Pianos Of "Keys To Beacon" Inspire Love Notes

Piano created by the artist Lori Merhige. Photo Credit: Jeff and Anita Cashman

Piano created by the artist Lori Merhige.
Photo Credit: Jeff and Anita Cashman

Just because you needed a little love note today, we wanted to pass along to you this email sent by a reader early this week. As you may have noticed, Beacon is decorated right now with pianos in seemingly random locations. You may occasionally hear the sound of Beacon from several street corners as people sit down to play whenever they feel the need. In fact, A Little Beacon Blog has published an essay by Izdihar (Izzy) Dabashi capturing the sounds and beauty of most of the pianos - read it here.

 

Dear A Little Beacon Blog,

Just wanted to share these photos of our winged bear with you.

We were New York City middle school teachers for 30 years...music and drama. About a month after 9/11, our school received a gift from J.C. Penney - hundreds of teddy bears arrived delivered in giant boxes - one for every student, teacher and employee in our school.

As you can imagine, the teddy bears provided great emotional comfort for all and we have kept our bear all these years.

When we saw the beautiful winged piano in Beacon, we just thought our bear was a perfect match.

Many thanks to all who bring us these beautiful pianos each year... we play each one and look forward to their return next year.

Thank you Little Beacon Blog,

Jeff and Anita Cashman

 

The organization behind the pianos in Beacon is BeaconArts, known for their public art projects that appear and disappear all over town, all year round.

We have a feature story coming out about this, so stay tuned because that’s where you’ll be able to learn more. In the meantime, enjoy the pianos while they are here. They will be rolled away soon and stored for next year.

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

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

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

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

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

The Inn and Spa at Beacon Opens This Weekend

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Think a wellness oasis right on Main Street is impossible? Think again! Opening their doors this Saturday is The Inn and Spa at Beacon, located at 151 Main Street. Leave your worries at the door and allow yourself to be pampered with a Hudson Birch Deep Tissue Massage or a Blue Eucalyptus Energizing Massage, to name just a few of the spa services available. The Inn & Spa at Beacon will serve as a retreat space from the hustle and bustle of your daily life, with many getaway packages to choose from. The basement will feature the full spa and the Water Spa, including hydrotherapy tub. The Water Spa will be opening soon but you can still take advantage of their other treatments such as facials, massages, scalp treatments, and more. 

One of the massage rooms

One of the massage rooms

Meet owner Roger Greenwald on Second Saturday (April 8), and explore the new, beautiful space he's created. Roger has a background in architecture and a love for 18th-century design. Roger has spent most of his career developing luxury residences in Washington D.C., where he's originally from. As an avid hiker, he would frequent the Hudson Valley to explore the numerous trails that make this area a hiker's dream. Upon retiring, Roger relocated to New York and settled in Philipstown almost four years ago. 

While visiting Beacon, Roger spotted the empty lot on Main Street's western end and had a vision of building a space that provides an experience for all of the senses. He saw the exciting, ongoing renaissance Beacon was undergoing, and he wanted to be a part of that. After drawing up plans, gaining support from the neighbors, the mayor, and the chief building inspector, construction began.

This is Roger's first boutique hotel, but it's more than simply a room to check in. You come to The Inn and Spa at Beacon for an experience. In addition to a delicious spa treatment, visitors can enjoy regular events like morning yoga on the rooftop garden facing the mountains, or waltzes under the stars on Sunday nights (Roger is also a swing dancer). Read a book by the fireplace in the solarium, and enjoy the beautiful original art on display throughout the entire spa including local glass artist, Barbara Galazzo. Roger is a BeaconArts member and plans on contributing to the vision and mission of the community.

The rooftop will be a space for live music, lounging, and yoga classes (those will move indoors for the winter). It is a perfect multifunctional space with views of Mount Beacon, Main Street, the Hudson River, and the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. 

One of the views from the rooftop

One of the views from the rooftop

Every Tuesday will be "Beacon Tuesdays," when The Inn and Spa at Beacon will offer Beacon residents selected one-hour spa treatments for $99. They will also offer Naturopathica skin care products, the exclusive brand for the spa, to members of the Beacon Community at a 10 percent discount.

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While the building may appear small from the outside, its high ceilings and spacious rooms still bring about a sense of luxury and comfort. It is almost hard to believe that this is a brand-new building, as it blends into the city's aesthetic perfectly. The building has five floors including the spa basement, but the 12 guest rooms are located from the ground floor to the top (fourth) floor.  

You can visit The Inn and Spa at Beacon this Saturday during their Open House from 5 to 7 pm, but their doors will be opening at 10 am. They will also be open on Sunday, from 10 am to 5 pm. They are closed Monday but will be open again on Tuesday for their first Beacon Tuesday, so schedule your appointment today!