200 Beaconites Protest Justice Department Shuffle of Jeff Sessions' Replacement, Matthew Whitaker

Yesterday we reported that people were gathering at Polhill Park in Beacon to protest the appointment of Matthew Whitaker to temporarily replace Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, after Sessions submitted his resignation letter (as requested by the president, according to the first sentence in the letter Jeff Sessions submitted). A participant sent in an estimate of 200 people in attendance at Beacon’s protest, one of 900 that happened across the country.

As a bring-you-up-to-speed if you need it, Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation which is a look by federal authorities into if and how Russia influenced the 2016 election, and if the current president played a part in that in any way. Sessions has continued to do work that the president has directed him to do, but the president has openly resented Sessions for his recusal. Matthew Whitaker was the Chief of Staff under Sessions, and has vocalized wanting to end the Russia investigation. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has been protective of continuing the Russia investigation.

From a participant, Air Nonken Rhodes, we have a description of Beacon’s event, and pictures that Air took. In Air’s words:

About 200 people in total were there at the time of its largest crowd (5:30 pm), and about 80 people were there most of the rest of the time from 5 to 6:30 pm. Kids, grandparents, commuters coming off the train, people with their dogs, everyone showed up with signs and spirit to stand up against what we see as a power grab.

Conversations included how scary it is to see the checks and balances in our democracy unravel. The mood was generally light, with lots of hooting and hollering with joy whenever a car would honk in support. The commuter traffic going by was generally supportive of our signs.

A small minority shook their heads or gave thumbs-down, a dozen or so going out of their way to roll down their window in the cold air to shout curse-riddled invectives and diatribes against the protestors. A few were stunningly hateful, and took some careful explaining for the kids present. It was deeply sad to see this Trumpish incivility on our own Main Street.

One kid standing next to me asked, “Are we allowed to be here? Are we allowed to do this?” (meaning protest) and her mother explained proudly, “Yes, as Americans we have the free right of peaceable assembly and the right of free speech. We are allowed to be here and do this, and it’s very important to do so whenever something goes wrong. The President doesn’t think the rules apply to him, and we have to remind him that they do.”

Photo Credit for All Photos: Air Nonken Rhodes

Thursday's Planned Local Protest in Beacon Is One Of 900 In USA In Protest of Jeff Sessions’ Replacement, Matt Whitaker

When: Thursday, November 8, 5 pm
Where: Polhill Park, intersection of Route 9D & Main St., Beacon, NY 12508
What: Citizens protest against President Trump replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions with Matt Whitaker

On your drive or walk home from work, if you notice a gathering of people at the intersection of Main Street and 9D known as Polhill Park, they have gathered there in protest against President Trump replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions with Matt Whitaker, who as of yesterday, was the Chief of Staff under Sessions. This protest is one of about 900 scheduled across the country, encouraged by MoveOn.org, categorized under the theme “Nobody’s Above The Law”.

Air Nonken Rhodes, a citizen from Beacon, wrote into A Little Beacon Blog to alert us about the event, and had this to say about attending: “We are standing up against Trump's appointment of Matt Whitaker as acting Attorney General because we see it as a clear move to thwart the power of the Mueller investigation… [It is my opinion that] Whitaker has been appointed not because he will make a good acting AG, but because he will protect the President. If Trump has nothing to hide, he would allow the investigation to continue. The American public (and people around the world) have the right to know the truth about the financing and influences in the 2016 election, Russia's interference in it, and Trump's personal, family, and business connections to these issues.”

Voted. How To Vote, And What To Expect While At The Polls

The polls are open from 6 am to 9 pm in Beacon.

If you’re looking for where to vote for your Ward, then you can click here to see the list of locations we compiled, including easy links to maps to see which District within a Ward you reside in. Or even if you don’t know what Ward you are in, you can find out by following those links.

What Is It Like? How Do I Cast My Vote?

To my surprise, my very own husband called to ask me this: “How do I vote? Are there levers?”

Levers? No. Ok, so here’s what it’s like to vote in Beacon:

You walk into your polling precinct, aka “place to vote” as I call it. This is determined by “Ward.” There are four Wards in Beacon. It’s like big borders, and you live within a border of one of them. Within a Ward, there may be a smaller zone called a “District.” You probably never think about these things until Voting Day, but usually that little yellow card that comes in the mail prior to election time tells you. The last time I saw a card was during the primaries this year. You can get a list of polling locations in Beacon here.

Once you get to your voting location, there are several tables set up inside. The tables are divided by District (that border within a Ward) and by name (in alphabetical order). You will find your name at one of them.

You may be asked: “What District are you in?” If you checked the locations list here, you’ll know. “I’m in District 2!” you could say, and volunteers will tell you what table you should go to next. However, if you don’t know what District you are in (like me), there is hopefully a table dedicated to District Discovery at your polling place just for telling you this information. (Insider Tip: Check this first! It will save you from waiting in a line).

Once it’s your turn in line, a volunteer will hand you a large voting card with a privacy sleeve. You’ll walk over to tall table/desks with metal privacy walls around the top of the desk. A pen is provided for you to mark your circle bubbles of your votes. The directions at the top of the voting card will tell you how many people to vote for in each race. Like for governor, you would vote for one person. For judges, you would vote for seven names. Just follow those directions at the top to make sure you’re not over- or under-filling in the circles.

When you’ve completed all of your circles, you walk it over to a scanning machine. Another volunteer will be there to make sure the machine doesn’t break, because you are feeding the machine with your voter card yourself. Once you slide your card into the machine, it tallies it, swallows your card, and tells you what number voter you were.

I was #60!

Thank You To The Volunteers

A HUGE thank you for the volunteers who are running these polls. If when you go to vote, and you wish it were run differently, or had better signs, it’s best not to take your frustration out on the volunteers. They are your friends and neighbors, and may not be as experienced at running an event as you are. Same goes for any event run in Beacon (or anywhere in the world). If you feel passionately about how something is organized, then it’s best you sign up to volunteer, and help make it a better experience for all of us.

Places to Vote in Beacon for Elections (for General and Primary)

EDITORIAL NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect how to vote in the election on November 6, 2018.

Wondering where to go vote this Tuesday, November 6, 2018? Did you toss your yellow card by accident? Below is a list of locations for where to cast your ballot based on where you live and are registered.

Polls for Beacon are open from 6 am to 9 pm, according to the Dutchess County Board of Elections.

There are two sources for this list of locations:

• Dutchess County Board of Elections, website via Kelly Floyd, Senior Election Specialist

• This tool at the New York State Voter Registration page has been the best one to use.

ADDRESSES

Lewis Tompkins Hose Company
Route 9D Entrance, 13 South Ave.
Beacon, NY 12508

Rombout Middle School
84 Matteawan Road
Beacon, NY 12508

James V. Forrestal Elementary School
125 Liberty St.
Beacon, NY 12508

First Presbyterian Church
50 Liberty St.
Beacon, NY 12508

LOCATIONS

Ward 1, District 1: Lewis Tompkins Hose Company
Ward 1, District 2: Rombout Middle School
Ward 2, All Districts: Lewis Tompkins Hose Company
Ward 3, District 1: Rombout Middle School
Ward 3, Districts 2 and 3: James V. Forrestal Elementary
Ward 4, All Districts: First Presbyterian Church

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District - Which District in Which Ward?

Voters can determine what District they’re in either by looking at the yellow voter card that arrived by mail, or by looking at the map on this website:

http://dutchesselections.com/pdf/2014townmaps/CityofBeacon.pdf.

Or, you can find what District you are at this VoterLookUp web page from New York State's Register to Vote page.

The VoterLookUp tool will tell you what District you are in, as well as which Ward, Senate District, County Legislative District, Assembly District, and Congressional District apply to you.

Can I Vote in The Primary Elections?

Two answers to this:

• You’ll need to be registered in Beacon if you’re not already. You only need to do this once for each move. If you got the little yellow card in the mail telling you where to vote, you’re good. Otherwise, look yourself up at this VoterLookUp web page.

• You’ll need to be registered in a party if you want to vote in the primary elections. If you’re registered to vote, but didn’t officially declare a party on your registration, then you can’t vote in the primaries for your party. You also can’t sign name collection forms from politicians looking to get onto the ballot, BTW. You would need to be registered in their party. You will, however, have gotten a little yellow card in the mail, even if you haven’t officially affiliated with a party.

• You do not need to be affiliated or registered with a party (Independent, Republican, Democrat, Green Party, Working Families, etc.) to vote in the General Election. You do need to be registered to vote, however, based on where you live (see above).

Where Can I Register to Vote?

Here’s how to register to vote in Beacon:

You could click here to do it via this website, and please note: You’ll need to snail-mail it in.

Or, you can register to vote with friendly people around town who have set up registration stations. Some that we know of:

• The Howland Public Library

• The Spirit of Beacon Day Parade 2018. Look for a table from “We All Vote”

• The annual Sukkah that happens each fall down at Polhill Park (the park across from Bank Square and Beacon Creamery where the Visitors Center is)

There is a deadline to register to vote - you’ll want to be all buttoned up by Sunday, September 30, if you’re doing it via the folks above. They are physically driving the registration forms to their destination in Poughkeepsie. “We are driving them to Poughkeepsie so we don’t give people stamps.

There are lots of rules about this,” says Ronna Litchtenberg, a volunteer with When We All Vote. Or, people can take the form home and mail it in themselves. “But we’re making it easy on you,” says Kelly Ellenwood, another volunteer. “We’ll hand-deliver it to Poughkeepsie to make sure it gets there.”

But don’t let it slide by again. In a small city town, your vote really does make a difference. "One vote matters, especially in Beacon where elections have been decided on by as few as 10 votes,” says Ronna.

Salvation Army's Seniors Art & Meal Program Continues To Flourish This Holiday Season

The Salvation Army is a Main Street staple. We featured the Salvation Army’s Seniors Program here at A Little Beacon Blog when there was fear of them closing their doors. The leadership at the Salvation Army has changed to Lts. Josue and Leilani Alarcón, and we’re happy to report that the Senior Program is still going strong and is flourishing after 17 years serving the community, according to Rhode Lopez Northrup, who runs the Senior Program.

The Senior Program is for anyone over 50 years of age. They are welcome to come to any Tuesday and Thursday meal, and enjoy activities like taking fun quizzes, games, songs and a crafty projects. 

2018 Thanksgiving and Christmas Meals for Seniors

The Seniors Program in the Salvation Army will be hosting an early Thanksgiving Dinner on Tuesday, November 20, 2018. They will also have a Christmas Celebration on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. More details will be added to our Events Guide on each event.

You can learn more about this wonderful program, see more pictures, and learn how to get involved and donate, by checking out this article.

Anti-Semitic Flyers Posted on Churches in Beacon; Person's Home Vandalized in Nelsonville

Editorial Note: This event is related to an event that happened to two churches in Beacon this month. Please click here to learn more about that.

If last night’s Halloween candy didn’t leave you feeling nauseous today, then these two revelations will: A person acting on behalf a neo-Nazi group has posted anti-Semitic flyers to two churches in Beacon: The First Presbyterian Church at 50 Liberty St., just over the Fishkill Creek, and the Salem Tabernacle church, which is located at 7 Delavan Ave., just past Mavis Tire off of Route 52.

If you care to see the visual of the flyers, you can in two articles at the Highlands Current: this one from Beacon, and this most recent one of vandalism on someone’s home in Nelsonville this week.

After the flyers were posted at the First Presbyterian Church, according to an article by Brian Cronin in the Highlands Current, Pastor Ben Larson-Wolbrink held up the flyer to his congregation, and said that it was not consistent with Jesus’ teaching to love and serve each other. According to the article, the Presbyterian congregation - which is normally silent during sermons - responded with a hearty “Amen.”

Pastor Ben (as he is known here in Beacon) smiled and chuckled at this out-of-character - but appreciated - outburst: “That’s something Presbyterians really don’t do,” he said with a smile.

The churches are not the only place the flyers showed up. They have been posted to Marist, Vassar, and Dutchess Community College. According to Brian’s reporting, on October 8, 2018, a man in a hooded shirt and rubber gloves was hanging anti-Semitic flyers at Marist College. He was confronted by police. The posters, according to Brian, say that they are sponsored by a local book club, which the Anti-Defamation League identifies as “small crews of young white men who follow and support” a person who started the neo-Nazi group referred to in the beginning of this article.

As reported by Michael Turton today in the Highlands Current, the Nelsonville home of a person of Jewish heritage was vandalized, with a swastika spray-painted onto their under-construction home. In his article, Michael quoted Rabbi Brent Spodek in advising how to cover these types of events: “Rabbi Brent Spodek of the Beacon Hebrew Alliance said he felt it was important for the media to cover anti-Semitic acts but that the focus should not be on whether the suspects are caught. The more important question, he said, is, ‘Where do average people in Nelsonville, Beacon and America stand be in these moments of fear?’ When hate crimes occur, he said, ‘there is no neutral.’ ”

Michael also reported this quote from the Nelsonville Mayor Bill O’Neill: “This hateful vandalism is outrageous and heartbreaking.” According to Michael’s article, the mayor “noted that village residents have expressed revulsion over the incident as well as support for our neighbors who have been subjected to this mindless act.”

According to Brian’s article, Mayor Randy Casale of Beacon said in a “swift” statement after the Beacon postings: “Hate has no place in our community, which is proudly a home to all faiths and backgrounds. This type of behavior will not be tolerated. We are stronger when we work together.”

One Beacon Presents: "Light in the Darkness of Racism & Anti-Semitism"

This evening, One Beacon will be hosting a special interfaith event at The Salem Tabernacle at 7 Delavan Ave. in Beacon, from 6 to 9 pm. Clergy in Beacon planned this event almost two weeks ago as a response to racism and anti-Semitism in our local area.

“When this event was being planned, we had no idea that the topic would continue to be more urgent, as we saw with the mass shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue last weekend,” said Jacolyn Dandreano, the Office Administrator for the Salem Tabernacle, who is also the pastor Reverend Bill Dandreano’s wife.

The event will include time for dinner together (many will be fasting until dinner on Thursday) as well as reflections and exhortations from several speakers from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities in Beacon, in addition to Mayor Randy Casale.

Speakers include:

• Pastor Bill Dandreano of Salem Tabernacle

• Pastor Ben Larson-Wolbrink of First Presbyterian Church

• Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek of Beacon Hebrew Alliance

• Imam Abdullah Abdul Wajid of Masjid Ar-Rashid

• Pastor Ronald O. Perry of Springfield Baptist Church will be in attendance but will not be speaking.

No sign-up or donation is necessary to attend. Salem Tabernacle is providing the food and venue, and childcare will be available for children ages 9 and under.

InterFaith Alliances And Support Shown In Beacon

Some clergy in Beacon met at the Beacon Hebrew Alliance on Sunday in order to show support to the Jewish community before they headed off to their own services. “Our pastor, Reverend Bill Dandreano, related that many were overwhelmed to the point of tears by the comfort this simple act provided,” said Jacolyn in an email to A Little Beacon Blog. From the event’s postcard:

“One Beacon calls on people of all faith and good conscience to come together to acknowledge our collective capacity for racism, anti-Semitism, as evidenced by the recent flyer attack in Dutchess County.”

Learn more about this event on their Facebook page.

Writerly Happenings: Growing Local Community of Writers and Readers - November 2018

Hi There, Reading Anything Good These Days? 

It’s Phoebe here - kicking off this column with what everybody is reading here at A Little Beacon Blog before we dive into the second installment in this new column, Writerly Happenings.

I just returned Peter Carey’s new “A Long Way From Home” to the library without getting too far, though he’s usually a favorite. Now I’m starting “The Glitch” by Elizabeth Cohen, which passed me by when it was published in 2012, but I’ve heard good things. 

Katie is reading edible Hudson Valley’s Fall issue about the secret hotel created by an app developer of luxury cars (what?!). He wouldn’t even let them take full photos - all secret photos.

Marilyn, our Managing Editor, is actually blogging about her yoga teacher training experience at her blog, Ink and Coffee.

Catherine, our Editor of the Art Gallery Guide, is reading science. Science! Actually it’s Anatomy this week. She is back in school to be a nurse.

Speaking of good things, here’s the second installment of this new A Little Beacon Blog Guide to Writerly Happenings. Every couple of weeks I round up the best events happening in our growing local community of writers and readers and the people who love them.

WRITERLY HAPPENINGS IN BEACON & COLD SPRING

On Wednesday, November 7, Binnacle’s Book Club meets from 7 to 8 pm at Denning's Point Distillery to discuss “Lake Success,” by Gary Shteyngart. If you are going and want to buy the book at Binnacle, you get 10% off this title. I’m sorry to have missed the reading of “The Seas,” by Samantha Hunt, on Wednesday the 24th, but staying tuned for more events to come.

The littlest Halloweenies and literary types might love the storytime and costume contest at Split Rock Books in Cold Spring on Sunday the 28th with David Quinn, author of “Go To Sleep, Little Creep.” Grown-ups should check out local author and journalist Virginia Sole-Smith’s reading from her first book, “The Eating Instinct” - described as “a personal and deeply reported exploration of how we learn to eat in today's toxic food culture,” on Saturday, November 10, from 7 to 8 pm.

Get Lit Beacon has its monthly writer salon at Oak Vino on Sunday, November 11. Featured speaker will be notable author Leland Cheuk. Get Lit offers an option for any writer to read their own stuff, so you should also sign up to read some of your work. And - they made T-Shirts! So far you can only buy them at the event, so go. Last month featured a very engaging professional storyteller explain how to tell a story, as well as local journalists Brian Cronin of the Highlands Current, and Katie of A Little Beacon Blog.

On Tuesday, November 13, poets from Ruth Danon’s Live Writing workshops take over Quinn’s for a reading of their work. We’ll be back with an update once the Facebook event page is up. 

Beacon’s new Poet Laureate, who has not yet been announced, will be inducted on Tuesday, November 20, at the Beacon Library in the Community Room from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. 

OPEN MIC NIGHTS THAT LITERARY TYPES MIGHT LIKE

For monthly musical 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.

Calling All Poets is having an open mic night at the Towne Crier in Beacon on Thursday, October 15, and on Friday, November 2, at its First Friday reading series up in New Paltz at Roost (the open mic on Friday, December 7, will feature Beacon local Ruth Danon).

FARTHER AFIELD 

Rough Draft Bar & Books hosts a reading on Tuesday, October 30, with local author John Langan reading from his horror novel set near the Ashokan Reservoir. Sounds scary and also totally worth a trip to Kingston.

We are prepared to tailgate to hear Roxane Gay discuss her book “Bad Feminist” on Wednesday, November 7, at Vassar. And we might have to because it’s first-come, first-serve to get in. Get your elbows ready!

And we are super excited that former Beacon resident Jon Beacham is back in the Hudson Valley and has opened The Brother In Elysium Books. This Tivoli bookstore had its grand opening at the end of September, a poetry reading earlier this month and in addition to focusing on poetry, literature, art, design, photography and film, also carries used and out-of-print books, actively buys books and “is also home to The Brother In Elysium publishing imprint and letterpress studio.”

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. phoebe@alittlebeaconblog.com

New Women's Volleyball League On Wednesday Nights at Rombout Middle School

This just in!

There’s a new Women’s Wednesday Night Volleyball League happening at the Rombout Middle School Gym from October 2018 through May 2019.

According to a press release from the Beacon Recreation Department, there are existing teams, and they are looking for an eighth team. New players are welcome. We have a few questions about this development, and are finding out more. When we do, we’ll post it here! So come back and refresh this article every now and then.

Day/Time: Wednesdays, 6:30 to 9 pm

Questions? Email these folks: Mark Price at the Beacon Recreation Department - mprice@cityofbeacon.org - or Joanna Matias, jmatias8@optonline.net.

The Spirit in the Spirit of Beacon Day 2018 - Pictures from the Day of "Unity in Community"

Everyone has their first Spirit of Beacon Day experience. If you moved here recently and didn’t know about it before, you may have woken up on Sunday morning to a lot of excited commotion, with a frenzy of people setting up tables and coordinating with one another on Main Street.

The Spirit of Beacon Day is one of the biggest efforts put on by the people of Beacon to strengthen the community of Beacon. If you just moved here from another place that didn’t really have a strong sense of community, then this feeling might be new for you, and you will most likely love it. The spell of the community is part of what you felt when you visited Beacon for the first time, and fell so unexpectedly in love with it.

Pictures of the Spirit of Beacon Day are below. But first, a brief history for those who have newly moved here or are newly interested in Beacon -because I hear the FAQs, and “What is the Spirit of Beacon Day” is an FAQ I hear often!

What Is The Spirit of Beacon Day?

The Spirit of Beacon Day festivities started in Beacon in 1977 as a call to mend a broken relationship between the youth of Beacon, and the schools and surrounding community. Well documented by the Beacon Historical Society’s book titled "Celebrating Our Centennial," in the winter and early spring of 1977, "racial problems became severe" for several days and nights. City leaders decided to meet several times to discuss the issues that were causing unrest. Organizers included a representative from the FBI's Community Relations office, Dutchess County Youth Bureau, then-Mayor Robert Cahill, local legislators, City Council, local churches, and representatives from youth-focused organizations like Beacon City School District, the Howland Public Library, the Beacon Community Center, and others.

It was decided that there would be a Community Day aimed at bringing the people of the city together in order to "get to know one another better, learn what each other liked, [via] conversation, feelings, entertainment, education and food." And so the Spirit of Beacon Day was born. Here are some pictures from over the years.

2018 Marked a New Year for Spirit of Beacon Day

This is an event put on by the people, and not an official sponsored City of Beacon event. The organizers usually were behind the scenes, sought very little recognition, and for the most part, the majority of Beaconites didn’t know who they were. That is, until the longtime organizers decided to retire from the role in 2017 (don’t worry - they didn’t really retire).

This prompted a new group to say: “Wait! What? No! The Spirit must go on! We will help!” And so the Spirit of Beacon Day has continued, under new leadership, with the help of the former leaders. The Spirit of Beacon Day has a new website to help get the word out, new megaphones, and new T-shirts to help people know what’s going on during the day. This year, the motto on the T-shirts was: “Without Unity There Is No Community!”

Your Spirit of Beacon Day 2018 In Pictures

There are so many photographable moments. Here are a few we found or captured. As for the schools, the PTA/PTO/PTSO is usually behind the production of designing and building each school’s parade contribution. It’s a challenging job to come back to, just after summer break - to dive into a big float-making project! But they do it each year (I’ve been a part of it for the past two years with South Avenue).

South Avenue Elementary School

Representing the parade theme of “Celebrating Unity” by celebrating our differences and beauty in the the moments when we become one, together, despite our differences. The Hudson River flows in two opposite directions, yet is one river. The fish and other wildlife make up one ecosystem, just as we do in Beacon!

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J. V. Forrestal Elementary

These cutie pies from J. V. Forrestal Elementary all got together on Family Fun Nights at the school to make an underwater world, full of jellyfish and flowing lace.

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Photo Credit: J.V. Forrestal PTSO and Gate House Realty

Sargent Elementary

It’s rainbows and unicorns at Sargent Elementary! And they shared some behind-the-scenes photos of how those magical balloon arches got made.

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Photo Credit: Sargent Elementary PTO

Glenham Elementary

The kids of Glenham Elementary drew their pictures, cut out their handprints, and hung them together to symbolize togetherness rooted in the world.

Walking down Main Street after the parade, the street was alive with options. The Spirit of Beacon Day is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the various community organizations, so you and/or your kids can get involved.

Let’s take a look at a few scenes from the day!

The Beacon Players, which is the theatre club of the Beacon High School. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Highlands Current, a local newspaper based in Cold Spring that is devoted to covering Beacon as well. Beacon beat reporter Jeff Simms usually writes the Beacon articles and this day is representing at the newspaper’s table. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Historical Society. Without them, we wouldn’t know the many iterations of what Beacon’s community has been like, as it changes over generations as different people migrate to and from here, from all over. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Fire Department. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Police Department. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Elks Club. It’s that brick building on Wolcott Ave. that Frequently offers line dancing and car shows!

The Mt. Beacon Eight. A group dedicated to sharing the story of the eight veterans who died when their plane crashed into Mt. Beacon, after they had survived many war battles. A Little Beacon Blog wrote about them here.

Animal Rescue Foundation, located along the Fishkill Creek, off of Wolcott avenue as you head out of town. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Salvation Army, located near Beacon Pantry. Photo Credit: The Salvation Army Beacon

The Sisters of Strength S.O.S. They are an outreach ministry affiliated with the Springfield Baptist Church, making a difference for other organizations like the Salvation Army Beacon and others.

Photo Credit: Humans of Beacon

Kids from Compass Arts’ Rompatom class playing music. Photo Credit: Screenshot from video from Angela Helland.

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Yanarella School of Dance performance. Photo Credit: Yanarella School of Dance

Watch the video below produced by the City of Beacon:

SEEKING STATEMENTS FOR ARTICLE: Float Themes for Spirit of Beacon Day Parade

If you are an organizer of a float or presentation that is participating in the Spirit of Beacon Day Parade, we would like to hear from you about the meaning of your float in keeping with this year's theme. If you would like to provide a statement about how your organization is showing how it is "Celebrating Unity," please email your statement to editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com.

Thank you!

$400K Grant Awarded for Music and World Language Programs for Beacon City School District

Photo Credit: Beacon City School District's Website. Photograph by Dawn Sela.

The Beacon City School District was busy this summer. According to Beacon's Superintendent Matthew Landahl, the Beacon City School District was awarded a $400,000 grant from the New York State Education Department to "expand the instrumental music program and to offer an additional world language program at the secondary level" said Dr. Landahl. Parent involvment influenced the results of this grant. “Both aspects of this grant were deeply influenced by community input through either surveys or community conversations that took place last year,” confirmed Dr. Landahl.

The grant money will be implemented over the next two school years, and will pay for:

• instructional staff salaries

• materials and supplies

• professional development to both expand the instrumental music program and to begin an additional world language program.

Music Program Expanded for 4th Graders

Third grade students receive a special musical experience called The Calico Ball, courtesy of the Beacon Arts and Education Fund (BAEF) which was innitiated by Pete Seeger years ago. This dance residency is for every 3rd grader in the Beacon City Public School District. After weeks of practice, a performance happens in the Beacon High School at the end of the school year.

This newest grant provides an easier continuation of music to the 4th grade. According to Dr. Landahl: “The music portion of the grant will allow us to expand our instrumental music program into the 4th grade this year. We are working on hiring the teacher and the 4th grade program will be in place later this fall. The grant pays for the teacher's salary for a year and all of the materials, supplies, and most important instruments to get the program going.”

Mandarin Might Be Coming To Beacon Schools

Beacon currently offers Spanish as a world language that is taught in school. This grant will bring Mandarin closer to the classroom. “The grant is for us to offer Mandarin in the 2019-2020 school year. A key part of the grant is that it allows us to explore the best ways to do this for a year before we implement the following year. If we are not able to offer Mandarin, we will explore offering a different language. The grant pays for a year of a teacher's salary and all of the materials and supplies to get the new program going.”

Dr. Landahl gave a special thanks to Assistant Superintendent Cecilia Dansereau-Rumley for "heading up the effort," according to his article on the Beacon City School District's website.

The grant was part of a larger one totaling $28.5 million, awarded to 38 school districts across New York State as part of the Student Support and Academic Enrichment federal grant program. Read more about that here.

Beacon Team Wins Battle of the Books - A Multi-County High School Reading Competition

The finals at this year's High School Battle of the Books on Saturday, August 18, 2018, culminated in a tight battle between kids from Beacon and teens representing neighboring libraries: Cold Spring and Wappingers. "The three-round final ended with Cold Spring and Beacon in a tie. Everyone was on the edge of their seats when the two teams met for the tie-breaking round," according to the press release from the Howland Public Library. Beacon answered the tie-breaking question correctly to become the 2018 Mid-Hudson Library System's third annual High School Battle of the Books champion.

Battle of the Books is a national summer reading program for middle- and high-school students in the five-county region of the Mid-Hudson Library System. The program began in 2005 as a way to encourage middle school students to read during the summer. In 2016, the program was extended to reach high school students as well. Congratulations to Butterfield Library's team, The Evil Latin Teachers, who were the second-place winners, and to Grinnell Green Grapes, who took home third place.    

Beacon Team Is Two-Time Champions, Five-Time Winners!

This is the Beacon team's second championship at the high school level, and their fifth win overall since the competition began in 2005. This year, 13 public libraries in the Mid-Hudson Library System's five counties (Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia, Ulster, and Greene) competed in this nationally recognized literature contest in which teens answer trivia questions based on books they read over the summer.

Individual library teams worked through the summer with their coaches to prepare for this final regional battle. Mini-battles were played throughout the summer to practice for the big event. Over 60 students in grades 9-12 participated, while coaches, family, and friends cheered them on. "The teams all proved to be winners when it came to knowledge, team spirit, and good sportsmanship," according the Howland Library's press release.

Join Next Year’s Battle of the Books Team

To find out when the Howland Public Library is recruiting for next year’s time for both Middle and High School age kids, subscribe to their newsletter and to A Little Beacon Blog’s newsletter. We usually put information like that in our Kids Classes Guide, as a helpful reminder of signup dates.

Special Thank You from The Howland Public Library

A message from the Howland Public Library:

A big thank you to the host venue, SUNY Ulster and Matt Pavloff, HS BOB chairperson. Congratulations to all of the volunteers and families who came out to support the teams, and the coaches and librarians who worked so hard throughout the year to make this special event possible.

The Howland Public Library team would like to give a special shout out to Harry Thorne for his help coaching the team and the Friends of the Howland Public Library who generously sponsor the Beacon team every year. Last but not least, many thanks to Pizza and Stuff for keeping the team's hungry minds fed all summer.

New Sidewalks for Blackburn Avenue Near Ron's Ice Cream

The road leading into town from Ron's Ice Cream near Memorial Park is about to get a new sidewalk on one side, thanks to a federal grant awarded to Dutchess County, as first reported by the Highlands Current.

According to the article, Beacon received $170,728 to build a new sidewalk along the southeastern side of Blackburn Avenue from Herbert Street to Fishkill Avenue. This side of the street currently has no sidewalk at all, making it unsafe to walk down after getting ice cream or after a trip to the park.

This fall, walking around Beacon is getting a little easier and smoother. Other sidewalks are getting constructed, like the one on the way to South Avenue Elementary School.

South Avenue Sidewalks By Elementary School To Get Reconstructed

Kids are about to get an easier commute to South Avenue School as the crumbling slate sidewalks are set to get reconstructed by the City of Beacon. Not even a rugged three-wheel jogging stroller can make it down these sidewalks without threatening to tip over. "The intention is to go from Main Street to the school," said Beacon's City Administrator, Anthony J. Ruggiero. A timeline has not been set in stone (pun intended), but a contractor has been hired.

Usually homeowners pay privately to have their sidewalks done. But not in this case. "This is a traveled area to the school. It was viewed as safety for the kids," said Anthony when we reached out to inquire about specifics on the financing. "We received some funding from Dutchess County. There is no cost to homeowners, however, they are responsible for maintenance and upkeep."

So - yay!