Retail Therapy Guide 12/10/2021
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HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL
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Gift Wrapping Fundraiser From Greystone Features Designs From People With Autism - 12/11/2021
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People purchasing gifts from Beacon’s bustling boutique districts (see A Little Beacon Blog’s Shopping Guide here!), from the mountain to the river, have the opportunity to have them gift wrapped with specially designed gift wrap from individuals served by Greystone Programs, Inc., an organization “dedicated to supporting children, adults and families living with autism and other developmental disabilities,” according to their mission statement.
On Saturday, December 11th, from 11am-5pm at the Bank, the former Star of Bethlehem Church (who sold the building due to limited parking for their congregation) next to Bank Square Coffee House. The gift wrapping event is a fundraiser for Greystone, where people can pay to have their gifts wrapped in this designer paper, as well as browse artwork on the walls also created by individuals Greystone serves.
Other fundraising opportunities will be available, including a raffle, opportunities to experience the art on the walls, and donations made in any amount. Music will be playing, and light refreshments will be available.
Person Jumps In Front Of Train At Beacon Station Early Tuesday Afternoon 12/7/2021
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Picture of the train tracks along the Hudson River, formerly named the Muhheakunnuk by the Lenape.
Photo Credit: Twinkle
A Beaconite who needed to take the train to New York City for an audition was waiting at the bus stop for the free LOOP Bus at the Dummy Light on Beacon’s east end, which circles Beacon and a surrounding area from the train station, but the bus was late. She called the dispatcher to inquire and was told that the bus was being detained by the police at the Beacon train station. “There was a train partially in the station and a lot of police activity on the platform. Someone had jumped in front of the train,” the Beaconite told her Instagram family.
Texts began bubbling up as word spread about a person whose life ended on Tuesday early afternoon. Unconfirmed local sources who said they were standing near the person who jumped shared their experiences with each other in a local Facebook group. One train traveler who was waiting on the platform nearby to the person who jumped said that they saw the person, who they said looked like a young man with tattoo markings on his face, put something that looked like a passport onto the platform before jumping in front of the oncoming train. This detail is not confirmed.
UPDATE 11:25am 12/9/2021: MTA Media Relations has released the person’s name to A Little Beacon Blog as Douglas Drucker, age 36, from Ossining, NY.
The Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corp. (BVAC) confirmed on their Facebook page that they had responded to an emergency at the train station, saying: “Earlier today The Beacon Volunteer Ambulance was dispatched to a train vs pedestrian. Mental illness is a very serious disease. We just want you to know if you are feeling alone, you are not alone.”
A media spokesperson for the MTA Police confirmed the fatality of the individual, stating to ALBB: “At 1pm, the 12:40pm [train] from Poughkeepsie fatally struck an unauthorized male at the Beacon station.” The train was delayed for approximately 1 hour, and passengers transferred to the other platform to catch the next train, the spokesperson said.
The Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corp. (BVAC) wanted people to try to remember: “If you’re having a psychiatric emergency we urge you to please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Reach out to a friend or family member to assist you in seeking help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255 or contact the Dutchess County Department of Mental Health & Hygiene. These are all 24 hours a day 365 days a year of help. Please, save and share this information. ** Your safety is important to us and we do care. But please know that this page is not consistently monitored. If you need immediate help, please call 911 or contact the numbers listed above. **”
Blessings to the individual and their family. And blessings to you if you are feeling extra troubled at this time. Go easy on yourself, and reach out to the hotlines and/or to someone you trust.
Friends & Businesses Report Drivers Defying Basic Driving Laws By Going Around Stopped Cars At Crosswalks
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The crosswalk at Zora Dora’s and Flora Good Times, where drivers headed eastbound (toward the mountain) increasingly go around cars in front of them who are stopped at the crosswalk to let a person pass.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
For this article, I am breaking the 4th wall and writing in the first person because this latest experience regarded my 9 year old son, but I know that business owners encounter their own near death experiences in Main Street daily. Therefore, two business contacts have been interviewed for this article, which you can read below.
Chronic Anti-Crosswalk Double Yellow Line Crossing Drivers
Willow Street and Main Street has become a regular spot for cars to do illegal U-Turns in, and now is a regular spot for people to drive around cars stopped at the crosswalk across from Zora Dora’s.
Cars coming from this direction (eastbound, toward the mountain) are increasingly going around cars in front of them who have stopped to let pedestrians cross the crosswalks.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Last Friday, a friend called to tell me that they had seen my son almost get hit by a car who had sped around them as they stopped at the crosswalk at Zora Dora’s to let my son cross. This behavior has increased at Willow Street and Main Street, which is where M+T Bank is.
My son was on his bike in the crosswalk at Zora Dora’s. He was correctly inched into the crosswalk on his bike to be seen. My friend stopped for him. The car behind my friend decided that he did not want to wait for a car who had stopped at a crosswalk, and he went around the law-abiding car on the left, crossing over the double yellow line illegally.
“He sped around me,” the good driver said. “Like, not even slowing down to pass with a blinker or anything. I put my arm out and blew my horn. The oncoming car went through the crosswalk too as your son was waiting to cross.”
Businesses Speak Out About “Reckless Free Range Drivers”
Not all drivers in Beacon are bad. Not all reckless drivers are tourists. Some are locals. We see you! Whoever you are, business owners see you too, as they try to do their jobs, and…live.
Beacon Bread is located at the end of Willow Street, and has a front row seat to constant U-Turning, and double yellow line crossing for impatient drivers. Kerry Soeller is the manager at Beacon Bread and Ziatun, and had this to say about her daily experience walking on Main Street to service both restaurants:
“Getting hit by a person passing a stopped car happens often to me at the Willow crosswalk and the Elm crosswalks SEVERAL times a day (I’m not joking, it’s excessive). ”
“Getting hit by a person passing a stopped car happens often to me at the Willow crosswalk and the Elm crosswalks SEVERAL times a day (I’m not joking, it’s excessive).
“I thought the new signage would help, but I think it takes eyes off the road, where people are trying to pop out slowly behind cars because one step out and you can get clipped regardless. I am even a nervous driver anticipating that step out by pedestrians.
“I can’t speak much for the rest of my team, but I walk between Beacon Bread and Ziatun sometimes 10 times a day. More by Ziatun, I’ve experienced a handful of passing cars that almost hit me while I’m crossing over the last two years. Not sure if they think the cars that stopped for me originally were maybe trying to parallel park. And that’s really frightening, especially if I am carrying food or equipment back and forth.
“I’m all for marking the crosswalks bolder/brighter so when you’re looking at the road in front of you, it’s visible someone may be crossing on a CROSSWALK lol.”
The City of Beacon was scheduled to repaint the crosswalks on Main Street, but canceled in October, citing rain. They had wanted to repave Main Street and repaint at the same time.
Corinne Bryson, the owner of Flora Good Times, is another example of someone who is on foot a lot, and encounters near misses. Just last month, as I was pulling out of Willow Street to turn left onto Main Street (always nerve wracking because it’s hard to time with cars coming in both directions, plus pedestrians in the crosswalk when turning left), I saw Corinne start to cross the street as I was pulling out. I stopped and waited for her, but she was giving serious side-eye to another vehicle. I thought her sight was set on me, so I reached out to apologize. Her response: “I was actually peeved the the person behind the eastbound car that stopped for me to cross. The car behind began honking at the car in front that stopped for me to cross. So rude!”
Just to make sure we’re clear - what has been happening is when vechicles stop at crosswalks, sometimes the vehicle behind them honks impatiently, and are mad that the stopped vehicle is following the law. Or being a nice person. It’s really embarrassing when it happens, especially when I stop for parallel parkers, to give them space and patience. The car behind me will beep at me. I fear that the parker thinks it’s me beeping at them.
Ah well. Guess you don’t want to drive behind me, because I stop a lot! I also sometimes don’t see people if they are behind a parked car at the crosswalk corner. Additionally, I have to remember to go slow. I do like to drive, and it’s easy to step on it once the car starts and good music is playing.
Broadly, there are a lot of courteous drivers out there. If anything, hopefully this article and others in ALBB’s Traffic series serves as awareness nuggets to help keep all of our awarenesses sharp.
Woman Dies After Being Hit By Car While Crossing Teller Avenue at Main Street
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Last week, the worst fear for any driver and any pedestrian happened, when a car turning left through a crosswalk hit a person in the crosswalk. Any driver knows that they can have a blind spot in their car for that angle, or the sun can be shining in their eyes at that time of day, or a number of other factors. Pedestrians want to be able to cross the street according to signals and traffic law, but have grown to become defensive walkers as traffic becomes unpredictable in Beacon.
The Beacon Police Department issued a press release stating that a woman was hit by a car on Teller Avenue while in the cross walk at Main Street, where she later died of her injury(ies). This intersection is near the Yankee Clipper Diner, gas station, Kennedy Fried Chicken, Beacon Pantry, and the Veterans Memorial Building. The road is called Teller Avenue when headed to Wolcott/9D, and is called Fishkill Avenue when headed further out in Beacon and becomes Rte. 52 after Memorial Park. The Highlands Current was the first to report it.
As stated in the press release written by Detective Jason Johnson:
On Wednesday December 1, 2021 at approximately 03:15pm, the City of Beacon Police responded to the intersection of Main Street and Teller Avenue for an accident involving a Vehicle vs Pedestrian. The female pedestrian was treated on scene by the City of Beacon Fire Department and transported to St. Luke's Hospital by Mobile Life. She was later transferred to Westchester Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries.
A preliminary investigation revealed that a Jeep Wrangler was stopped for a red light on Main Street facing Westbound. The pedestrian was standing on the corner of Main Street and Teller Avenue waiting to cross the street Eastbound. When the traffic light turned green, the pedestrian began crossing the street in the crosswalk and the operator of the Jeep made a left hand turn from Main Street onto Teller Avenue striking the pedestrian in the roadway.
An investigation determined that neither impairment nor speed was a factor. No further information will be released at this time.
To giver perspective, this means that the Jeep Wrangler was headed westbound toward the river when turning left, and the walker was headed eastbound toward the mountain, on the side of the street as the Yankee Clipper Diner. There are electronic crosswalk signals at that intersection, which beep and talk, telling a person when the lights change and it is their turn to start walking. The street name is announced when the light changes and the crosswalk is programmed to indicate it is safe to cross. When a pedestrian is crossing the road, a vehicle needs to stop and wait to let them cross.
Also stated when publishing their press release to Facebook, the department added a note: “The Beacon Police Department asks that you keep both families in your thoughts during this extremely difficult time.”
On Friday, ALBB has asked Detective Johnson and Lieutenant Figlia of the the Beacon Police Department for any data they have on pedestrians being hit by cars in the last few years in Beacon; if the driver of the Jeep stopped after hitting the person, which is implied in the press release, but not confirmed; and what usually happens after an accident. Should we get a response, this article will be updated.
UPDATE 4:30pm 12/6/2021: Readers have commented in Instagram with comments that may be useful here:
@lizziert: “So terrible. I hope the city will roll out Leading Pedestrian Intervals (lights programmed to give pedestrians 3-7 second head start when crossing) and other pedestrian safety solutions.”
@firstrun: “Ah, my sister was seriously injured when she was hit by a car at the same intersection.”
So awful!! Sending healing thoughts to everyone reeling from this tragedy.
@janetmelissa: “So awful!! Sending healing thoughts to everyone reeling from this tragedy. Just FYI…the pedestrian lights were out at that intersection for some time. Idk if they’ve recently been repaired…but that makes an already dangerous crosswalk even more difficult for pedestrians to safely navigate! I would also love to see lights or an all-way stop put in at the intersection btwn Teller, 9D, and Sargent. It’s a death trap and kids cross there from school!”
@vaclavs_hovel: “This is terrible. The other day I used a crosswalk as one is supposed to, and someone drove behind me anyway as I crossed and called me an asshole. Don’t know if they are old beacon, new beacon, or visitors, it is just wrong to ignore these rules.”
@brianne_mcd11: “I just witnessed someone waiting to turn left into Memorial Park and the person behind them was so impatient that they pulled onto the sidewalk to pass them.”
@jax.yoon “😢 TBH, speed bumps are the only effective solution here. Leave no choice but to slow down.”
Below are pictures of the intersection of Teller Ave/Fishkill Ave and Main Street.
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Blood Drive Hosted By Senator Sue Serino & The American Red Cross
HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL
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Sudden Storm And Fallen Tree Brings Power Outage To Some Beaconites; Closes Beekman Street
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UPDATE 1:30pm 12/3/2021: Central Hudson has responded with what caused the power outage. Please see below for the full explanation.
On the 5th night of Hanukkah, while candles were still burning and lights were glowing in homes, the power went out. From outside their windows of newly darkened rooms, some Beaconites saw flickering flashes of white light across the dark western sky, reminiscent of distant summer fireworks or lightening. The night was windy. Not all Beaconites even realized there was a storm until the power went out and some heard a loud explosion and saw the white lights.
Had the aliens finally landed? Was it happening? “I saw the white light and definitely thought alien invasion,” said one reader @laur1025. “Sigh. I’d welcome aliens at this point,” said another reader, @devaw. “Power still out in what has truly become an alternate universe,” said @scottxny, after the day closed with news from the Supreme Court making quite a few people upset.
The Source Of The White Lights
One reader saw two fire trucks arrive to the scene. One of A Little Beacon Blog’s citizen reporters, Brianne McDowell, was on the case moments after the explosion to find the source. She found the downed tree and pole on Beekman Street where High Street comes into it. High Street is the first street off Beekman as you’re headed to the train station, with the Victorian homes lining the steep hill, across the street from Spire Studios and Ron English’s PopMart. The picture of the down pole and tree on Thursday night is below.
Down power line across High Street. Down tree across Beekman Street. Both across from the Beacon Police Station and the new apartment buildings, The View on Thursday, December 2, 2021.
Photo Credit: Brianne McDowell
Moments after the flash, at least one pole was down on the ground, blocking High Street, across from the Beacon Police Station. A large tree had broken at the base and fallen across Beekman Street.
Thursday evening, one reader @jackoflackoflames, saw “crews out there working on the exploded transformer/tree now. Road still closed.”
By Friday morning, Beekman Street remained closed to cars, but pedestrians could continue walking to the MTA train station on the grass. Beacon’s Highway Department was on the scene Friday morning, cutting the fallen tree to remove it from the road. By Friday morning, the downed power line was gone, and power had been restored to several customers near Main Street.
The traffic light at 9D and Main Street was out, as were the crosswalk signals (there are new electric crosswalk signals that improve accessibility by beeping a signal calling the person to “Wait!” and then verbally announces which street one can cross).
Homes on High Street. The fallen power line and tree were at the base of High Street, across from the Police Station.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Photo Credits: Katie Hellmuth Martin
The flash storm took many by surprise. Usually Central Hudson and Optimum send emails warning about an upcoming storm that may cause a power outage. Neither had sent an email this time. “The rain was horizontal. I couldn’t believe it,” said reader @call.me.ella.mar. Murphy’s Law prevailed once again for an unexpected storm in Beacon. The last was remnants of Hurricane Ida, resulting in federal aid through FEMA.
Another reader, Patti Devine, wondered if the new construction being built in that area, which has eliminated several trees and replaced with solid structures, caused a wind vortex. Wind vortexes whip through building blocks in New York City. “My friend on High Street right there has had 2 trees fall on her house in the last couple of years,” Patti said. “Anyone think that maybe all the buildings there has caused a [wind] vortex in that area? Take down all those trees, and the storm has a new path to follow.”
ALBB is seeking confirmation on if the source of the fall is known. If it was lightening, a microburst, a tiny tornado, or other known weather condition.
The morning after the power line was cleared by Central Hudson. The City of Beacon’s Highway Department works to cut the tree in the middle of Beekman Street.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
About 4,300 Power Outages Throughout Central Hudson Service Area
According to John Maserjian, Media Relations Director for Central Hudson, several people were impacted by the storm. Upon responding to ALBB to confirm details, John said: “As of now, there are currently about 4,300 outages throughout Central Hudson’s service area, mostly on the west side of the Hudson River, caused by high winds and trees.”
John responded with an explanation of what caused the power outage: “Our electric line foreman reports that a burst if wind toppled a tree onto the pole on Beekman street, breaking the pole and causing it to fall. There was no transformer on the pole, rather there was mechanical piece of equipment called an Automatic Load Transfer (ALT) device (this device automatically re-routes power when needed to reduce the duration of outages, for example during storms). The flash of light was not an explosion, rather arcing wires as they fell. This highlights why it’s very important to stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines, as they may still be energized.
“The pole was replaced and repairs made last night/early morning. A new ALT will be re-installed in one to two weeks. The majority of the outages in Beacon was due to this fallen pole. Upon their arrival, crews first manually re-routed power to restore service to most of households as quickly as possible, and then went to work to replace the pole.”
According to the Beacon Police Department, the storm went from west to east in Beacon, with residents feeling the effects over on Red School House Road. The Beacon Police Department does have a generator that can kick in when the power goes out. They noted that power went out down 9D and Verplanck, Beekman, and possibly down to Matteawan (near the Beacon High School track).
Serious Comedy Theatre performers in the Old Beacon High School on the corner of Fishkill Avenue and Verplanck wrote in to say that their building did have power, but that their home near the mountain had lost power overnight.
This is a developing story. Updates will be made to this article, or a new article depending.
Stay safe!
Theater Protocols Explained For Pete and Toshi Seeger Theater In Beacon High School
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A student scenic, building and painting the set.
Photo Credit: The Beacon Players
Winter performances are ramping up in the Pete and Toshi Seeger Theatre in the Beacon High School. From student choral and band concerts, to performances by the Beacon Players, to more theatrical performances from outside groups. Last year in the Spring, performances were held outdoors. How will the Beacon City School District handle the performances now? Beacon’s Superintendent Dr. Matt Landahl provided an update during the 11/8/2021 Board of Education Meeting.
Performances will be inside, General Admission seating, with the auditorium at 50% capacity. The audiences will be masked up. The performers themselves have voluntarily opted to wear clear masks as they have done before, Deputy Superintendent Ann Marie Quartironi confirmed when former Poughkeepsie Journal reporter and current Board of Education member Craig Wolf asked.
The first 2 rows of seating will be blocked off to keep the performers safe. Attendees who come in families or groups will sit together, Dr. Landahl explained. "The ushures will be trained or know what to do to get everyone into the theater in a safe way.” Dr. Landahl noted that these protocols follow what other districts are doing in the area. “I commend our staff for bringing this together. Inside, and back in the theater where they belong,” he said. “A lot of these efforts are this 'return to normal,' like in the theater, or to get it as close to it as we can, and to keep kids in school more.”
These protocols will also cover when the theater is used by an outside group.
There was no mention of if vaccine status would be required.
Teachers Beg For Kids To Remember To Bring Water Bottles To School - Cups Spill
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One of Beacon’s safety measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was to close the water fountains to prevent communicable spread. Kids were encouraged to bring in their own water bottles so that they could get drinks, and refill the water bottle. Kids who don’t bring or have a water bottle are offered little cups of water.
The cups of water has become a point of interest for some kids. Getting a cup may be a reason to go to the nurse if cups run out in a teacher’s room. Or a request to refill a cup might be denied to a middle schooler if they are in the middle of class, or if hallway schedule times aren’t great for kids of different ages mixing in the halls.
In talking to Rombout Middle School’s Principal Brian Soltish about a completely unrelated matter of how bullying in school is dealt with these days, one item that came up was refilling water cups. While Principal Soltish did indicate that Rombout Middle School designs its hallway schedule with age groups in mind - to reduce that age-old rivalry between older 8th graders with newer 6th graders - fetching refills of water cups can factor into this.
When asked if the kids can bring water bottles (knowing that kids can, as they are on the school supply lists), Principal Soltish nearly jumped through the phone with an emphatic “YES!!!!” He went on to explain that kids being kids, the water cups are dropped and spill everywhere. “We were buying bottles of water at one point, to curb the cups, but it became too expensive.”
Teachers in the elementary schools are also expressing surprise at how often the little cups of water spill, causing needs to stop teaching and clean up the water. Either at a desk, the floor, on students themselves, or in the hallway.
Water bottles are usually an easy thing to forget, be it for sporting events or now daily school. Even if a household has 17 water bottles at home. However, in addition to the big concepts the teachers are teaching, they want water bottles in backpacks.
PS: Teachers are also asking parents and caregivers to remember to help kids charge their laptops at school. There can be 16 kids in a class with only a few outlets in the classroom. Completing online work in the classroom can be difficult if devices are drained.
Beacon City School District Staff Are 84% Vaccinated
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From Right: Beacon Board Of Education (BOE) Member Craig Wolf, and Meredith Heuer, President
Photo Credit: Screenshot of 11/8/2021 BOE Meeting
UPDATE 12/2/2021: Dr. Landahl responded to ALBB’s request for current staff vaccination rates: “We are at an 84% staff vaccination rate: 86% for teachers/admins, 83% all other staff.” The title of this article originally said “Near 80%” and has been edited to say 84%.
Craig Wolf, retired journalist for the Poughkeepsie Journal, and current Board Member for Beacon’s Board of Education (BOE) for the Beacon City School District, asked Beacon’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. Landahl during his COVID Update at the end of the 11/8/2021 Board of Education meeting about staff vaccinations.
Craig asked: "How are we doing in terms of vaccinations for our staff?"
Dr. Landahl answered: "About a month ago it was about 73% of our employees were vaccinated." The district staff had not tallied the numbers as of this BOE meeting in early November, but Dr. Landahl felt comfortable estimating that it had increased to close to 80% by early November. Staff vaccinations are recorded in broad terms, and not identified by department or type of staff, Dr. Landahl explained.
"Every week we have a few more folks who get vaccinated," Dr. Landahl expanded.
ALBB has requested the percentage closer to December, but did so close to this publishing, and is awaiting response. When and if an update comes in, this article will be updated. We are binge-listening to the BOE meetings for updates as well. if you are further ahead of us and know the answer, do send a link and video minute notation.
School Employees In New York Have The Choice To Get Vaccinated
School employees have the choice to get vaccinated, or go through weekly testing, as is the mandate from the New York State level. It is not one the Beacon City School District can make unique to their district. Wearing a mask in school is also mandated at the New York State level by Governor Kathy Hochul. She did this to create a safer space for students and staff to attend school in person, and possibly, remove safety precautions and extra layers of safety during an air-born based pandemic later on if enough people are vaccinated, which could reduce the ability for the virus to mutate.
From New York State's press release: "Governor Kathy Hochul today (9/2/2021) announced that her strategy to reopen schools safely took a major leap forward on two fronts, demonstrating her administration's commitment to making the health and well-being of students, teachers, and families a top priority. Earlier today, the Public Health and Health Planning Council passed an emergency regulation and the Health Commissioner issued a determination requiring all teachers, administrators and other school employees to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing unless they show proof of vaccination, with either a CDC vaccine card or the Excelsior Pass."
How Has The Anti-Vaxx Reaction Been At Beacon’s Board Of Education Meetings?
Very civil. A handful of people have come out to speak at the Public Comment portion of the beginning of the meetings both in support and not of vaccinations for teachers, masks for kids, and required weekly testing for the unvaccinated. Beacon’s Board of Education President Meredith Heuer has thanked participants for being cordial during this time of potential discord nation-wide. Board Member Kristan Flynn has also thanked meeting attendees for their calm manner in delivering opposing viewpoints.
The local paper, the Highland Current, was the first to report one of the first voices of dissent from a staff member on the vaccine mandate. Beacon City School District staff member who identified herself as Laurie Malin (pronounced “maleen” with a hard “e”) each time she speaks against vaccines and testing (an early time was 9/13/2021). The Highlands Current - and current students - confirmed that she is a science teacher at Rombout Middle School. She is tenured, as confirmed by Rombout Middle School’s Principal, Brian Soltish. Laurie spoke publicly and strongly against getting vaccinated, as well as against getting testing tested weekly in exchange for choosing to not get vaccinated.
In her reasoning for not getting regularly tested, she stated commonly debunked theories, which you can listen to here at the beginning of the meeting. While repeating her information in this article risks re-spreading that misinformation, one of the articles debunking what she said can be found here at Reuters, a national and internationally syndicated news source.
In another article, ALBB might transcribe Laurie Malin’s comments in order to provide further background of her future actions at public meetings and in front of students in her classroom.
2022 MLK Essay Contest Is Open! “Are We Keeping the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream Alive?”
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Every Martin Luther King Day Celebration at the Springfield Baptist Church, a student is awarded and recognized for their Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. essay. This year, the celebration will be held at the Salem Tabernacle Church, located at 7 Dalavan Avenue. The call for submissions for this essay contest is now open. Details were shared by the Beacon City School District Dr. Matt Landahl via email to parents and caregivers in the district, and by the Southern Dutchess Coalition with the Beacon Sloop Club to their channels.
Theme For The 2022 Martin Luther King Essay
“Our theme for this year will be ‘Are we Keeping the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream Alive?’ The Southern Dutchess Coalition and the Beacon Sloop Club said, as they announced their 8th Annual MLK Essay Contest.
AGES: All students in Grades 1-12 are asked to write about our theme: “Are We Keeping the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream Alive?”
WHAT: Students should explain Rev. Dr. King’s Dream, writing about what was happening at the time for Rev. Dr. King to make his “I Have a Dream” speech. They should write about their own thoughts and lives. How are they keeping the Rev. Dr. King’s Dream Alive? What do they plan to do about this in their own lives?
PRIZE: All students participating will receive a certificate at the MLK Celebration. Six winners will receive $50 awards from Rhinebeck Bank.
“We are very interested in what the youth are thinking and what they have to say,” said the organizers.
Kids COVID Infections Continued: 9 Confirmed Cases In BCSD Over Thanksgiving Break
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The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases after Thanksgiving was a question on many parents’ mind, safe to say, in any state in the nation. If kids cases were increasing right before the holiday break, what would it be upon returning to school?
The Beacon City School District’s (BCSD) Superintendent Landahl was quick to provide an answer, as is consistent with any confirmed case in the district on a daily basis. In an email to parents and caregivers sent today (11/30/2021), he said:
“Over Thanksgiving break, we learned of 9 total cases of COVID-19 in the BCSD. Two individuals at Rombout Middle School and seven individuals at Beacon High School. Due to the length of time these individuals have been out of school, there is no quarantining with these cases. This is an aggregate number of cases we learned about over the five days of break.”
UPDATE 12/2/2021: The confirmed cases that are announced by Dr. Landahl are those of any person in the district schools. A person could be a teacher, a student, etc.
The BCSD has layered safety measures in place inside of each school, such as more space in cafeterias, outdoor learning areas, reduced populations in the hallways during class changes, and other measures to encourage social distancing.
Ventilation Upgrades In Aging Beacon City Schools
During the last Capital Project for the district, Rombout Middle School did receive ventilation-based upgrades. This was a fortunate coincidence in preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Landahl explained during his 2021 presentation of this next Capital Project that did get passed by City of Beacon voters. Ventilation upgrades are planned for each of Beacon’s six public schools.
You can learn more of Dr. Landahl’s thinking during his presentation at a Board of Education Meeting here.
Vaccinations and Kids
For additional clinic opportunities, Dr. Landahl has been encouraging access to pediatric clinics from the holistic pharmacist Dr. Neal Smoller, who conducted the vaccination clinic at the Beacon High School in early November 2021. Because of the need for volunteers, Dr. Landahl said during a recent school board meeting that Beacon will most likely not hold additional vaccination clinics, or at least not very many, as it was difficult to get volunteers.
In an email to district parents and caregivers dated 11/30/2021, Dr. Landahl stated: “There are a number of opportunities to get the Pediatric Pfizer vaccine. Dr. Neal Smoller, the pharmacist we are partnered with, has a number of community clinics coming up that you can join. Visit drneal.co/kids to see the full schedule”
Appointments at stores and pharmacies are also available. You can visit Vaccines.gov for an easy zip-code based database that connects you with websites for online scheduling, or phone numbers for appointments made over the phone. These include Drug Mart in Cold Spring, Walmart in Fishkill, and other familiar locations.
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HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL
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Family Day At Masjid Ar Rashid Islamic Teaching Center In Beacon - All Are Welcome
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Photo Credit: Google
Photo Credit: Screenshot from the Highlands Current
Last week’s Highlands Current profiled Abdullah Wajid, an Imam with the Masjid Ar Rashid Islamic Teaching Center in Beacon on Main Street near the Beacon Natural Market and across from the Post Office. The profile was in the paper’s weekly Q&A section. The interview was excerpted from the original episode interview by Zach Rogers, host and creator of the podcast “Beaconites!”
He recalls how the center has been in Beacon for more than 30 years. “The composition of the mosque was mostly African American, with a couple of Egyptian and maybe one Pakistani family. Today there’s a wide range of people who come. The number of families is anywhere from 150 to 200. You won’t see them at one time unless it’s a celebration like what we call Eid — we have two every year — or Ramadan.”
He encourages people to come to the mosque, and learn about their events, like this one last month on Women’s Health. He said during the interview: “We have made a very strong effort to let the people know that our mosque is approachable. You can come in; there are no rules that say you have to be a Muslim. We want to let the people know that we are supportive of the community. We try to demonstrate the best of character and try to be sensitive, especially to our neighbors. In Islam, neighbors are very important.”
There is a Family Day at the mosque today (Sunday, November 28, 2021 at 1pm. Details are here, and people are encouraged to bring a dish. Read the excerpted interview at Highlands Current, and listen to it in full at Beaconites!.
The Beacon Bicycle Menorah Is BACK! From Beacon Hebrew Alliance; Sculpture By Ed Benavente
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The Beacon Bicycle Menorah, organized by Beacon Hebrew Alliance; sculpture by Ed Benavente.
For a number of years, the day after the Beacon Bicycle Tree Lighting, the Beacon Bicycle Menorah Lighting, known as Illumin8 from the Beacon Hebrew Alliance, would take place. For 8 nights, a different bicycle tire would be lit and dedicated to a group of people.
Over time, some people wanted a traditional holiday lighting with a tree, and the Beacon Bicycle Tree went into retirement. The mood was sad, as people missed the tradition. Then the 2020 pandemic hit, and all events stopped.
Come 2021, with most Beaconties and most people in the Hudson Valley doing their best to act safely during this pandemic by getting vaccinated, the Beacon Bicycle Menorah is BACK! Lit up by the Beacon Hebrew Alliance on the first night of Hanukkah on November 28, 2021 from 6-6:30pm at Pohill Park (at the base of Wolcott Avenue aka 9D and South Avenue and Main Street).
From the Beacon Hebrew Alliance: “The story of Beacon is the story of a town coming through hard times with hope and dedication. Join us on Facebook Live or at Polhill Park as we celebrate Illumin8tion and light up our community with our one-of-a-kind Beacon Bicycle Menorah.
“Hanukkah tells us that we can hope against all reason and sometimes, we will prevail. Sometimes, the mighty will fall before the weak, and sometimes, just a little bit of fuel will get us through the darkest night - or even eight of them, if need be.
“Each night we will be honoring a group of people with a prayer or reading and song, as our representative honoree places the bicycle tire on the menorah!”
Menorah Dedication Schedule:
From 6-6:30pm for 8 nights of Hanukkah, the Beacon Hebrew Alliance will honor the following groups of people (on Friday, December 3rd, the time will be 4-4:30pm):
Sunday we honor Elders.
Monday we honor Teachers.
Tuesday we honor First Responders.
Wednesday we honor Artists & Musicians.
Thursday we honor Public Service (fire, police, medical, etc.).
Friday we honor Children.
Saturday we honor and remember our Founding Members for the BHA Centennial.
Sunday we honor All those who serve our community.
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The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
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