5th Annual For Goodness Bake Sale Benefits Tuition Assistance Fund for Beacon's After School Program

It's here - the most delicious day of the year, when the Beacon community comes out to fundraise for a cause whether you like it or not. How could you not buy the delicious homemade brownies and cupcakes on sale at this year's For Goodness Bake, happening today, Saturday, from 10 am to 4 pm at Catalyst Gallery at 137 Main Street?! This year's edition of the sale has already been dubbed "Best spread so far!" by Beacon resident Jennifer Sarah Blakeslee.

The pop-up bake-sale-for-a-cause, For Goodness Bake, has dedicated this year's proceeds to the Tuition Assistance Fund for Beacon's After School Program. The 2016-17 school year marked the first that children and parents of the Beacon City School District had direct access to an after-school program within the schools themselves. That's right. No busing required to get kids into an enriching childcare program, from 3 to 6 pm at their very own schools. Until last fall, of the four elementary schools in Beacon, only one had an in-school after-school program: Glenham Elementary, and it was a joint program with Fishkill.

Thanks to the efforts of the Beacon Parks and Recreation Department, a five-day program was designed to offer themed content for kids, until 6pm. It's a little unbelievable at first, so pay attention to how it works: Planned in quarterly sessions, each day presents a different theme, which might include baking, yoga, bird-watching (yes, really!), theater, filmmaking, martial arts, and more. Speaking from experience, the program has been incredible. Kids learn to use cooking utensils (and may take over salsa-making in your home), and have interviewed city leaders including the Chief of Police during their filmmaking class.

The Tuition Assistance Fund offers 50 percent off of After School Program tuition to families who qualify for the Free Lunch Program in the Beacon City School District. Roughly 51 percent of Beacon families participate in the program, yet of the 175 children enrolled in After School at three Beacon elementary schools (Glenham is not included because it's in Fishkill's budget), only 21 kids used the Tuition Assistance Fund last year. But just over 80 kids would be eligible, according to the Free Lunch Program statistics. Word spread about After School's first year, but not everyone knows about the tuition assistance, which helps working families afford childcare. However, children in families who have stay-at-home parents certainly still benefit from the After School Program's activities.

Who Pays for Tuition Assistance

Right now, according to the Parks and Recreation Department's Assistant Director Nate Smith, the City of Beacon pays for the tuition assistance, and takes it as a loss. The After School Program was designed to fund itself. Tuition for one child to register for five days during one quarterly session is $600. Families eligible for tuition assistance pay $300, which is matched right now by the City of Beacon.

Hence the fundraising effort through For Goodness Bake, which has been known to raise $4,000 or more per sale. Past bake sales have been dedicated to organizations such as the Kids R Kids Feeding Program, Green Teen Beacon, the Beacon Community Kitchen, and the Children's Organ Transplant Association.

On sale at the bake sale for $5 each are works of art produced by kids in Camp @ the Camp, a summer program created by the Parks and Recreation Department.
Photo Credit: For Goodness Bake

Back to the Bake Sale

But really, let's get down to business and discuss what's available at the bake sale. Contributions from talented amateur and professional cooks alike include a wide array of sweet and savory baked treats, confections, and vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free options. Also available is locally roasted coffee from Tas Kafé and hand-crafted sodas from Drink More Good.

The team at For Goodness Bake, Kristen Pratt and Tara Tornello, thanks the following people (and more not mentioned here): "ENORMOUS gratitude goes to these fine folks and establishments: Drink More Good for donating drink syrups, seltzer, and ice; Tas Kafé LLC, Adams Fairacre Farms, Inc. for sponsorship; Viridescent Floral Design for flowers; The Roundhouse for table linens; Beacon Bread Company for to-go containers; The UPS Store 4839 for printing; Catalyst Gallery for the lovely space; City of Beacon Recreation for tables and overall support; the kids of Camp @ the Camp for creating artwork to display; Kit Burke-Smith for hanging the artwork; Diana Vidal for photography; Patti McAlpine for her collection of cake stands and platters; our wonderful volunteers Christopher Dawson, John Fanning, Mary Jean, Ivette Mateiescu, Jessica Nash, Tara D'Andrea, and Maureen Neary and her sweet daughter (and baker extraordinaire) Tallix."

Registering for the Tuition Assistance Fund

To register for tuition assistance, contact Nate Smith at (845) 765-2470 or nsmith@cityofbeacon.org. Registrants fill out one form, keeping the process relatively simple.

My bounty, delivered by a friend from Cold Spring who was dropping off a baby gift after she finished Pilates class at Beacon Pilates. Sweetness all around.

Spirit of Beacon Day Organizers Changing Hands After 2017

Current organizers of the Spirit of Beacon Day, one of the city's longest running volunteer-based daylong celebrations, are disbanding after this fall's event. Just who will replace them is undecided. Rose Story, chairperson of the event for almost 20 years, says: "We are a very small committee. We’ve been doing this for a very long time, and it’s time to give someone else a chance." Just who that someone else (or someone elses) will be seems to be a decision owned by no one, since the Spirit of Beacon Day is owned by the people of Beacon. "It’s not our decision to say who can do it," Story says, adding, "I will gladly help out with the transition."

Mayor Randy Casale announced this development at the July 17, 2017 City Council Meeting, and made it clear that responsibility for finding the replacement does not reside with the City, encouraging volunteers to come forward. “It’s not the city’s job to run these events," Mayor Casale stated at the meeting. "If people want events, they need to volunteer; they need to organize. They've got to figure out how they are run, and then come to the City to ask what we’ll allow and not allow, and move forward from there.”

Origins of the Spirit of Beacon Day

The Spirit of Beacon Day began in 1977 as a solution to racially driven problems between students of the Beacon City Schools and the community, according to "Celebrating Our Centennial," published by the Beacon Historical Society (buy the book at Beacon Bath & Bubble, across from the Howland Cultural Center). According to the historians, in the winter and early spring of 1977, "racial problems became severe" for several days and nights. Meeting several times to discuss the issues were city leaders and concerned agencies, including a representative from the FBI's Community Relations, Dutchess County Youth Bureau, then-Mayor Robert Cahill, local legislators, City Council, clergy people, 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." These meetings began in May, and the people scrambled together to hold a Community Day on the last Sunday of September that year. This came to be known as the Spirit of Beacon Day. A committee was formed, and booths featuring food, crafts and exhibits from local organizations and agencies were planned and set up. The Mayor and City Council led the march, but it was declared by the committee at that time that "politicking" not be allowed, and politicians seeking election were not allowed to participate. Additionally, at some point during the parade's history, it was decided that only nonprofit groups could set up booths along Main Street.

Today's Spirit of Beacon Day

Today, and many committee members later, the parade still goes on, and does feature Beacon City Schools and other participants. The Mayor stressed that producing a parade is no small feat, and is a lot of work for anyone involved. "[The organizers] don’t have many volunteers helping them," Mayor Casale said. "It takes a lot of work for people that haven’t done it, to organize a parade the size of that parade, and to organize the whole day’s event which is on Main Street. A lot goes into it."

The Mayor continued, mentioning more recent concerns: "[The organizers] get some grief from business owners, ‘Why do these booths have to be in front of my business during my business day?’ " Originally, the Spirit of Beacon Day originated from the minds of many leaders, with a few on a committee to carry it out. Said the Mayor at the City Council meeting: "I had reached out when they came to me - because I didn’t know if [the organizers] had put it public yet - to the Chamber, to BeaconArts, and to the Parks and Recreation director, and I told them: 'We’re going to have to think about what we’re going to do about the Spirit of Beacon Day next year. It gives us a whole year find out what we plan on doing, how we’re going to do it, and start deciding.' ”

Who Will Carry On The Spirit Of Beacon Day?

According to Kelly Ellenwood, president of BeaconArts, the organizing of it will not fall into their court: "BeaconArts will not be 'running it,' although I'm sure that we would continue to participate as a nonprofit organization as we have before." Michele Williams, board member of Beacon's Chamber of Commerce, confirms that the Chamber is considering taking it on as a project: "We know it’s important to the kids and to the community," said Michele. "We will figure out a way to make everybody happy. We know that students look forward to the parade, and that it's an important event to the people of the City of Beacon. We are discussing it at our next board meeting, including ideas to make everyone in Beacon happy, including business owners. Regarding the tables being nonprofits, that is simply how the organizers had set it up, and does not have to be this way moving forward."

Spirit of Beacon Day 2017 Will March On

The parade will happen on the last Sunday in September as it always has, and according to the Mayor at the July 17, 2017, City Council meeting, it will continue next year. For this year, parade participants can continue to contact Roy Ciancanelli at (845) 831-3027 after 6 pm or email royal_ciancanelli@hotmail.com.

See A Little Beacon Blog's past coverage of Spirit of Beacon Days.

To be continued...

Flag Day Celebrated in Beacon at Elks Lodge Second Sunday at 2pm

Poster commemorating the 140th Flag Day on June 14, 1917.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Page for Flag Day.

Flag Day Event at Elks Lodge
Location: 900 Wolcott Ave.
Time: 2 pm
Questions? Call the Elks Lodge: (845) 831-9746

In New York State, the Second Sunday in June has strong patriotic significance: It is the state-recognized holiday of Flag Day. Locally, it is one of the most important days for the Elks Lodge, as one of its most famed members, Harry S. Truman, was the president when National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress. The Elks Lodge at 900 Wolcott Ave. is commemorating the day by conducting the Elks Ritual on the history of the nation's flag. A coalition will be held immediately following the event. The Boy Scout Troop #41 and the Newburgh Free Academy high school Air Force ROTC will present the colors.

History of Flag Day

The flag was initially adopted on June 14, 1777, by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress. Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day, followed by the Act of Congress during Truman's presidency. While the day is not a federal holiday, New York State did designate it as a state holiday to be recognized on the Second Sunday of June.

Carl Oken, District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler of the Mid Hudson Elks Club, is looking forward to the event and says: "It's an event you should not miss, and is a great education for our children."

Kids Color Blasted For South Avenue Elementary Fundraiser June 10th

Sitting in a PTA meeting at 8 pm in the elementary school cafeteria, hearing from a representative from the kids' library that their budget is about to get cut - again - (did you see what's been going on down there?), you don't feel like there's the brightest of forecasts. Another bummer: hearing at a City Council meeting that the Board of Education is fighting for hundreds of thousands, if not over a million, dollars of unpaid funds that was designated for the Beacon School District from the state, but didn't make it down here to Beacon.

Here in the office of A Little Beacon Blog, we get pitched from time to time about fundraisers that are happening for different schools. From roller rink nights, to this most recent Color-A-Thon from the South Avenue Elementary PTA, parents community-wide are trying to get untraditional with their fundraisers, to go "beyond the bake sale." Often they seem fun, yet we hear about them at the last minute - if we hear about them at all.

So a couple of things: 

• We're going to dedicate a Guide to Beacon City School Fundraisers, to capture these opportunities, and try to illustrate where the money is going. Because that's the exciting part. You get to be a part of long-lasting, sometimes permanent change within the walls of one of the six school buildings in Beacon's school district. If you are such a person who runs a campaign, please email editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com as far in advance as you can, and spread the word to others to email in their dates and where raised funds will go.
• There is a fundraiser going on RIGHT NOW that you can participate in! You get to sponsor little racers who are going to get blasted with colorful powder as they run, and you could even BE a color blaster! This is to raise money for park equipment, landscaping and classroom supplies (like replacing super old books, or upgrading smart boards).

It can be hard knowing what is going on inside the walls of the kids' schools, even if the teachers, administrators and PTA are doing very well with internal promotion of flyers and Morning News Shows inside the walls. But if you hardly go inside the school, you won't see any of it. That's why we at A Little Beacon Blog are trying to bring that from the inside of the schools, out to you.

South Avenue Color-A-Thon Walk/Jog Run
Registration Starts: 9 am (new walkers/runners welcome, $30 Registration)
Race Starts: 10 am
Ends: Noon
Race Route: On neighborhood streets surrounding South Avenue School
Enjoy! Food, music, games!

What Is a Color-A-Thon Fundraiser? 

You may have seen the puffs of color - neon pinks and blues and yellows - rising in the distance through the trees and behind some houses for a cause you vaguely heard about. It's the rising trend of color-a-thons, marathons accompanied by color powder, similar to the holiday Holi celebrated in India. Known as the "festival of colors," it signifies the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil. Groups are embracing it as a fundraising method to make a big difference in a cause at hand. The Beacon High School just had one, as did the Newburgh Illuminated festival.

The South Avenue Color-A-Thon is a new thing the South Avenue PTA is trying out. They get together with an official Color-A-Thon race program, who then manages the registration bags of running T-shirts, color blaster powder, and prizes. It's important to me that my kids know what they are fundraising for, and aren't just fundraising to get prizes for each dollar level. So with this fundraiser - I knew exactly what we were fundraising for, and it has been a great teachable moment for my kids, as they could see exactly where their fundraising efforts would go - to the park! To the classrooms!

This time, with my awareness of the rising trend in color-a-thons that I know of from A Little Beacon Blog's 5K Race Guide, I knew this could be a highly engaging fundraising effort. Yet for the first year, how many people will turn out? There may be a few sitter-outers who watch the pictures in social media the day of the event, vowing to come next year. Don't be that person! You can make a difference to change that right now.

Fundraising for a New Gazebo on the Playground, With Extra Going to Equipment and Classrooms

South Avenue has a great playground that kids would play on all day long if they had their choice. Over the years, the PTA fundraised for and got a new basketball hoop, swings, and a Buddy Bench. This year, they are aiming for a gazebo or pavilion, a covered structure that has seating on the inside. The kids will be able to take their learning experience in the class outside by going to this pavilion, and also play on it during recess and after school. 

The color bag "blast pack" the racers get includes a t-shirt, bottle of powdered color blast, rainbow wig, and ... a weird emoji thing. 

How You Can Get Involved

Donate to a little racer: So far, I know of the sponsor links for two little racers, and one general South Avenue account if you want to donate at-large and not to one child specifically. YOU can donate to any of these little people. And if you want to add your link for last minute donations, add your link in the comments below and we will put it on this list!

• Little Racer Ruby: http://shop.schoolathon.org/index.asp?PID=377219
• Little Racer Fiona: http://shop.schoolathon.org/index.asp?PID=377070
• All The Little Racers - South Avenue's General Racer: http://shop.schoolathon.org/index.asp?PID=377664

Volunteer!

• Color Thrower: There are spots open for color throwers (you'll get to throw color at the runners!!)
• Games: People are needed to run some games
• Registration table/food table
• Set up/clean up (set up 8 to 9 am and clean up noon to 1 pm)
• And more!! Everyone is welcome to come and help.

Register to Race!

• Kids can register at the event to be racers. Registration starts at 9 am and is $30. Our inside sources says that they may not get an event t-shirt, because almost all of the t-shirts have gone to pre-registered racers, so have your kid wear a white t-shirt, prepared to get blasted with color.

To volunteer, contact Erica Way at way.erica@gmail.com or Cara Heaton at cara_heaton@yahoo.com.

The wig and sunglasses might have come as prizes with our color registration bag. 

Some of the prizes that just showed up include colored shoes - a reminder to get excited about running or walking in this race!

Is Fundraising Still Going On?

Heck yes! With these online donations, you can give money up to event day! If you are a parent whose child is in the race, here are some ideas to meet or surpass your donation goal:

• Take pictures of your child in racing gear (aka tennis shoes and any T-shirt), and add a note from your child about how excited they are.
• Share a link on your Facebook page, asking long-distance friends and family for support.
• Have your child call a donor and thank them personally.
• Email your own people with updates and if you've almost reached your goal.
• Include the link to your child's donation page so that people can easily donate online.

And remember, if you don't know of a child to sponsor, you can sponsor the whole school using the general link above. And know this: This isn't the last you'll hear of color-a-thons. I Am Beacon is having one, and there are more and more for adults. So watch our 5K Races Guide, as well as our future Beacon City School District Fundraising Opportunities Guide. 

Thank you!

Beacon Library Hosts Filmmaker Series for Middle Schoolers with Reel Life Film Club

Beacon, Cold Spring and Garrison libraries have teamed up for Reel Life Film Club, a new film series for middle school students. The Reel Life Film Club is an opportunity for middle school students to view award-winning documentary films and talk about them with the filmmakers.
 
The next screening will be in Beacon on June 2 at 6 pm at the Howland Library. The club will be viewing the documentary Racing Dreams (2009). The film follows three young racers as they compete in the World Karting Association's National Pavement Series. Writer and director Marshall Curry will be on hand to talk about his film with the kids. This movie has won Best Documentary at six film festivals.
 
The third film, Spellbound (2002), will be shown on July 7 at 6 pm at Desmond Fish Library in Garrison.
 
Pizza will be served at the events and registration is encouraged: For Racing Dreams, at Howland Library on June 2, call 845-831-1134; For Spellbound at Desmond-Fish on July 7, call 845-424-3020. Like the libraries’ Facebook pages for up-to-date information.
 
For more information, contact Michelle Rivas, Howland Library, community@beaconlibrary.org, or Karen Thompson, Desmond-Fish Library, kat@highlands.com, Maureen McGrath, Butterfield Library, jbl.libraryservices@gmail.com.

Beacon's First Time Hosting the Cupcake Festival - The Freakonomics Angle

The City of Beacon hosted the Cupcake Festival for the first time ever on May 6, 2017, making it possibly the biggest festival in the last few decades to be hosted in this city. So how was it for everyone? We collected feedback from various types of people to look at this from an economics point of view. It's an angle that may fit on the Freakonomics podcast, which studies the hidden side of everything.

Skin In The Game - Whose Skin, What Game?

When you're young and going to a spring or summertime festival, all you typically think about is who you're going with, when, where you're parking, and how much money you brought to spend on food, tickets, or games. When you're a little kid, you may think about what friends you're going with, but otherwise it's all about the sweets, face painting and bouncy houses. Your only skin in the game is to get sticky with different cupcake flavors.

Meanwhile, you're surrounded by businesses whose skin in the game is to create a shop, gallery or eatery that will delight you, and hopefully tempt you into buying something. Not to mention the vendors who secure permits and insurance to attend, then pack up their best selection to unpack and quickly display for you. This article looks at how those two goals work together, for the long run or more-immediate impacts, and how they intersected in Beacon on the day 10,000 people came to town looking to have a great time.

Kids decorating their own cupcakes.

Kids bouncy houst at Cupcake Festival

The Cupcake Festival Celebrates Its 6th Year With Move to Beacon

The Cupcake Festival just completed its sixth year of production by radio station K104.7, part of Pamal Broadcasting. Organizers went looking for a new location after presenting in Fishkill for years, and they wanted to keep a city feel with the party on a Main Street, in the middle of town. They approached the City of Beacon, and the Mayor said "yes" with the enthusiastic support of the Beacon Chamber of Commerce.

Style Storehouse was an official vendor in the thick of it, outside of their shop. All storefronts were permitted to have tables on the sidewalk at no cost to them.
Photo Credit: Digital Weddings

Was it a good choice? Says Chamber president Rick Brownell, and owner of Freedom Ford on Route 52: "The Cupcake Festival was a complete success. I took a few walks through the festival and found smiling faces, especially the children. Michele Williams (also on the Chamber board and owner of the boutique Style Storehouse) and I met with festival director Sam Favata of K104.7 a number of times, and he was very receptive to the requests we had. After the event, Mayor Casale told me that he didn't know a lot of people at the festival. That’s a good thing. That's our job at the Chamber - to drive new people to Beacon and let our business community do what they do best."

Sam from K104.7 explains the desire for the Main Street location: "As a live and local radio station, we have a strong sense of community and listener experience. We love the intimate setting that our Cupcake Festival has, as it not only showcases the best bakers and bakeries in the Hudson Valley, but the opportunity it creates to bring thousands of festivalgoers to Main Street in Beacon and its businesses. We are thrilled that we were able to showcase Main Street in Beacon and its storefronts as a destination in the Hudson Valley, and look forward to continuing to work with the City of Beacon on this event."

The Cupcake Festival was set up on Beacon's East End of town, which went against Beacon festival tradition. Usually, events are held on the West End, starting at Bank Square and ending somewhere in the middle, usually around the Yankee Clipper diner. In the case of the Halloween Parade, processions usually end at Echo, with families extending the parade themselves, around the corner past Beacon Falls Cafe to find more candy on the other side of that sharp turn in the road. Around the bend are shops, galleries and restaurants that many visitors have yet to stumble upon: Utensil, Waddle n Swaddle, Sukhothai Restaurant, BAU, Russell Cusick's gallery, Raddish, The Green Room, Abscission Barber Shop, and so many more. But do most people even know these storefronts exist, let alone frequent the businesses? Plus, did the storefronts want this kind of shutdown on Main Street in front of their stores? Sometimes businesses complain when festivals close Main Street.

Anne Perrone St. George, owner of The Chocolate Studio, has wanted events on the East End for years. "There have been no opportunities from events for us on the East End. Even the Spirit of Beacon Day Parade, which is held on the West End, doesn't allow for businesses to set up vendor tables. Only nonprofits can set up tables. That doesn't help us, and keeps the people [visiting] on that end of town for the day, leaving this end very dead. They do the Pumpkin Festival, the Corn and Strawberry Festivals, and beer events at Riverfront Park, and no one gets to the East End of Main Street and supports local businesses," she says.

Cupcakes: Not an Everyone Thing?

Days before the event, a man approached me to ask: "What is the deal with cupcakes? Are they a big deal?" Others who are either not fans of crowds, or not fans of cupcakes, also weighed in. Says Beacon resident Justin Riccobono: "I walked through the event and found it somewhat unappealing to me and very crowded. I'm not really that big a fan of cupcakes, but that's OK. It looked like many people enjoyed themselves."

The Curated Gift Shop, located in the new retail spaces at 1 East Main (down a little hill from Main Street), summed it up in this Instagram caption for the photo below: "I stamped this cuff [bracelet] before the @king_and_curated store was even open. Then I heard we were having the cupcake festival in Beacon this year. Goes to show you, if you build it... they will come."

Photo Credit: Posted at @thecuratedgiftshop, taken by @mrcvaughan.

Is The East End Of Beacon A Big Deal?

Yes. Over the 2016 holiday season, I received an email from a shop owner titled "The East End Is In Trouble." The email's author proceeded to ask for my advice, while sharing who they planned to connect with in hopes of increasing the number of people who actually walk down through the East End.

So many businesses on that strip are concerned. They have formed a coalition, called the Beacon East End Business Association, to connect and brainstorm ways to bring people down that way. After the abrupt closure of The Hop, foot traffic on the East End plummeted, which hurt several storefronts located on that end of town, according to several business owners.

Local artist Russell Cusick has been documenting what the East End looks like on different days. Although imagery of a rainy, quiet end of town is beautiful, it's hard on a business owner who is trying to bring exposure to their store. Pictured below are contrasting photos Russell has taken lately - both on rainy days (it also drizzled off and on, with a chill in the air, during the Cupcake Festival).

Photo Credit: Each photo was taken by artist Russell Cusick.

The artist Russell Cusick outside of his East End gallery, making one of his signature Beacon manhole covers.

Russell has been vocal about his support of increasing exposure to the East End of Main Street. He is a member of the Beacon East End Business Association. "Being on the East End of Main Street, a lot of people don’t even know that we’re here. So just to get those numbers of people on the street here is important. I feel that the East End is really a special part of Main Street, and a special part of Beacon. Once people experience this part of Beacon, they will be back. So I think that’s good for local businesses on the East End."

Parking, Trains, Walking - What Was It Like?

As with any large event happening in one's own town, there were some Grumpy Cats expressing doubts about the event, concerns over parking, and the big question: Would it be good for business? At the end of the day, 10,000 people came to Beacon by train, foot, and car, according to Sam from K104.7. Somehow the parking was absorbed. A lot of people hit A Little Beacon Blog's Free Parking Guide page before coming, and even wrote into us asking for walking directions. Recalls Sam after the big day: "I spoke with people from as far as Brooklyn and New Jersey to Monticello, Pennsylvania and Connecticut!"

Says Beacon resident Heidi Harrison, who lives in a wooded area down Churchill Street (the street between the Howland Center and the old Matteawan Train Station that currently houses the new Gino's Italian Ice shop): "I was out of town for the festival, but I watched it through people’s photos in social media. My neighbors told me that people found their way to our area and parked in front of our driveways!”

Liz Ferrera, owner of reMADE on the West End of town near Bank Square, reported that a large SUV parked in front of her store for longer than the allowed two hours, leaving her forlorn when the carload of people did not pop into her shop to take a look around before driving away. The two-hour parking rule is known to be - for the most part - unenforced in Beacon, and is a common complaint among business owners. Fellow business owners sometimes park in front of shops for hours on end, as do residential tenants who live above the storefronts and park all day and night. We discovered this trend during our survey of businesses on Main Street when the topic of parking meters bubbled up. Most wanted enforcement of the two-hour parking rule to happen first, before investing in and installing parking meters.

Main Street isn't alone in its parking woes. It's a part of life on residential side streets like where I live. Surrounded by three churches, every Sunday, cars fill the street to go to church. Cars don't block us in, but backing out of the driveway is hard, and if we're expecting company, we put out our orange cones to reserve parking. Back where I come from in Ohio, when a spring festival comes to town or Fourth of July parades are hosted, parking gets very creative, strategic, and for locals, often involves parking in friends' driveways as favors. Some owners of private parking lots charge for spaces for the weekend, making extra cash during the festival.

Hopeful visitors wrote into A Little Beacon Blog for directions on walking from the train station to the festival. Key Food set up their Kettle Korn tent to catch the walkers headed to the festival with the irresistible smell of popcorn, and reported that the stand "did very well." Businesses from sewing store Beetle and Fred to Alps Chocolate to Mr. V's all reported watching crowds of people whooshing down Main Street, hoofing it on foot to get to the cupcakes as quickly as they could. Says the Alps manager, "I don't know what the rush was. There were plenty of cupcakes, right?"

How Many Cupcakes Sell At A Cupcake Festival?

Well... of the 70 vendors that participated in the festival, 18 of them were cupcake makers. K104.7 recommended that vendors bring at least 1,000 cupcakes, and to price them no less than $3, most likely as a way to create pricing fairness. As a cupcake festival vendor newbie, this recommendation was a bit unbelievable. After experiencing the festival, however, and the lines that did not quit, it was clear that cupcake lovers were there to get lots of what they wanted. Joe Condon, owner of Joe's Irish Pub, observed: "The woman who set up in front of my pub [must have] made a killing. She was sold out by 3:30 pm." The festival started at 1 pm and ended at 5 pm.

Jason Schuler, founder of Drink More Good, has made participating in markets all over the state his number one marketing strategy. He can do about eight markets a weekend with this team. Drink More Good's main storefront/kitchen is located closer to the middle of Main Street, not in the heart of the festival with all of the foot traffic, so how did they fare? "The Cupcake Festival was a huge success in my opinion. It brought an insane amount of people to Beacon, and I guarantee a good portion of those people will be back to explore the town at a later date. We saw an increase in new traffic that day, but also had a private event in the evening that we closed early for. The only thing I'll do different next year for the Cupcake Festival is to actually get a booth at the event and sell as a vendor!"

Was the Cupcake Festival a Milestone Day for Everyone?

While Beacon does have a milelong Main Street and nearby parks, hosting such an event in Beacon would have been unimaginable a decade or two ago. Joe Condon, a lifelong resident of Beacon and founder of Joe's Irish Pub, remembers how Beacon could not have held an event like this decades ago: "Eighteen years ago there was nothing down here. Nothing at all. Anything that brings customers into this town is great. I know the Mayor and the City Council are doing everything they can to improve things in this town, and I think it’s great. I hope they bring that back every year. I am in business to make money! Next year I may have live music outside of my pub.”

Lauren & Riley

Some business owners like Kim King of Lauren and Riley, preferred the festival to be in a field. “I picture a festival to be more in a grassy area, like Memorial Park, or the waterfront, or where the Beacon Flea is in the Henry Street parking lot. I feel like every time we have a festival, it never brings in extra business for me. If you’re not food. I’d want it a block over from my store. I would rather have foot traffic from people going to or leaving a festival, headed to their cars, not the people funneled down the middle of the street.”

Meanwhile, Kim's neighbor, Brenda Haight Murnane of Beacon Bath and Bubble, had been one of first vocal skeptics of the festival. After the big day, she declared: "I'll eat my words now!" Brenda saw sales like she gets the day before Christmas. Which is a pretty big deal on a random day in May - that was rainy. "People were pleasant and happy to be in Beacon, many here for the first time. The foot traffic in here was awesome. I was freaking out because my daughter couldn’t be in to help me that day. My husband stood in."

Would all businesses do well during this kind of festival? Brenda shares her thoughts: "I think it depends on what kind of store you have. A lot of soap went out the door - bath bombs - that sort of thing. And soda - we sell vintage sodas as well. I had lots of lookers. Not everyone bought but they got to see the store which was great. Hopefully the people will come back to shop Main Street.”

“So many people that stopped at my table or came in the shop were shocked to see what Beacon is now.”

— Stephany Carapola Jones, owner The Blushery

Diva, the Woodman's sidekick on K104.7's morning show and pictured below, couldn't help but enjoy the day, and had time to appreciate the setting while surrounded by a backdrop of trees and mid-renovation old factory buildings. "I'm so glad this event was in Beacon! Beacon gets no love, and it is so nice here!"

Diva, of K104.7 in the morning.
Photo Credit: Digital Weddings

Harry's Hot Sandwiches up the street also declared a great day: "Things were great for us. Without the festival I think it would have been a quiet day because of the cold and rainy weather." Others outside of his store observed that people walked into his eatery, looked around, walked back out to check out their sandwich options, and came back in to order up.

Further up the road at The Vault, owner Anthony DiSarro checked in the black: "The impact of the festival on business at The Vault was positive. We saw more families than usual, with parents eating and drinking, but children mostly 'cupcaked out.'" Later that night, The Vault would host an '80s and '90s Dance Party, so it was a full day of music for them. The vegetarian-friendly eatery, Raddish, which normally has quiet business as it's located in the blind spot of the turn, happily reported a very busy day.

During the Cupcake Festival, Anne of The Chocolate Studio put a table out on the sidewalk in front of her store to draw attention: " After a very long winter, I was happy to have a very good sales day during the Cupcake Festival. I was happy to have the Cupcake Festival on Main Street," she said.

Denise Gianna is the owner of Denise Gianna Designs, located next door to The Chocolate Studio, and sells repainted furniture and reclaimed designs, as well as her interior design services. How did she fare? “It was a typical touristy Saturday, I sold furniture and pillows on the day. I was happy the festival was here.”

Emily Burke, supplier of all your kitchen needs at Utensil, had a table outside on the sidewalk in front of her store, selling cupcake-making things. Her daughters had baked cupcakes the night before, and were handing them out. "My sales were just about the same as an average Saturday. That said, I do think many people 'discovered' the East End shops, though it's difficult to quantify if that actually turns into new customers. From a non-retailer perspective, the event was well-run, and people were respectful and having a good time."

PS: Pictured below are some tools to make cupcake-baking easy. Find them at Utensil: Sturdy paper cupcake holders that let you skip using a muffin tin! Just pop them on a baking sheet - standing alone - and then bake (I tried it). Finish up with icing-art by getting piping bags with different shaped tips for squiggle designs, dual colors, and more (these are like paint brushes for a baker).

Staphanie Carapola Jones, owner of The Blushery and a lifelong Beacon resident, chimed in from the services side of business. Stephanie runs a brow bar, offers laser hair removal, is a makeup artist, and sells the makeup in her store. "Everybody had to pass The Blushery to get to the festival, which started a few stores away from us, so it was great. I set up a table right outside my shop on the sidewalk and had a lot of people stop in to take my service menus [and] samples. I think the people had a destination in mind and it was for the cupcakes and a street fair, not necessarily shopping boutiques. But they got to see our little business district and will possibly make a future trip here to actually walk around and check out all the stores."

A fire-torched s'more cupcake from The Roundhouse.
Photo Credit: Stephanie Carapola Jones, owner of The Blushery.

Stephanie heard a lot of commentary about Beacon while she was in her store on festival day: "So many people that stopped at my table or came in the shop were shocked to see what Beacon is now. They couldn't believe how nice it was and all the stores we have. I think we all are going to gain some new customers from this and word will travel about their experience. I walked the whole thing towards the end, because my daughter wanted to go in the bouncy house. I would love to have it back every year.”

Did the festival inconvenience Stephanie's customers? "I made sure to inform my customers about the event and logistics before they came in for appointments. They got there fine. Nobody complained to me when coming in the shop."

What about the new strip of retail shops at 1 East Main? We asked one of the latest newcomers, The Curated Gift Shop. Did people come down the hill from Main Street? "No," says The Curated Gift Shop, "but I was stuffing my face with cupcakes, so it was probably for the best."

A Little Beacon Blog's vendor table was located across from 1 East Main and across from the Roundhouse's vendor table showing off their cupcake skills (see The Blushery's photo above for a sample). We offered face-painting, whose proceeds would go to the Kindergarten Teams of Beacon's Elementary Schools.

Normally we hold these events in our storefront office at 291 Main Street, and we're lucky if we raise $15 on the day because face-paints are only $1 and it can be tough to attract people inside. During this festival, we had a solid line that we had never experienced before, and I was the only face-painter. Normally, my kids and their friends enjoy helping, but it became very clear very quickly that this was the big leagues and parents new to our business model didn't know what to make of the little painters. When I had to go judge the cupcakes, I needed to leave the table, and did not warn the line or have an official backup painter (Eeeks! Sorry everyone!). My friend jumped in reluctantly and ended up enjoying it once she got into the rhythm, but we are already planning ahead with new systems for next year! We raised $70 that day, which we are matching to send $140 to Glenham Elementary. Thank you everyone!

Most Importantly, Who Won The Cupcake Contest?

The Bourbon Bacon Cupcake! Baked and presented by Daniela Haugland. She won the $1,000 courtesy of the Poughkeepsie Galleria.

Daniela Haugland won first prize for her Bourbon Bacon Cupcake. She won the $1,000 courtesy of the Poughkeepsie Galleria.
Photo Credit: Digital Weddings

The winning cupcake, Bourbon Bacon Cupcake, baked and presented by Daniela Haugland.
Photo Credit: Digital Weddings

Second Place went to Dara Lippert with her Coconut Dream Cupcake. The People's Choice Award went to Melissa Torres for her complex Bailey's Brownie Cheesecake Cupcake.

The People's Choice Award went to Melissa Torres for her complex Bailey's Brownie Cheesecake Cupcake.
Photo Credit: Digital Weddings

Contestants and their cupcakes included:

• Arleen Harkins: Sweet Potato Caramel Delight  
• Jamie Vislocky: Banana Cream Pie Cupcake  
• Sarah Robinson: Chocolate Covered Cannoli Cupcake  
• Kimberly Alford: Carrot Cheesecake Cinnamon Buttercream Cupcake  
• Dina Marra:  Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup  
• Mark Avon: Chocolate Kumquat Strawberry Cupcake

Looking forward to next year!

Beacon Open Studios 2017: Pirates, Paintings, Treasure

Beacon Open Studios (BOS) is a signature, citywide event in Beacon. For some, including myself and this year's new director, Samantha Palmeri, the discovery of this citywide art show happened quite by accident while meandering outside. Every year, dozens of Beacon artists clean up their studios, organize their brushes, and put out their best tools and works of art. Through this project, the public is invited in to directly access artists and their productions. Beacon Open Studios is going on now, on May 13 and 14 from noon to 6 pm. The kickoff party was Friday evening at Oak Vino.

How to Experience Beacon Open Studios

Open studios are identified by a large red dot in the yard of the artist's home studio, or on the studio door of an artist's space in a building. There is an official map that you should pick up or visit on the BOS website, but there is something quite special about stumbling upon a red dot and following your curiosity inside. This wonderment continues to be my favorite way to experience Open Studios.

However, the more one learns about each artist, the longer the list of which artists to visit. Some participants are longtime artists who dropped "practicing artist" for a few years and are returning anew, while others are artists who make commissions for private clients or advertising agencies, while others still are artists who produce fantastic work yet only display during times like these.

Who Is Participating In Beacon Open Studios This Year?

Over 50 artists are taking part this year. Several of them are emerging artists and some are simply to to the event. The physical map, which you can pick up at Hudson Beach Glass or at many restaurants or shops, is organized by artist, but also groups artists by location. For instance, if there are six artists showing in one location, you can search by geography as well, if you wanted to see a bunch at once. 

Let's take a peek!

Artist: Chris Sanders, "Treasures of the Hudson Highlands"
Photo Credit: Treasures of the Hudson Highlands

"Treasures of the Hudson Highlands"

Chris Sanders is a storyboard artist for the film and television industry. Pirate lore of the Hudson River and Valley captivated her, and she began creating graphic novels inspired by pirates who did travel up and down the Hudson River years ago, in search of treasure, or hiding their own. Her first book, a historical fantasy, was published in November. You can meet the artist and see the original pages during Beacon Open Studios. The best part? She's full of Hudson Highlands pirate knowledge, so best ye get thee there.

Location: 45 Beekman Street, one of the artists in Spire Studios

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Artist: Stan Lindwasser
Photo Credit: Stan Lindwasser

Stan Lindwasser

Stan Lindwasser is new to Beacon, but not to the art scene. Stan has been a professional painter for decades, and has designed installations that were shown at the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Public Library in Brooklyn, NY, and the Bertha Urdang Gallery in New York City. An excerpt from his artist statement includes: "I question the place and role of color: on lines, as lines, or replacing lines. The works I have been doing reflect my careerlong interest in the details of line and color, the creation of shapes and the placement of these on paper, or in space. These paintings reflect my thinking about direction and how changes in density of paint or use of water define and subtly change the composition."

Full disclosure, the design services extension of A Little Beacon Blog works with Stan on his website, so we are familiar with several years of his work, and appreciate his fascination with color.

Location: 35 Monell Place

Rosemary Braghieri Rednour

Photo Credits for above photos: Rosemary Braghieri Rednour

Rosemary makes "jewelry and sculpture from a different perspective," as she puts it. She's opened up her studio for visitors to see how she does it all.

Location: 17 East Main Street

Here's a sampling in video of what the Open Studios experience is like:

The New Director at Beacon Open Studios

This year marked the event's transition to a new director, Samantha Palmeri. She too discovered Beacon Open Studios while meandering around town, and for her, it made a life-altering impact! We interviewed her for this article:

What is your background?

I'm from Staten Island originally. I've lived in Beacon 2 1/2 years now. This will be my third year as a participating artist in BOS. I graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a major in painting, and since graduating I've held practically every job in the art world, including teaching, directing, curating, art handling etc. I've owned and directed two separate art galleries, one in Staten Island and one in New Jersey. And I've been a practicing artist for the last 20 years.

Why did the directorship appeal to you?

Open Studios' Director Samantha Palmeri's artwork, on display at 11 Creek Road.
Photo Credit: Samantha Palmeri

When I moved to Beacon I was very content to just be in my studio working. We moved here because we liked that there was already an art community happening. I wanted to join something that was already established and not have to start from scratch. When I heard that BOS was in need of a director and it might not happen this year, I didn't even hesitate to find out how I could volunteer.

First of all, it's one of my favorite events of the year in Beacon, plus it was good timing for me, and again, it was already an established community event that had its own footprint and identity. I felt especially as a participant myself I had enough ideas and experience to be able to add to what was already a great event.

What was your favorite thing about Beacon Open Studios the first time you experienced it?

There are a lot of artists in Beacon! There's a lot to see and experience. The overall quality and diversity of the artwork is great, and it's special to this town because a lot of events like this [in other locales] tend to all look the same with the majority of artists all making similar looking things.

The first BOS I went to was before I lived here. We had sold our house and were coming up here expecting to get confirmation on a place to rent. That place fell through and we were wandering around BOS a little depressed because we didn't know if we could find a place to live. We happened to start up a conversation with one of the participating artists and she said, "Oh, I know another artist in town who has a place for rent." We ended up calling her that day and finding the house we rented for the next 2 years. So, I suppose BOS will always be extra-special to me and my family because of that! It just was a perfect example of how welcoming and awesome this art community really is!

What can we expect this year from Beacon Open Studios?

Because it's my first year directing, I really didn't want to make too many drastic changes. We ended up picking the second weekend of May for the date. That's the first thing, the fact that it will fall on Second Saturday this year. I thought it would only bring more visitors so it's a win-win. It happens to also fall on Mother's Day but again, I think the town will be hopping that whole weekend! We're also revising the color catalog. The more sponsors and registered artists we get, the bigger the budget we'll have to work with. We'd like to make a fold-out map this year so it's easier for visitors to find artist studios and figure out how to spend their day in Beacon. There will be musicians playing at certain venues and there are a few new locations to visit this year, including the Shambhala Yoga Center and the Creekside Lofts behind the Howland Cultural Center.

Does this kind of event run in other cities? If so, where? Is it all connected? Or a general concept that gets picked up?

There are open studio events all over the place. They're not connected in any way. It's a boost to any community to be considered a cultural destination. Not every town or city has a substantial community of artists like Beacon does. And even places that do, don't necessarily have open studio events. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work. BeaconArts and BOS is run completely by volunteers, and believe, me these people work hard!!

***

Beacon Open Studios is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a re-grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.

Beacon Open Studios is a sponsored project of BeaconArts, a 501(c)(3) organization supported through grants and donations and run entirely by volunteers.

Chime in here with where you were able to visit, and tell us your favorite parts!

Ree-Play Sale Is On - You Get Deals on Kids Gear, Beacon Gets New Park Equipment and Other Help

Turnout at the 2017 opening day for the Ree-Play sale.

Yesterday was the opening day for the annual Ree-Play sale, a fundraiser for three public parks in Beacon put on by the Wee Play Community Project at the University Settlement Camp at 668 Wolcott Ave.. It's held from Friday to Sunday, 9 am to 1 pm each day. Despite my best intentions to get this article written prior to the sale (yay to those of you who saw this article, which let you know about the opportunity to donate your stuff), I was shopping the sale bright and early Friday morning to score a simple (yet normally pricy) high chair for a deep deal. This is what you can do too, today and tomorrow. Saturday will feature a balloon man to entertain the kids while parents and grandparents shop, and on Sunday, the goods will be half-price. Oh yeah.

Be sure to watch their Facebook page for sneak-peek looks into what is available.

First-Day Success

My own bounty. A simple high chair was high on my list, after living through two hugely bulky high chairs.

Despite the rain, people turned out and filled all parking available in the upper field at the University Settlement Camp, down below at the Beacon Pool, and on the road leading up from the pool to the camp casino building. The line was long, but shoppers stayed focused and it moved fast.

Ringing up their first day, the Wee Play Community Project reported earnings of $6,000 - so far. This is great news for Beacon parks; the last major donation that Wee Play made was three umbrella shade structures. If you are a regular user of the jungle gyms at the parks, you will notice new equipment here and there to spice things up a bit. Go ahead and thank Wee Play for those, too. Maintained entirely by different volunteers each year, this park system is a huge benefit to living in Beacon. The parks can be found down at the water at Riverfront Park, near the mountain at Green Street Park, and the Tot Park at Memorial Park (also near the mountain, but on the river side of Fishkill Creek. You know. By Ron's!) 

Keep Your Eyes Open for Sorted Stuff

There is a. lot. in here, but it is sorted, even down to balls of socks. You'll need to walk slowly, head down, eyes like hawks, to find what you need.

Food and Coffee - Yes.

You need coffee and snacks. And Wee Play has you covered. The people who contribute to the exquisite local, but not your run-of-the-mill bake sales, also bake for this one. You can choose from Confetti Lemon Bars, Small Banana Raisin Bread, Monster Cookies, and more. Warm coffee is also available, as are cheese sticks, juice and yogurt for little protein seekers. 

Good luck in your hunting and gathering!

Kitchen Cuts is Back: Sunday, May 7 - Book It Now for $16 Kids Haircuts

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Back by popular demand, the girls from Your Presence Salon are taking a road trip, leaving their Poughkeepsie location to visit A Little Beacon Space in Beacon on Sunday, May 7. They'll be cutting your kid's hair from 10 am to 4 pm for $16 a head, while the kids and I do face-painting at our table. It's even bigger than last time, in order to accommodate so many little faces. Face-painting is $1, the proceeds from which are being donated to the Kindergarten Teacher Teams in Beacon City Schools.

The first two Kitchen Cuts events raised about $60, which A Little Beacon Blog matched to bring a total of $130 donated to the Kindergarten Teacher Team at South Avenue School. We have gotten the paint out again in order to ramp up efforts to donate this amount to the other three elementary schools.

The day is super fun, and is a great chance to get your entire brood's hair cut - boys and girls - short and long hair. We have cut bangs for the first time (the child's first time, not the stylist's!), long locks for the first time, and used the mini-flat iron to create little Goldilocks out of the girls. This time, we are bringing in an actual hair chair, originally purchased from the Beacon Buy Sell Group to serve as my daughter's desk chair in her room (more fun than sitting in a regular chair, right?).

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Walk-ins only. Cash or credit. See you soon!

Easter Egg Hunt in Beacon Set for 2017 - 7,000 Chocolate Eggs

Easter Weekend in Beacon, as in most places, means church mornings in pretty dresses. Here, we also have the Easter Egg Hunt in Memorial Park. This year, Beacon's Easter celebration in Memorial Park is slated for Saturday, April 15 from 11 am to 2 pm, with chocolates provided by Alps Sweet Shop, Beacon's local chocolatier. 

Attendance at this event at Memorial Park has grown over the years. It's usually the first official community-planned outing after a long winter, where neighbors don't see neighbors too often (aside from snow-shoveling sessions) because they are huddled up inside. Entertainment has grown to include a bouncy-something (slide, house, etc.), with a traditional visit from the Easter Bunny, raffles for a bike and baskets, petting zoo, face painting, live music, Dutchess Dog House food truck, and the annual presentation of the Mayor's Egg.

If you are coming with children, prepare yourself for chocolate-chasing chaos. As the crowds have grown, so has the grassy area covered for this Easter egg hunt. While the surrounding activities are manageable, the mad dashes for chocolate have seen an increase in coordination. Perhaps this year, the announcers of the chocolate races might use a larger speaker system, instead of the megaphone the event has outgrown, to direct the waves of kids lined up in different age groups. Hopefully the recent rainfall has started to melt the giant mound of snow that currently sits in the Memorial Park parking lot, where a lot of collected snow was dumped after the March Blizzard of 2017.

Welcome to Spring!

10th Annual Beacon Barks Parade Is Happening for 2017!

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The Beacon Barks Parade went on hiatus last year as the Beacon Barkery, the co-founding institution behind the event, transitioned to new owners. Recently, dog and cat fans have been happy to see the familiar yellow flyers return to storefront windows around town for the event, which raises money for Safe Haven Animal Shelter & Wildlife Center, and raises awareness for homeless animals in our communities.

Slated for Saturday, April 29, from 11 am to 4 pm (with no rain date planned), people and dogs will gather once again along Main Street starting at the west end of Main Street near Mountain Tops to the parking lot at the DMV. Some will be in costume for the Costume Contest, while others will be participating in canine performances while music plays on the street. Rescue organizations will hosting pet adoptions during the day, so be prepared to fall in love with a dog or cat - of any age! Just find someone to love and rescue.

Sponsor Opportunities

As in years past, there are vendor and sponsor opportunities available, and anyone can be a vendor, not just pet-related businesses or organizations. There is no fee for nonprofits, or for storefronts located along the parade route, to have a vendor table. To date, event sponsors include Canine Sanctuary, Tonya’s Tasty Treats, the VCA, Beacon Barkery, and Safe Haven.

To be a vendor, stop into Beacon Bakery at 190 Main Street to pick up or drop off an application (download one here from Hudson Valley Pet Expo's website) and leave a $50 vendor fee. The application deadline is April 15 (so get your taxes done early so that you can do this without panic!). Vendors get space for a 10'x10' table. Tables aren't provided, but details on renting a table and chairs are in the application. You could always invest in a table and chairs at Home Depot.

Costume Contest and Marching in Parade

To enter the pet costume contest, you also will need to fill out an application, but there is no fee. Anyone can march in the parade, and marchers do not need to register. 

Details for the parade can be found here at Hudson Valley Pet Expo.

3rd Annual Sausage Fest Returns to Barb's Butchery!

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Barb's Butchery first burst onto the scene with an Annual Sausage Fest to rave reviews and high attendance by people who wanted to try Barb's wild and creative flavors. Now in its third year, Sausage Fest returns to 69 Spring Street on Sunday, February 26th from 10 am to 6 pm. You'll be able to try (and take home!) 40 different flavors of sausage.

Yeah, that's right... 40 different flavors of sausage. If you don't know where to even begin to concoct that many recipes, Barb is way ahead of you, with her tongue-in-cheek style. She starts with a classic recipe and builds layers of flavor to complement the taste and texture of her locally farmed pork, chicken or lamb in surprising ways.

Example 1: Take the new 11 herbs and spices chicken sausage, with a seasoning blend that packs a bucketful of fried chicken flavor.

Example 2: Skip the sports bar and go straight for Barb's incredible buffalo wing sausage, with melt-in-your-mouth buffalo sauce spices and blue cheese in a chicken sausage. "It’s everything you love, without the celery!" say insiders at Barb's Butchery.

Example 3: For something more sophisticated, try the fragrant herbs and cayenne kick of her North African mint sausage.

Example 4: Keep it classic with the Cordon Bleu blend of house-made ham, Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard in a chicken sausage.

Sausage Fest is a not-to-be-missed event, so make room in your fridges and freezers! If you want to know the butchery's back story before visiting, read our interview with Barb here.

Editorial Note: Barb's Butchery is an advertiser in A Little Beacon Blog's Restaurant Guide, but this article is not a sponsored post. It's pure editorial because it's just that good.