well as many other organizations including Scenic Hudson and Riverkeeper, the river has improved since then, and many groups and people continue to advocate in this direction.

Can Anyone Use the River Pool?

It's a free pool for all, thanks to support from individual donations, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Durst Organization, the Abrons Foundation, the Hudson River Foundation. The pool's organizers actually want to increase its size. They're working with another architecture firm to design a bigger pool, and they're talking with cities and towns to find the right location that offers agreeable environmental considerations.

What's It Like Swimming in the River Pool?

The changing room at The Beacon River Pool.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

So fun. So relaxing. You're IN the river, just sitting there protected from the currents by the anchored netting. The pool is small, so you'll be near others as they dip in and out of the pool. The pool is also very shallow: An adult is up to their waist or thighs. The River Pool is fully staffed by lifeguards, and even has a changing room!

If thunder rolls in and you need to leave the pool and wait 30 thunder-free minutes to go back in, you could always shoot baskets at the park's basketball court, or play on the playgrounds. Or have a picnic on the grass (watch out for alllll of the goose poop).

An additional perk: Riverfront Park is very breezy, so you'll be cooled off quickly down by the river no matter what.

Is Swimming in the Hudson River Safe?

The Hudson River was contaminated by companies who dumped pollutants into it for many years. An ongoing effort to clean up the Hudson River has spanned several decades. As of today, it has reached cleaner levels, but is closely monitored by The River Pool at Beacon. Says a representative from The River Pool this year: "The quality in Beacon Harbor is definitely of concern. Beacon Harbor had a long run of low numbers. We hope this is a temporary situation. That said, the pool is off the north shore of Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park. The water is tested every week by the county health department. We would not open if the water was not considered safe for swimming."

Swim For The Pool - From Beacon To Newburgh!

Fundraising continues for the pool with regular donations that you can make at any time, and during the 15th Annual Newburgh to Beacon Hudson River Swim, where you can sponsor a swimmer - or be a swimmer that people sponsor! See the Beacon to Newburgh Swim page for details.

Make a donation here to keep this all going, but don't worry if you can't. It was designed for all to be able to access and experience the Hudson River. See you at the pool!