Happening This Weekend - 2/8/2019
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Dreary Rainy Days Are For...Paint! Literally The Best Is On Main Street At Knot Too Shabby
/Dreary rainy days are for... Cheery, milky furniture paint! Right down Main Street at @knottooshabbyny. Y’all might not realize the importance and specialness of this store. Owner Caryn carries the @anniesloanhome line of paint, which is super special and rare in retail. Shipping of it can get pricey, but here it is, cans of so many colors, right inside of Knot Too Shabby. She’s having a workshop this weekend on how to paint with the paint. Which is pretty easy, though - that’s the point of it. It goes on everything! There are imitations of this paint, but nothing like the real thing. Only three spots left in the workshop. But there are rows of cans of paint - and the special brushes - that you can take home at any time. We stopped in yesterday because our sister design agency @katiejamesinc is helping make Knot Too Shabby’s website easier to use and much more mobile-friendly, so we got the workshop scoop!
The furniture is also for sale. Hand-painted and restored by Caryn herself.
Prepping February’s Second Saturday Art Gallery Guide!
/Prepping for February’s Second Saturday Art Gallery Guide has started! Catherine Sweet takes the lead as the editor and writer of this guide, and we wait for every word she types up to describe the shows, exhibits or events.
We spotlight art galleries and art events at no cost for artists in this Guide. Photo Book Works reached out to us, wanting to help make it possible with a sponsorship. To that we say: Yes and THANK YOU!
Yes, more sponsorships of this Guide are possible. See the link at the top of the Art Gallery Guide for details and to start a sponsorship online. Tap on Guides, then Art Gallery Second Saturday Guide.
If you are a retail shop or restaurant who is interested in promoting your retail offerings on the day, you can do so as part of our Friday Feature Advertising Package! It’s really fun.
Looking forward to another month!
Building That Houses Homespun About To Change Hands - 232 Main Street
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Photo Credit: Gate House Realty
Every now and then, sometimes on a Sunday and now in our Friday newsletter, we feature a listing from A Little Beacon Blog’s Real Estate Guide. This weekend’s feature is 232 Main Street, and upon looking at the photo, we immediately thought: “Hey! That’s our friend Homespun’s building!” Also in the building: the folks who live in the apartments upstairs (which look very cute and one seems to be available).
When a building goes up for sale, anything can happen. So we reached out to Homespun’s owner, Jessica Reisman, to inquire if she knew about any next steps. Essentially - is Homespun going anywhere? Will the deep-dish french toast and homemade soups still be within walking distance? “Homespun is definitely here to stay (almost 13 years old now!)” Jessica responded. “We are hoping that whoever buys the building will give us a good long lease!”
Well, that’s good news! Being that the listing is with Gate House Realty, an advertiser here at A Little Beacon Blog and the reason 232 Main Street is in our Real Estate Guide, we reached out to Charlotte for any inside scoop she could release. “There is an accepted offer, and the new buyer would like to see her stay, so hopefully Homespun will be around for a long time.” Anything can happen in real estate, so we’ll think good thoughts and wait until the end, or rather, the new beginning.
And keep it tuned to A Little Beacon Blog, refreshing often to see real estate opportunities like this if you have been looking for a great building to invest in, with popular businesses and tenants already there. There are more houses, apartments, and sometimes storefronts that get featured in our listings. This fixer-upper with the vintage kitchen is still available…
Free Community Event at A Little Beacon Space - Origami Peace Crane Project To Spread Peace, Love, and Equality
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A Little Beacon Blog has partnered with Kim Beller, founder of The PEACE Project, an interactive art project to spread peace, equality, and love in the community and across the world.
“In December 2016 I began folding peace cranes with the community in Wilmington, NC, where I lived,” says Kim. “After completing the folding of 1,000 origami peace cranes, I strung the peace cranes and they were hosted by different businesses and restaurants in and around Wilmington to promote peace, love and equality. Previously, I organized the folding of 1,000 cranes with my daughter’s school, with a home for autistic children, and for my mom during her battle with cancer (her cranes hang in the Lower Cape Fear Hospice in Wilmington). This event in Beacon will be my fifth time folding 1,000 cranes for peace!”
One thousand peace cranes will be folded, and strung into strands of 100 each, and they will be hosted by different businesses and restaurants in the Hudson Valley to promote Peace - Equality - Love.
All are welcome to this free community event to fold origami peace cranes. No experience is needed - Kim will guide you through the folding process and provide origami paper. Please bring a friend!
The PEACE Project 2019
Day: Sunday, February 10, 2019
Time: 12 to 2 pm
Location: A Little Beacon Space, 291 Main St., Beacon, NY
Information >
Happening This Weekend - 2/1/2019
/CORRECTION: Eaglefest will be Saturday, February 9, 2019
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The Little Marshmallow Cookie Sandwich Spot-Hitter At Hudson Valley Marshmallow Co.
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During the lowest temperatures of the polar vortex, and during the darkest nights of evening snow-shoveling in preparation for the morning, visions of blow-torched marshmallow cookie sandwiches have kept the home fires warm until the next time we can experience the real deal - firing up the little delight to hit the sweet spot of a chocolate craving!
The marshmallow cubes at Hudson Valley Marshmallow Co. These are made here in Beacon.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
The prep for the s’more, before it gets torched in the video below.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
And I don’t even normally like marshmallows (except for these, melted, it seems). Which is why it has taken me until now to finally visit Hudson Valley Marshmallow Company and actually experience one of their toasted marshmallow s’more bite sandwiches between two cookie crackers (your choice of chocolate chip, chocolate chocolate or cinnamon), smushed into your choice of a single square of dark or milk chocolate (made by Alps Chocolate, right down the street!), and blow-torched to perfection by the marshmallow-ista. (What would you call the barista of a marshmallow bar, anyway? We’ll call her a marshmallowista.) Check out this video of her torching the marshmallow, and the special smush it gets once melted.
”My torso is famous,” said the marshmallowista. That’s how many customer videos she’s been in while custom-torching marshmallow s’mores for people. The Violent Femmes played on the speakers in the background while we customers grappled with the tough choices among marshmallow combos, selecting first the flavor of the marshmallow, which is made here in Beacon in the commissary kitchen of More Good. (Yes, there is an entire outfit behind the tea room further up Main Street in the center of town, where brands like this are born and fly the coop into kitchens of their own someday.)
The s’more cookie crackers at Hudson Valley Marshmallow Co. These are baked right here in Beacon.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
If you like gingerbread and pumpkin spice, you will face a tough choice between the two. For me, the choice is clear: salted caramel marshmallow between two chocolate chocolate cookie crackers (you can always mix and match), and a square of milk chocolate. Fire it up!
There is a growing number of marshmallow roasting gifts in the store. You could of course buy bags of the small-batch marshmallows (see their clever bags of black coal at Christmas), and a personal marshmallow roaster, should you want to start roasting inside your kitchen.
Valentine’s Day is just an excuse to buy these things, as eating these little s’mores any day of the year would give the same satisfaction as eating a giant cookie or brownie.
The choice is yours. A warning: BJ’s legendary three-layer cakes are right next door. Find this strip of storefront heaven on the west end of town, toward the DMV. Also be warned: Hudson Valley Marshmallow is only open Thursdays to Sundays. But they are open until 8 pm. So all you commuters and neighboring shop owners who close and come home at 6 pm have no excuse for not going!
The Nostalgia electric s’mores maker
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Antalek & Moore Hires Local Talent For Website Makeover (Sponsored)
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Crucial to the success of a community is jobs. Some people have full-time jobs and work for other people. Antalek & Moore Insurance Agency in Beacon, NY, employs a staff of 10 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee. Other people create their own jobs based on their creative talent as small business owners and entrepreneurs. Antalek & Moore reached out to these entrepreneurs in the local market when they decided to kick off 2019 with a new online presence, featuring a cleaner, mobile-friendly website!
Hiring Local Design and Photography Talent
Says Susan about the website design process: “Two years ago, we changed how we market, using social media and a new website. We wanted to work with locals to create this for us.” Antalek & Moore entered the social media landscape with Kate Rabe of Marketing Inbound, who works with several organizations throughout the Hudson Valley.
For the website design, Kate referred Antalek & Moore to Katy Dwyer Design, who is known for working closely with clients. Katy and her team produced the design, and Kate shaped the content. “The goal was to re-vamp the website so it is more user-friendly, and not so stiff,” explains Susan.
“One of the most exciting aspects of the project is how we were able to use the photography of our longtime friend of the family, Scott Snell, who is a broadcast camera operator and drone photographer (learn more about him in his interview in the Highlands Current). He was responsible for the beautiful local artwork that now hangs on our walls.” Scott is known for sharing beautiful photography of Beacon with the public on social media.
New Website Features
Whether you’re looking to pay your bill, request a quote, or want to find out when Susan’s next Defensive Driving course is scheduled, the new design provides easier navigation for visitors. Since Antalek & Moore Insurance Agency serves as your local agent and liaison with whichever national insurance agency you elect to go with, you can pay that insurance company directly as well, if you’re used to paying that way.
If you are curious about updating your coverage for your home, car, or business - visit Antalek & Moore at www.antalek-moore.com.
Personally, I’m all bundled up with Antalek & Moore! Home, Car, Business. Easy.
Antalek & Moore is a sponsor of A Little Beacon Blog, and this article was created with them as part of our Sponsor Spotlight program. It is with the support of businesses like theirs that A Little Beacon Blog can bring you coverage of news, local happenings and events. Thank you for supporting businesses who support us! If you would like to become a Sponsor or Community Partner, please click here for more information.
Fly Little Hearts, Fly!
/A skill that I cherish in others is the ability to design a storefront window. The concept... the materials... the timing.
Have you seen this storefront window down on the east end of town, across from Joe’s Irish Pub? While romance may be brewing (ha! pun not intended!) inside the bar, hearts are flying off the page of the vintage typewriter in the La Mère Clothing and Goods shop window. There are plenty of Valentine’s Day outfits in there (oh let’s be honest... dress romantically every day, if it makes you happy), and rumor has it, everyone wants to buy the display furniture the proprietress April uses. Sometimes she’ll sell, sometimes not!
When we go inside the shop to snap a picture for La Mère’s weekly Friday Feature as a sponsor of the Shopping Guide, it’s becoming fun to hear about what display furniture sold right out from under the clothes or jewelry.
Take a look at night as you drive or walk by if you haven’t yet, when the window is lit up. And of course, step inside and get a little something! Every purchase helps keep your favorite stores here.
Such Bling In Beacon - These Frames Are Unreal!
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There are, like, serious treasures in Beacon. Shopping here is no joke. Luxe Optique is one of the many specialty stores that puts very special finds in your fingers. Luxe is a sponsor of A Little Beacon Blog’s Shopping Guide, so I have the acceptable excuse to step inside of their store each week to feature something they have curated for you.
This week, the bling on these frames was too eye-catching to pass by. The frame family has been featured before in A Little Beacon Blog’s Happening This Weekend email edition, but this was the first time I got to see these little beauties in person.
Can we say WOW. You could be wearing a ring design on your face. The frames are designed by hand, in France, by the designer Francis Klein, especially for Luxe Optique. They could even be custom-designed for you.
Luxe Optique isn’t everywhere. They are only in Beacon so far, but a lot of Beacon’s shops are like that. People come from Connecticut and New York City, and lots of other faraway places just to shop here. It’s an artistic, entrepreneurial, friendly place. Which usually makes for special experiences.
Salvation Army Church On Main Street Serves As Warming Center
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According to the City of Beacon’s Emergency Alert System today, in the reminder to everyone not to park on the street in more than 2” of snow (for snow plows), they mentioned that the Salvation Army Church, located at 372 Main St. in Beacon, is open as a warming center to those in need. The Salvation Army also has a Food Pantry, should you wish to donate food to it. The Salvation Army accepts food and monetary donations. Contact Captain Leilani Alarcón by emailing Leilani.Alarcon@USE.SalvationArmy.Org
A couple years ago, we took a tour through the Salvation Army to see what it looked like inside and to learn more about their programs. There are since new leaders of the church (Captain Leilani Alarcón and her husband, Lt. Josué Alarcón). You can click here to see pictures of the inside. The Salvation Army also rents out rooms inside of the church, including a gymnasium. Details on that will be in our Business Directory under Event Venues or the Real Estate Listing Guide.
Sunday Home Searching: Easy Train Commuting Townhouse - 3 Bedroom
/Doing a little Sunday driving to get to know other areas of Beacon? Gate House Realty has all sorts of fresh featured listings in A Little Beacon Blog’s Real Estate Listing Guide. Remember that vintage kitchen in Glenham? That home is still available. (Simply tap Directories above, then hit Real Estate Listing Guide - it’s the red one.)
This townhouse on West Main (down by the train station and Hudson River) looks to be in great shape for $310,000, with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. Looking for move-in ready? This could be for you.
From Gate House Realty: “Newly renovated 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath, 1,200-square-foot townhouse. New kitchen with granite countertops and appliances, updated bathrooms, new wood flooring, tile and carpet. Deck off of the master bedroom, Hudson River views, bluestone patio, and outdoor shed.”
Bluestone patio? Sounds nice. Call Gate House to check it out: (845) 831-9550. Gate House Realty is a sponsor in A Little Beacon Blog’s Real Estate Guide, and we thank them for their support! And readers, thank you for supporting businesses who support us.
Interested in listing your house, apartment, storefront, building or other? Tap the Advertising tab above and hit Media Kit. See the Real Estate section, and we look forward to showcasing your pics! We love vicariously house-shopping and storefront-dreaming through others.
Happening This Weekend - 1/25/2019
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Highlands Current Raises $75K + New Donors In Local End-Of-Year Fundraiser
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Photo Credit: Main Photo from Highlands Current; Graphic Design by A Little Beacon Blog
The Highlands Current is a local newspaper covering Beacon and Cold Spring. Their office is in Cold Spring, and they started out covering that neck of the woods. However, the publisher felt that too many connections between Beacon and Cold Spring were going unreported, so he elected to officially include Beacon in the newspaper’s coverage. The founding publisher has since passed away, and a board of directors helps to guide the direction of the paper now.
The Highlands Current ran an advertising campaign with A Little Beacon Blog in order to help the paper get the word out about their Double-Match Opportunity. Our position about media is - support it! Especially with local media! We know that media friendships are important, and we not only support and read the paper, but we appreciate their advertising investment as well. We know how precious it is!
We asked Managing Editor Chip Rowe how they did with the fundraiser. Here’s what he said:
Thank you to all Beaconites who helped to make The Highlands Current's year-end fundraising appeal a success. We couldn't have done it without you!
We raised enough funds to qualify for a $25,000 match from the NewsMatch program, a consortium of foundations, including the Knight and MacArthur funds, that are dedicated to helping nonprofit enterprises like The Current. And we'll receive another $25,000 from a generous local donor who also pledged to match that amount. So, with your help, we’re receiving an extra $50,000 to enable us tell your stories this year.
We're also very pleased to have added more than 100 new donors, nearly half of all are from Beacon! This feat will earn us a bonus from NewsMatch. And this growing community of supporters underlines the value put on the news and cultural coverage The Current provides.
We’re looking forward to another year of robust reporting on Beacon and neighboring Highlands communities. Thank you once again for helping us tell your stories!
- Chip Rowe
Managing Editor, The Highlands Current
3rd Free Federal Workers Night At Children's Museum - Mental + Finance Talk Included. Plus, a Look Into Who Isn't Getting Paid
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In what has become the longest federal government shutdown in history, impacting 800,000 people who have gone without pay for almost a month - so far - the Mid-Hudson Children Museum is opening its doors again for another Pizza and Play Night this Thursday, January 24, 2019 from 5 to 7:30 pm. Pizza has been donated by Chef Joel Trocino of Amici’s Restaurant, and this time there will also be chowder from River Station Restaurant, both eateries from Poughkeepsie.
“We’ve heard of missed car loan payments and uncertainty about how grocery bills will be paid if the shutdown continues. ”
Financial and Mental Health Options Presented
For this third event, Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum is coordinating with TEG Federal Credit Union and Mental Health America to provide information on community resources and services available to furloughed workers who are impacted by the partial shutdown of the federal government.
"When we first conceived the idea of hosting our Pizza and Play nights for furloughed workers, we wanted to provide an evening of normalcy for those federal employees impacted by the partial government shutdown,” said Lara Litchfield-Kimber, Executive Director of MHCM.
“It is inconceivable that the shutdown is still dragging on, but as it does, these evenings seem to be taking on the additional importance of allowing people to come together, talk, laugh and check-in on each other. As staff and board of MHCM, we’ve participated in the the conversations and we’ve done a lot of listening. We’ve heard of missed car loan payments and uncertainty about how grocery bills will be paid if the shutdown continues. While not expressly stated in many cases, we know the uncertainty around the shutdown is creating a lot of stress in the lives of individuals and families, so we reached out to engage community partners who can offer additional support.”
Who Isn’t Getting Paid In This Area?
Taking a micro-look at this area by looking at who attended the past two events at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, people not getting paid who attended the first event, and some the second event, include workers at the FDR estate in Hyde Park and other national park properties in the area, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (in Albany), a family of a federal officer, and others. About 30 impacted people brought their families, or came solo.
Lots of Americans Live Paycheck to Paycheck
In an NPR interview this week, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz (who studies wage stagnation and income inequality) said that 40% of Americans have less than $400 saved. Many federal workers, like a lot of workers in the private and entrepreneurial sectors, live paycheck to paycheck. According to this NPR story, Amy Fellows, a correctional officer with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, lives paycheck to paycheck. She was able to pay her rent and utilities for the first month of being furloughed, but doesn’t have anything for this month. And that’s just one story. Here are other stories of workers whose spouses were able to work additional hours at private-sector jobs, and who are thinking of leaving their federal jobs for new jobs.
Types of Federal Jobs Impacted
Included in departments not being paid are TSA workers (according to this CNN article), who continue to be required to show up at airports to check for airline security. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration stopped conducting food safety inspections, and then resumed recently. The U.S. Coast Guard is another surprising department not to get paid. The military fell under a different budget, within the Defense Department which was funded in September. But the U.S. Coast Guard’s budget, according to this article, falls under Homeland Security, and they were the first members of the armed forces not to get paid during a partial government shutdown.
Federal Workers Legally Bound to Continue Working
While half of the federal workers are “furloughed” (granted a leave of absence) according to this article at The Atlantic, those who have jobs that ensure the safety of the country still must show up, thanks to the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947. The act was created to prevent federal workers from striking if they wanted better pay or benefits during pay negotiations. The act covers agencies like the Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Transportation Security Agents (TSA) and Border Patrol Agents.
Says Eric Young, president of the union that represents the approximately 30,000 employees of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, this forced labor is “involuntary servitude.” If federal workers strike, they could risk losing pensions they have worked for years to build. Trump has warned that the shutdown could last for months or years as far as he’s concerned.
Federal Unions Filing Lawsuits Against Trump Administration
Unions representing federal workers have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, saying: “The government is in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, a 1938 law that mandates a minimum wage and overtime pay both to public- and private-sector workers,” according to the article in The Atlantic. Those unions include The American Federation of Government Employees and the National Treasury Employees Union.
What’s Next and Where To Get Help
Created for people who need help but don’t know where to go or how to ask for it, there is the Dutchess County Helpline. If you are worried, or can’t buy groceries, or just don’t know where to turn, you could call the Dutchess County Help Line and talk to someone about anything, plus get resources. They can point you in the right direction based on what you need.
CALL or TEXT: (845) 485-9700
TOLL-FREE: (877) 485-9700
Download the app for FREE
If you are a federal worker with a story you want to share about how the partial shutdown is impacting you, you can do so by emailing editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can.
If you work for or run a business that is doing something special to help federal workers who are not getting paid, you can let us know about it by emailing editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com.
