Full Closure Snow Day Friday In Beacon - The Balance Between Snow & Remote Continues

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For kids, a Snow Day is usually an undebatable Good Thing.

For parents, it is usually a disruption, with kids being home, making getting to work or medical appointments or other destinations for other kids difficult.

However, for some families, Snow Days in the time of Remote Learning during the pandemic, is a welcomed Day Off. It’s a day off from making sure kids are logging into their different classes during the day, and is possibly a day to actually get more work done. This flip was never imagined during previous years - possibly any previous year - of a parent’s Snow Day.

The Thinking Behind The Day Off Snow Day vs The Remote Snow Day

Beacon’s School DIstrict’s Superintendent Matt Landahl has been communicating his strategy behind when to go Remote during bad weather, and when to just stay home without anyone driving anywhere, and not doing any school supplied learning.

“We moved to a full closure with no remote instruction today for a couple of reasons,” he told parents via email.

“We have 6 snow days built into our calendar and we have only used 3 full closures so far this year. We can still use a couple of more Snow Days without impacting things like Spring Break. Second, for a longer-term move to Remote Learning, many of our teachers need access to their classrooms to provide remote instruction for longer periods than a day or two. I was thinking yesterday, perhaps optimistically, that the 1 Hour Delay would get us in person today and I had not thought through the Remote part of this.”

While the past two weeks have been stop and go with Remote Learning due to weather, the Snow Day Friday for this blogger was a welcome one.

Resilience On Main Street: Several Restaurants, Groceries and Shops Open During Snowstorm

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From left to right: Utensil, Pavonine Yoga, Max’s On Main, Beacon Barkery

From left to right: Utensil, Pavonine Yoga, Max’s On Main, Beacon Barkery

Once again, several of Beacon’s restaurants and shops opened during Beacon’s first snowstorm of 2019. Business owners really want to be the answers to your dreams, and if your dreams include roasted marshmallows, regular groceries, potato skins, or hot yoga, then you’re in luck: Several Beacon businesses rose to the occasion and dug their way out of the snow to open.

Not all businesses were open, as snow days mean different things to different people: Kids are home from school, some daycare centers closed, and roads were bad. Governor Cuomo declared a State of Emergency for seven counties (Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga and Ulster counties) with imposed low speed limit rules, as first responders responded to 740 storm-related crashes today, according to HV-NY.

The domino effect is real when it comes to snow days. Safety first. However, several businesses were quick to list their openings or closures on social media (namely Instagram - that’s who we check, at least!).

If you were wanting to cook up a steak or pork chop, Barb’s Butchery was open as usual. So were Max’s On Main and Isamu (sushi) if you wanted someone to cook the food for you. Utensil usually opens during snowstorms, because you might need a pizza stone right now as there’s high demand for comfort food during snow days. Key Foods and Beacon Natural Market had salt to melt the snow, and pink salt to flavor your home-cooked food.

If your pets were stalking you for food, Beacon Barkery was open. Hudson Beach Glass was firing it up inside, so you could shop or watch them make the glass ornaments. Hudson Valley Marshmallow was firing up the blowtorch in their “mallow shack.” Pavonine Yoga was open, as were other fitness studios on Main Street (even if they had a later opening). The movie theater in town - Story Screen - was showing movies. (They also serve beer and popcorn!) The Telephone Building dug out and is always open for Beahive members and soon-to-be Tin Shingle members to come out of the house and work work work! Some might call the cozy atmosphere a #workation.

Several others were open on Main Street, so know this for future snowstorm needs: Assume nothing. Just because your car is buried in the driveway doesn’t mean everyone’s car is still buried there. If you need something, just walk to Main Street!

See your options in A Little Beacon Blog’s Restaurant Guide and Shopping Guide.

Continued Snowfall Prompts Beacon's City Hall to Close and City Council Meeting To Be Rescheduled

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Photo Credit: Brianne McDowell while commuting to her job in NYC at 4:26am.

Photo Credit: Brianne McDowell while commuting to her job in NYC at 4:26am.

In a statement issued via the City of Beacon’s Emergency Alert System, City Hall will be closed today, and tonight’s City Council Meeting and scheduled Public Hearings have been rescheduled to next Monday, December 9.

”Due to inclement weather, City Hall will be closed today and will reopen at 8 am on Tuesday, December 3. The City Council meeting and associated public hearings scheduled for tonight have been adjourned to Monday, December 9 at 7 pm.”

You can sign up for the Alert System by visiting the City’s website, or scrolling down this website (A Little Beacon Blog) to find the link in the right-side column. You can select how you want to receive the alerts: phone, text, or email. All of the above, or one or two of the above.

Main Street Beacon Is OPEN After The Snow Storm!

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Friday may be a snow day for every parent in the Beacon City School District and other private schools, but businesses are open on Main Street in Beacon. These business owners are resilient, and some were out with their shovels on Thursday night as the snow fell, pre-clearing the sidewalks for Friday morning’s forecast of rain.

Sleet did fall at 6:30 am at least, making for slippery and dangerous roadways, but come the 9 am hour, snow was falling, and by 1 pm, we are in full blue sky and sunshine.

How is the parking, you ask? Eh, skip the parking, just get your winter boots on and come on out! Let today be your day to ride the free Beacon bus up and down Main Street. Hail it from wherever, and get off whenever.

Here is a sampling of who you can go see on this snow day, and beyond into the weekend!

Hot off the grill at Barb’s Butchery. Hungry! Photo Credit: Barb’s Butchery

Hot off the grill at Barb’s Butchery. Hungry!
Photo Credit: Barb’s Butchery

Luxe Optique, the stylists will see you now! Clearly, this picture was from before the snow fell, but they are still open. Photo Credit: Luxe Optique

Luxe Optique, the stylists will see you now! Clearly, this picture was from before the snow fell, but they are still open.
Photo Credit: Luxe Optique

Emily at Utensil is a steady-eddy - always open! And now in her new location on the west end of town near Mountain Tops. She probably sells hot chocolate powder inside… Photo Credit: Utensil

Emily at Utensil is a steady-eddy - always open! And now in her new location on the west end of town near Mountain Tops. She probably sells hot chocolate powder inside…
Photo Credit: Utensil

You can’t keep these bakers away! Ella’s Bellas is all dug out, open for business. making up some chocolate ganache this morning. Photo Credit: Ella’s Bellas

You can’t keep these bakers away! Ella’s Bellas is all dug out, open for business. making up some chocolate ganache this morning.
Photo Credit: Ella’s Bellas

Because what Are you gonna do on a snow day… stitch and stuff cute critters of course! That, and yarn and fabric inside at Beetle and Fred. Photo Credit: Beetle and Fred

Because what Are you gonna do on a snow day… stitch and stuff cute critters of course! That, and yarn and fabric inside at Beetle and Fred.
Photo Credit: Beetle and Fred

Lambs Hill Bridal Boutique at the base of the mountain is not open today due to snow, but this is the view from the Lambs Hill Wedding Venue at the top of Mount Beacon, overlooking the city-town. Photo Credit: Lambs Hill

Lambs Hill Bridal Boutique at the base of the mountain is not open today due to snow, but this is the view from the Lambs Hill Wedding Venue at the top of Mount Beacon, overlooking the city-town.
Photo Credit: Lambs Hill