POSTPONED: Spirit of Beacon Day and I Am Beacon 5K Go To Rain Dates For Nor'easter

On Saturday afternoon, the Spirit of Beacon Day Committee announced that they had postponed the Spirit of Beacon Day due to the nor’easter, stating: “Unfortunately we are going to postpone tomorrow's event. The rain date: Sunday October 4th is in effect. The people and the weather have been heard and observed. Bringing the community together, on Main Street, is the reason why we have the Spirit of Beacon Day.”

The Committee considered the decision for a long time, even calling A Little Beacon Blog’s publisher and writer Katie for advice, as she was once the Chair of the committee when the day was postponed in 2023 due to a typhoon. “During that time, we waited until the last minute, because so many different factors are involved,” Katie told ALBB. “Vendors buy food; parents have sports schedules to modify or attend; music teachers have instruments they need to protect; bands and porta-potties are booked and paid for, etc. The hardest part is not knowing how the weather will turn out in Beacon, despite what is going on in other parts of New York.”

She continued: “Back then, we were going to go in the rain, because rain was predicted the following weekend as well. But the Saturday before, the rain developed into the typhoon. The people of Beacon were ready to make it happen, even though I was getting phone calls asking me if we were sure, and how many weights should they pack for their tents, etc. But then I got called by a school leader, saying she was concerned for her children in the parade but was going to do her best. After that phone call, I made the hard decision to pull. The police were fine with it - they just wanted to know so that they could pull the No Parking signs.

“At the time, the former City Administrator Chris White was employed with the City, and he was so mad that I made the call after his mid-week deadline, that he emailed me with a harsh hand-slap, and insisted that we pull all of the yard signs we distributed throughout the city and into Fishkill and Wappingers. I refused, stating that the rain date was in effect, and people still needed to see the signs reminding them to come. That was the same year that Chris declined our gift of the new hat merch we had produced and were selling. He said that wearing our hat would mess up the tan lines on his head, like his bike helmet does. So we had one more hat to sell.”

This year, the new City Administrator in town is Ben Swanson, who is a much more gentle, considerate and mild-tempered person. “I have a feeling Ben will not respond the same way,” Katie told this year’s Chair, Ali T. Muhammad, who made the final decision. The 2023 Spirit of Beacon Day remained a success.

In his statement, Ali said: “Having it on the last Sunday in September matters. However, the people that make the Spirit of Beacon Day what it is, matter most. So due to confirmed safety concerns and the growing number of folks that reached out saying they can not or will not participate, the committee has come to this decision.”

Ali continued: “We know this will negatively impact many of our food vendors. We sincerely apologize for any waste you may incur.”

As for the new rain date, Ali advised: “The forecast for next week predicts rain, so the advice in our last email to vendors and parade participants on how to prepare for a rainy event still applies. Please don't hesitate to reach out via phone as we're expecting some of you will not be able to make it next Sunday.”

The local organization I Am Beacon also postponed, which they announced on Saturday and Sunday in their Instagram: “Today was supposed to be the 15th Annual I Run Beacon 5K Scholarship Fundraiser, and while we were excited to celebrate with our runners, walkers, volunteers, and supporters, Mother Nature had other plans!

“After carefully considering the current weather conditions and forecast, we made the decision to postpone today’s event in the interest of the safety of our participants, staff, volunteers, and community.” I Am Beacon’s new date is October 11th. Mark your calendars and this means registration is still open for runners.

Mark your calendars for the Spirit of Beacon’s new date of Sunday, October 4th. ALBB has seen some of their new merch, which will surprise and delight you.

Catober was also rescheduled to October 4th at Hudson Valley Brewery, also due to rain last weekend. It has been raining every weekend for a few weekends now.

To Be Continued…