Happening This Weekend - 11/10/2017
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Where Is Lambs Hill? In the renovated factory building near the dummy light.
Update Made to Shopping Guide: 2 New Stores, 1 Less Store, 1 Moved Store
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Moving and shaking as always on Main Street in Beacon. We have made updates to A Little Beacon Blog's Shopping Guide, and they go like this:
OPEN:
Sanctuary
192 Main St.
(845) 440-6973
Opened by Laura Gould, a former Beaconite who moved to Nyack for a while, and is back in Beacon. Laura is also a former board member of BeaconArts. Sanctuary is "a Conscious Living Shop," according to Laura. In the space on the corner that was the longtime home of Beacon Barkery, Laura focuses on hand-made, fair-trade and ethically made goods. Inside, you'll find art, home furnishings, clothing, jewelry, books, wellness and self-care items, ritual and sacred objects, and a beautiful selection of curated gifts. Expect to see in-person gatherings in the shop in the evenings to learn how to use essential oils and other wellness techniques.
Howling at the Edge of Chaos
428 Main St
Located in the sliver of a storefront next to the Beacon Hotel, Howling at the Edge of Chaos is a charmingly fierce shop. Here's how the owner, Valerie Mitchell, describes the store:
"Life is art. Art is life. Art isn’t just what you put on your walls. It’s what you hold in your hands in the morning sipping coffee, it’s the leather bag you carry on your shoulder everyday, the pin you wear on your jacket expressing your thoughts, the necklace you put on as you walk out the door to meet your girlfriends. You should be surrounded by unique, beautiful wares, pieces that make you smile, laugh, feel strong, empowered, or make you dream. Howling at the Edge of Chaos carries unique finds for those that want to HOWL their TRUTH. Items might include but are not limited to: Jewelry, Pottery, Handbags, Textiles, Paintings, Photographs, Cards, Pins, Patches. Stop by if you’re curious."
MOVED
Colorant has moved across the street! Head next door to Mountain Tops to check out their new digs, and for natural-fiber dyeing workshops with NY Textile Lab. From 3 to 7 on Second Saturday, bring your own cotton, wool or silk pieces for indigo-dyeing workshops (sign up here). Once you're finished repurposing, celebrate your new skills with cocktails featuring Beacon's own Drink More Good products.
CLOSED
A Classic Couture Fashion Boutique has left the west end Beacon location. This space is now For Rent. But fear not, you will probably be able to access owner Leah's collection in other ways if you were already in touch with her.
Visit A Little Beacon Blog's complete Shopping Guide for all of the stores on Main Street in Beacon.
Vote! And Get This Sticker!
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You too could get this sticker... Vote today! Don’t assume that your vote won't count because you assume your pick will win, or that you’ll be fine with anyone. Head on down to your voting location, vote for your people, flip the ballot and vote for the amendments (easy paragraphs describe what they are), and then ask for a sticker! The stickers might not be in an obvious place, but once you become a Cast Vote, get the sticker. Don't know where to vote or what ward you're in? Find your Beacon polling location here.
P.S.: The pink leather of this purse came from Lauren & Riley, on Main Street, Beacon. Obviously, we vote yes on pink leather.
Halvey Funeral Home Replaces Vacant Restaurant on 9D at 2 Beekman Street
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Former shell of restaurants at 2 Beekman.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Just up the road from the world famous art museum Dia: Beacon, sat Lucky's (formerly River Terrace), a closed restaurant with an often-chilly patio that occupied a prime location on the Hudson River. For two years it sat vacant, and for the past six years it housed a succession of floundering restaurant business models that failed and fled. The most action the property saw was when the parking lot was used for overflow parking from Rose Hill, the childcare center across the street, during its toddler graduation each spring. For prospective new restaurants, an advertised rent of $7,000/month to fill the space was extremely unattractive, and the former Lucky's sign, long forgotten and broken with exposed, burnt-out fluorescent bulbs, littered 9D as people drove into downtown Beacon.
A Business Relocation & Expansion
The Halvey Funeral home at 24 Willow St., soon to relocate to 2 Beekman. The home will be put up for sale on the residential market.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Enter Halvey Funeral Home, a third-generation Beacon business established in 1933, currently based at 24 Willow St. in a residential neighborhood. According to Patrick Halvey, the third-generation son who is taking over the family business, locating funeral homes in neighborhoods was historically preferred by grieving families and well-wishers in times past. Times have changed, and the trend of funeral homes being located in actual houses has shifted to their presence in more commercial areas. Halvey Funeral Home is now moving from Willow Street into its new home at 2 Beekman Street. It can be viewed from Route 9D, if one were turning down Beekman to go to Dia or Long Dock Park. The home at 24 Willow St. will be listed for sale in the residential market.
Location, Location
The prospect of locating a funeral home on riverfront real estate had some Beacon residents questioning if that was the best use of the property. But the building had been vacant and decrepit for two years. The climate for development and change in Beacon right now is ultra-sensitive; so many projects have green-lit their intentions simultaneously now that there is a population to buy what developers are building. This momentum puts the spotlight on all types of projects being built, as well as on each project's plans for parking, which would be necessary for people to take advantage of whatever business services fill those projects.
Improvements From Expansion
The ugly, broken sign touting a former restaurant will be gone now.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Beacon-based architect Aryeh Siegel was hired for the funeral home project to design a building that highlighted the riverfront views to friends and families who came to remember loved ones. Beacon's Planning Board recommended adding landscape design, to cushion the building. At Halvey Funeral Home's Willow Street location, parking was an issue as gatherings grew quite large. More spaces drew Halvey to the Beekman location. "Parking is the main advantage that attracted us to that site," says Joe Guarneri, construction manager of the project. "We have 36 marked spots in the new lot, with room for parking in back and front yielding another 12 spots, for a total of 48 [parking spots]."
Planning Board Member Jill Reynolds, who is also co-artist/founder at Ten Willow Studio, a glass design partnership specializing in architectural installations, had recommended that the funeral home extend the sidewalk. She pointed put during a Planning Board meeting that the sidewalk there is incomplete. Regular walkers experience the sidewalk's end, and either walk in the street or on the grass to complete their journey to 9D from the train station area. Halvey agreed to expand the sidewalk. "We are extending the Beekman Street sidewalk on the city-owned lot at the corner of Route 9D and Beekman," Joe confirmed.
New Life for Halvey Funeral Home
Opening soon, Halvey Funeral Home will be operating under the new name Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey LLC, under the ownership of third-generation Patrick Halvey. If, on Saturday November 11 from 11 am to 4 pm, you see white doves flying into the sky, know that they have been released during a celebratory, public ribbon-cutting for the new facility. If you hear music or see tents, it may remind you of the sounds emanating from the former restaurants, but it is part of the funeral home's festivities. To celebrate the new riverview patio during the ribbon-cutting party, there will be beer, spirits, soda, coffee, donuts, and food from Beacon merchants.
The new Riverview Funeral Home on Beekman Street in Beacon, just down the hill from Route 9D.
Photo Credits: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Editorial Note: Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey LLC has advertised on A Little Beacon Blog, but their ad campaign is separate from this article. Their promotion of their ribbon-cutting is a coincidence to our publishing of this milestone notice for this property in Beacon, which we have been researching for some time. We do appreciate their support!
Happening This Weekend - 11/3/2017
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"Kindness Rocks" Project Launches at Beacon's Howland Public Library
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Published as submitted via Press Release from the Howland Public Library in order to get the word out to you faster...
A little bit of kindness can go a long way. Young people ages 10 and up are invited to The Howland Public Library on Saturday, November 4, to help spread a little kindness in Beacon and beyond via The Kindness Rocks Project.
You’ve probably seen them popping up all over the place, brightly painted stones with inspirational words on them. The Kindness Rocks Project began in Cape Cod when the project’s creator, Megan Murphy, began leaving messages on stones for people to find on the beach. Her thought, “Sometimes the right message at the right time can change someone’s entire day, outlook, life.” Since then, The Kindness Rocks Project has spread throughout the country and the world.
Stop by the library on Saturday from 11 am to noon to paint your own Kindness Rocks to share with the community. No experience needed. All supplies will be provided.
RSVPs are requested to ensure there are enough supplies and rocks. RSVP by contacting Michelle at community@beaconlibrary.org or (845) 831-1134, x101. The Howland Public Library is located at 313 Main St., Beacon, NY. To find out more about programs for tweens and teens at the library, go to www.beaconlibrary.org.
Dear Drivers on Main Street: No U-Turns Please, and Other Safety Suggestions
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Dear Wonderful Readers:
It's time to have a heart-to-heart with ourselves about driving, especially on the narrow streets of Beacon. I know that some of you live in Beacon, some in other river towns, and some in NYC. If you live in NYC and are visiting us up in Beacon, your regular city-driving habits may stick with you when you get here. Namely: driving fast (you have to in NYC, otherwise you'd get get eaten by other cars), making U-Turns in the middle of the street, or swerving around cars who are parallel parking or turning left. The thing is, those driving habits don't work in Beacon, and will cause you to crash into another car. It's time to leave this habit on the curb for no one to pick up.
If you've migrated to Beacon from NYC, and even if you've lived here for 10+ years, those city tendencies may be ingrained in your brain, and the habit is hard to kick. You may have already had spousal or partner fights about this while taking a hard left out of nowhere in order to snag a parking spot. Does. Not. Work. That. Way. In. Beacon. In Beacon, there are lots of one-way streets heading the opposite way for you to go, and you just need to go down one of those roads in order to get back to where you want to be.
The U-Turn Epidemic - It's Real
There's been chatter about the growing number of U-turns. I'd heard it, but figured it was nothing more than disgruntled Road Ragers. Normally I avoid driving on Main Street because it's so narrow, and there are so many ways to have accidents: grazing car doors as people open them before looking, hitting jaywalkers who pop out between parked SUVs, or just having a hard time parallel parking, unless you've got skillz (which I do have, I just don't like to use them unless I really really have to). So I don't see the crazy driving on Main Street much. Until I drove a friend to The Dump last Saturday. A very short cruise down Main Street - about 300 feet - was packed with crazy drivers. There's no other way to put it.
First there was the guy who was driving west down Main Street, saw the free parking lot on Cliff Street, rubbernecked it, and made a U-turn in Cliff Street in order to veer back east into the parking lot (which was full...so little did he know he would be stuck in that parking lot because it's very narrow and hard to get out of once you're in, if you do not score a parking spot). He was so focused on the parking lot, that he didn't see the two cars behind him who had to hit their brakes, fast. Those two cars had just passed me as I turned right out of Willow Street (already a very hard turn because of the way parked cars hamper visibility), so I almost drove into these cars, who were almost driving into the Party Foul U-Turn guy. (If only Party Foul U-Turn Guy had checked our Parking Guide ahead of time for more lot options...)
This is only one day after a local store's van did the same thing. So it's safe to say that everyone is doing it.
Driving Around Parallel Parkers - Not OK or Legal
Next, after the U-Turn Guy, there was a stream of cars driving east around a Parallel Parker down near Bank Square Coffee. These people had driven into the other lane, oncoming traffic - crossing the double yellow line - in order to get around the Parallel Parker. This, coupled with the sharp bend in the road, when they don't see oncoming cars like mine until it's too late.
A few months ago, I committed a party foul jaywalk on Main Street in front of the Mountain Scout Survival School storefront. I was almost run over by a car driving around another car who was parallel parking. First off, I shouldn't have been jaywalking, I know, but I did so because the crosswalks by Bank Square and by Hudson Beach Glass feel very unsafe to me. One is at a three-way intersection where not everyone stops while coming off of 9D, and the other is on a major bend in the road. So I had been opting to cross on my own without a crosswalk. Needless to say, I don't do that anymore.
Bad Idea when someone decides to go around a Parallel Parker, and isn't expecting to see a pedestrian, and almost hits them. Yes, if you're reading this, that was me, and you (and I) were wrong, despite you shouting that you did nothing wrong. I called the Beacon Police this morning to ask about the rules on this and here it is:
If there is a solid yellow line on your side, then you cannot go around a car who is parallel parking.
Done. So we all just need a little patience. Use the extra few seconds to look around and spy the latest storefront.
Going Around Cars Turning Left Into Driveways
Also a bad idea. If a car in front of you has put their blinker on and slowed down to turn left into a driveway, then you also need to stop until they have turned left. It's common sense, as why would you want to drive into a car who will almost certainly drive into you? But it happens. My street is a bit wider than other streets, and when I slow to turn left into my driveway, it inspires the car behind me to go around me on the left. Just odd.
Patience. Patience. Patience.
That is what small towns are for. Slowing down, looking around, and being kind to one another. If you don't, then the cops are likely to come out, and take their time Party Fouling everyone for these silly traffic violations that are so easily avoided. You don't want a ticket. Police have better things to do. The tickets really aren't a revenue generator because just think about the number of tickets you haven't paid. It's just an administrative clog. So slow down, and think it out. And that goes for all of us. Me, you, everyone.
Beacon's 2017 Kid's Halloween Parade Postponed
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We were just headed to the attic to find backup costumes that we didn't care about getting ruined in the rain, which has been predicted since Friday for Sunday's Kid's Halloween Parade in Beacon. Then the call came in from the Beacon Chamber of Commerce that the Halloween Parade is officially canceled for this Sunday. Says Beacon Chamber President Rick Brownell: "We know this is a fun event for the kids, and we didn't want it to be ruined by the rain. We are going to work with the City of Beacon and the Police Department to reschedule, hopefully [for] next weekend, but we need to work with them on that."
For today, Sunday, October 29, 2017, the parade is canceled. A Little Beacon Blog will update here as we get confirmation about a future date.
Happening This Weekend - 10/27/2017
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Cafe Amarcord Set To Open Brick Oven Pizza Restaurant in Beacon - Across the Street!
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Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
As I was walking down the street one day, I got to chatting with someone about #allthingsbeacon, and they asked me if I knew about the new Italian restaurant going into the former karate school space next to Mr. V's Deli. I had not yet heard about this development, but was intrigued.
"Can you believe it?" they asked, "an Italian restaurant right across the street from Amarcord? The nerve." If you didn't know already, know now: Cafe Amarcord is one of Beacon's favorite restaurants, lauded for its fresh, Mediterranean menu. (Check out this review from Hudson Valley Magazine, who really liked the pan-roasted mussels in a white wine garlic sauce, bucatini Amatriciana, pappardelle with black pepper ricotta and dried tomatoes, as well as "a skewer of rosemary-infused lamb served on creamy polenta with a sauce of lemon.") Beaconites are very protective of their local businesses, so they care about what opens where, and whether a new Italian food business would be opening across the street from a longtime business. Amarcord has been open in Beacon for eleven years, so it has quite a following.
Picture of the building housing Mr. V's Deli before exterior renovations began for Amarcord's future brick oven pizza place.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Paper went up on the windows of the short building across the street from Amarcord, and construction began, building out a kitchen and transforming the tired space. When the decorative faux windows and new shingles went up on the roof, Rifo Murtovic, owner of Cafe Amarcord, stepped out of his usual perch in the doorway of his restaurant to stand on the sidewalk of the other side of the street, surveying the construction.
#sameteam! Pizza or Fine Italian
Our investigation began immediately, seeking confirmation from Rifo that he himself was the one opening the rumored pizza restaurant. "It will be brick oven pizza," he described. "More casual than Amarcord." The heat source of the oven? Wood. As for making changes to the facade of a building he does not own: "I just want it to look nice," he marveled, while looking at the building seeing in his mind's eye a vision of post-renovation perfection.
The owner of Royal Crepes was also outside on the sidewalk during the interview for this article, and enthusiastically interjected more detail: "The pizzas won't be like most Mediterranean around here. They will each be personal pies, and the meat for the toppings will be cut right in front of you. It's part of the experience." Personal, flat pizza pies of the freshest ingredients are the norm in Italy, and they are about to become an option in Beacon as well. Wine and beer will also be available. As of now, there are no plans for delivery.
Flavors from Tuscany? Yes, please. Congratulations to Rifo on the new addition.
This article is the first in our series covering businesses in Beacon who have opened second or more locations in Beacon. We are currently brainstorming names for this series. Got any? Submit ideas here in the Comments!
Clearwater gets Rockefeller Brothers Fund Grant for Estuary Education
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Hudson River Sloop Clearwater was awarded a $15,000 grant from Rockefeller Brothers Fund to support Clearwater’s Estuary Education Initiative (EEI). This grant makes possible the new curriculum’s aim to teach thousands of children about the links between scientific research and environmental policy.
"Clearwater is pleased to accept Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s grant on behalf of the many students we serve," said Wren Longno, Clearwater's director of development. "As grassroots educators and storytellers, we are in a unique position to tell the story of how partners, including Rockefeller Brothers Fund, have worked together to create a sustainable Hudson Valley."
Clearwater Board Chair Betsy Garthwaite said, “In 1968, Steven Rockefeller hosted one of the original gatherings to raise funds to build the Sloop Clearwater at the Rockefeller Farm Barn in Pocantico Hills. That history gives this award special meaning as we embark upon new ways of teaching the history of the Hudson River environmental movement, bringing the river to schools, and schools to the river.”
Clearwater anticipates that by August 2019, this science curriculum will reach 50 educators, 5,000 students and 500 members of the public, and will be widely shared through professional development conferences and showcased prominently on the Clearwater website and social media.
About Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
Launched in 1969 by legendary folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has been at the forefront of the environmental movement as champions of the Hudson River. To date, more than half a million people have experienced their first real look at an estuary’s ecosystem aboard the sloop Clearwater. Clearwater has become the grassroots model for producing positive changes to protect our planet. For more information, visit www.clearwater.org.
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Founded in 1940, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund advances social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. The Fund's grantmaking is organized in three thematic programs that support work in the United States and at the global level: Democratic Practice, Sustainable Development, and Peacebuilding; and in two pivotal place programs that address these themes in specific contexts: Southern China, and the Western Balkans. The Charles E. Culpeper Arts & Culture program, focused on New York, nurtures a vibrant and inclusive arts community in the Fund’s home city.
Beacon's Superintendent Speaks Out About Beacon, Resources, and Volunteerism
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Beacon's Superintendent, Matthew Landahl, in an office selfie, as requested by ALBB for this article.
Back in the summer of 2017, when Matthew Landahl was moving to the Beacon City School District from his post as deputy superintendent for the Ithaca City School District, there was also a shift at the national level as the new Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, stepped into place. Locally in Beacon, change in the district had been happening quickly, with the resignation of one superintendent, followed by an interim superintendent, then the election of new Board of Education members, and The Big Search for Beacon's next superintendent.
Matthew Landahl (who asks to be called Matt) was vetted and hired. He promptly kicked off a Community Conversation tour to connect with the people of Beacon at different locations. At that time, we reached out to him to learn more about his suggestions for ways to stay up to date on the myriad of public school issues to know about. And then I had a baby, so most articles got promptly shifted out of order. We're ready to dive back into this one, offering a new opportunity to ask him about his experience now that he is several months into the job.
ALBB: What have you observed in the district and community so far?
ML: After being here a few months, a few things have been very evident here in Beacon. The community has a creative and entrepreneurial spirit which is incredible. We have lived in several places, and Beacon is unique in that regard. The community also has a strong "roll up your sleeves" ethic in regards to volunteering and making things happen, which I really admire. In the school district, I am honored to work every day with a group of teachers, administrators, and staff who take great pride in what they do and show a great amount of care for the young people in Beacon. Speaking of those young people, they are an amazing, diverse group.
ALBB: What are you actively working on?
ML: My work is primarily centered on the Board of Education's goals. They are available on our website but my abridged version is this:
- Increase academic offerings
- Provide 21st-century learning environments
- Build trust between district and community through communication
- To seek involvement, collaboration, and participation of the community in the learning process
- Creating a culture of awareness, equality, and safety
My focus is always on all five goals, but I have put a primary emphasis on Community Building and Communication. I have hosted six Community Conversations throughout Beacon, and attended organizational meetings and church services all with the intent of being visible, approachable, and to display an honest desire to hear all community members' thoughts and concerns regarding the district. I will keep that work up all year.
We have worked hard to create more presence on social media through Facebook and Twitter. We now have a district Twitter account (@beaconcsd) along with having all sports teams tweeting from games along with our athletic department (@bcsdbulldogs). I try to document my travels through the district with my personal Twitter account (@mlandahl). I know we have a long way to go in regards to communication, but we have made some great first steps. Ultimately, the most important focus is our young people's experience in our schools. I will always be working in collaboration with staff and community to provide a more engaging, enriching, and empowering environment for everyone.
ALBB: What do you keep an eye on at the state and federal levels that you would encourage Beacon parents and community members to also follow?
ML: It is a very tumultuous time in education from a policy perspective at both the state and federal level and honestly, it has been that way for the past 15 years. The quickest thing I do to stay on top of policy issues and changes at the state and federal level is I follow several professional organizations on both Twitter and Facebook: the New York State School Boards Association (@NYSSBA), New York State Council of Superintendents (@NYSCOSS), New York State United Teachers (@NYSUT) and the School Administrators Association of New York State (@SAANYS).
All of these organizations have people who closely follow state and federal policy and funding issues who report out to their constituents and to the public on social media. I like to follow all four organizations because they all have slightly different views on the policy and funding situation in New York. Twitter is a very powerful social media tool in the education world, and I follow over a thousand educators (along with all things Chicago Cubs) from all over the country and world who also give me a sense of how policy changes are impacting their local districts, schools, and classrooms.
Another great place to learn about policy and funding issues is the Beacon City School District Board of Education meetings. They are published on Youtube on the BCSDBOE channel. These meetings consistently have discussions about policy and funding at the state level and how it impacts our district.
Into the Wee Woods - Expansion Begins on the Wee Play Tot Park at Memorial Park
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Ground is breaking on the latest expansion project for the children's playground located at Memorial Park, officially known as the Wee Play Tot Park. The park is undergoing an imaginatively ambitious project rooted in, literally, trees. The plan involves 50 new trees that would be planted on the lower end of the existing locust forest to the immediate left of the swing sets at the base of the Memorial Park hill, and fundraising efforts have begun alongside construction endeavors.
Concept Design for Woodland Playground at Memorial Park, by One Nature. Drawing part of proposed plan.
An image of what the arched willow trees could look like, if properly trained after the young willow shoots are planted.
The new poplar trees, specifically Eastern Cottonwoods, will be known as the Wee Forest. In the center of the grove will be a shaded sandbox, surrounded by a path of willow trees that will be trained to grow in an arch over the bordering path, making for a natural tunnel.
The fundraising campaign to purchase and plant the poplar trees has started (donations can be made here), with a goal of acquiring and planting 50 trees for $100 a tree. Sponsors can have their name, or that of children, friends or a business, on the Forest Map that will be in the middle of the Wee Forest. Click here to donate your first tree. (Donations in smaller amounts toward the project are also gratefully accepted.)
The Wee Play Community Project has allocated funds raised through their annual Ree Play Sale to pay for the labor of the project, and the City of Beacon, through the Parks and Recreation budget, has agreed to fund material and mulch, details of which can be read in the coversheet proposal here.
The Easter Bunny at the 2017 Easter Egg Hunt at Memorial Park.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
When presenting the project to the City Council, Parks and Recreation Director Mark Price described the desire to incorporate the large swath of mystical forest that exists above the park, as a way for older kids to experience the park. The idea occurred to him after the 2017 Easter Egg hunt, which was held in the trees of the locust forest instead of the great lawn. He and several others realized that the wooded area has been underutilized, even though it is just steps away from the park. By adding the 50 new trees, "it informs people that this is a play area. Some folks need a little more coaxing to [go up and play,]" explained Mark to the City Council during a Workshop on September 25, 2017.
The Big Picture
Volunteer organizers have big plans for the park, and envision structures being added around the existing playground. In her proposal letter to the City Council, Wee Play Community Project Board Member Lori Merhige discussed the findings of a survey that the group sent out to the community, which set the stage for who wanted the new approach to the playground and why:
Our survey yielded many opinions on what are the most treasured as well as the least favorite aspects of the playground. One piece of feedback we heard
repeatedly is that people were tired of all the plastic - the riding toys and the play structures. When asked what parents would like to see at the park, the majority of replies included having more natural play elements, areas for climbing, and free, unstructured nature play.
As we know, the popular metal and plastic playground play structures of today can cost tens of thousands of dollars each, they don't always hold kids' attention for
very long, and older children often don't find them engaging. The beauty of designing a natural playground is that it utilizes many available resources that we already have, as well as fostering imaginative play in children of all ages.
Natural playgrounds are surprisingly simple, safe, and affordable, and research shows that there are many benefits to kids playing creatively in nature.
A nature-based playground could involve a simple ropes course, wooden balance beams/bridges, boulders for jumping (carefully!), additional swings, and other ideas that are built as living things, or with living things, much like the nearby Hudson Highlands Nature Museum. Acting as project architect with a donation of time and ideas is Bryan Quinn from One Nature, who has designed and built nature-based playgrounds before, with a most recent one opening at Safe Harbors in Newburgh. The trees serve as strategically planted connection points for such structures to be built, or for kids to easily run through.
Sand Not Playing Nice In The Sandbox
A catalyst for this big change was the sand in the sandbox in the corner of the existing Tot Park. While people have mixed feelings about outdoor sandboxes - that they can turn into giant kitty litter boxes or encourage bugs - many families love them. However, the "rogue sand" coming from the sandbox was damaging the surface of the playground, Mark said, making it irreparable until the sandbox was gone. In the new plan, the sandbox will be in the middle of the Wee Forest, surrounded by mulch and other natural elements, hurting nothing when sand spills over, and not being a large issue if the sandbox needs to be replaced by something else.
About the Wee Play Tot Park
The public park is enjoyed by all people for free (even those who venture in from beyond Beacon) and maintained by volunteers of the Wee Play Community Project, in partnership with the Parks and Recreation Department and the City of Beacon. If you've been following A Little Beacon Blog's coverage of the park's expansion, you'll know that something is always going on over there, from community cleanups to new projects.
Kids searching for candy in the locust forest of Memorial park's Hill during the 2017 Easter Egg Hunt.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
5th Annual "Pink Kiss" Breast Cancer Awareness Fashion Show Moves to Atlas Studios
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You've seen the magazine cover–inspired flyer around town and on Instagram. Now you can attend "Pink Kiss," the fashion-forward event from Beacon-based Lorraine Tyne Bridal & Sparkle My Head Scarves. The fashion show promotes Breast Cancer Awareness while highlighting cancer survivors on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 6 pm at Atlas Studios, 11 Spring St., Newburgh.
During years past, the show has been hosted in Beacon. This year it will be in the Atlas building, an old factory that has been refurbished as a home for artist studios and event spaces. Other Beaconites have moved to the building as well, including the hair dresser Joshua Boos, formerly of The Green Room.
To celebrate its fifth year, the group is hosting a Benefit Fashion Show and honoring local area cancer survivors - at any stage of treatment - with recognition and gifts. Local hospitals have nominated cancer survivors from St. Luke's Hospital, Mid Hudson Regional, and NY Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, as well as patients from the Hudson Valley community.
Beacon's Draught Industries is donating the prosecco, and models from Couture Modeling of Wappingers Falls will be showing gowns. A portion of the night's proceeds will be donated to local nonprofit Sparrow's Nest, who delivers home-cooked meals to families and caregivers of cancer patients.
Tickets can be purchased via EventBrite here at this link. Tickets are $10, or you can buy a ticket and not go, and simply make a donation. Day-of tickets at the door are $15.
Big Movie with Emily Blunt and John Krasinski to Film at Beacon Natural Market
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Get your grocery shopping done now, folks, Paramount Pictures is coming to town, specifically to the aisles of Beacon Natural Market, on Monday through Wednesday. The market will be closed to the public while the filmmakers work their magic inside (and maybe outside! Who knows, but it may be dramatically blacked out, like when The Vault hosted a TV production company, which A Little Beacon Blog covered here in an interview with the co-producer). Beacon Natural Market announced the news via Instagram this week.
The movie is "A Quiet Place," starring real-life married couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. You might know John, who's also directing "A Quiet Place," from his role as Jim on TV's "The Office," and Emily from dozens of film roles, including the assistant Emily in "The Devil Wears Prada." The real-life couple were both in the movie "The Muppets," though they did not appear on screen together. In this movie, however, they will act together.
According to The Internet, the plot is being kept hush-hush, but a simple Google search indicates that it's a horror movie. Blunt is no stranger to gory scenes, with her incredible work in the science fiction movie, "The Edge of Tomorrow" with Tom Cruise, in which she plays the best and most feared warrior against aliens that have invaded Earth. That role was in stark contrast to her mega-assistant role in The "Devil Wears Prada" starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. Currently, Blunt is wrapping production on "Mary Poppins" (in which Blunt plays the title role), set to release at the end of December 2018. Streep is also in that movie, playing Topsy. Gosh, should make for a good season of holiday movies next year!
Movies Being Made in the Hudson Valley
This movie, "A Quiet Place," has been scouting all over the Hudson Valley, setting major locations in New Paltz (you can see pictures of movie people scouting a small grocery store here). This most recent location comes on the heels of a film forum, The Hudson Valley Film Industry Conference in Newburgh at SUNY Orange Kaplan Hall, sponsored by Orange County, Stockade Works (Mary Stuart Masterson's production company in Kingston), the Orange County Film Office, the Orange County Arts Council, and The Accelerator.
Get ready, film industry people who live in Beacon and the surrounding areas...more is coming!
