City Of Beacon Allows Beacon Farmers' Market and Flea Market To Be Open On Spirit Of Beacon Day Rain Date

“When I adopted the role of Chair for the Spirit of Beacon Day last year,” said Katie Hellmuth, “I and the new Committee members learned that both the Beacon Farmers’ Market and Beacon Flea Market were ordered by their contracts with the City of Beacon to be closed on the Spirit of Beacon Day. Which was an agreement set up years ago, before this administration. This was to open up parking in both the DMV parking lot and the Henry Street parking lot - which are both free municipal lots - on those days,” Katie told A Little Beacon Blog.

“Beacon has a parking problem. Closing the markets should not be a bandaid solution to fixing that for one weekend of a community festival.”

— Katie Hellmuth, Chair of the Spirit of Beacon Day

“From our first organizational meeting with the City of Beacon last year, which included the City Administrator Chris White, Police Chief Sans Frost, and Lt. Jason Walden, we asked for both markets to be open. Knowing that if you open the Farmers Market, you have to also open the Flea Market,” Katie said. “Opening both markets would enhance the whole day, and connect the west end of Beacon’s Main Street with the Spirit of Beacon Day blocked off section. Often what happens is that the middle of Main Street is a bottle-neck of people. We want the people to also experience both ends of Main Street. The east end near the mountain is a whole different story but we want people there too.”

Beacon has a known parking problem. The city is running out of space to absorb cars wanting to park near Main Street. A parking garage has been floated, but has not yet been accepted by the public.

“For so many reasons, the Spirit of Beacon Day Committee wanted the Beacon Farmers’ Market to be open on the big day. But, Police Chief Frost and Lt. Walden were afraid of a repeat scenario of the Cupcake Festival,” Katie told ALBB. “During that festival, so many tourists came in, and parked all over the place. In organizational meetings, Lt. Walden was adamant that we keep the DMV and Henry Street parking lots closed but open to the public,” Katie said.

According to Katie, Chief Frost was willing to consider opening the parking lots for the following year, but he wasn’t comfortable for 2023. A huge fan of the Spirit of Beacon Day, Chief Frost anticipated a lot of people, and he wanted to accommodate them.

“Beacon has a parking problem. Closing the markets should not be a bandaid solution to fixing that for one weekend of a community festival.”

— Katie Hellmuth

However, the DMV parking lot is consistently under-used. On regular weekends, tourists don’t to know to park there. Despite new signage designed by the Main Street Access Committee. On their 2022 de-briefing, sources say that Katie asked Lt. Walden if the DMV lot was full on Spirit of Beacon 2022. According to sources, he confirmed that it was not.

This year, when the Spirit of Beacon Day went to rain date, which was possibly the 2nd time in its 46 year history, it forced a reconsideration of the rain date. “Once the tropical storm was strengthening, we didn’t know what direction the storm was going to go in. We feared the kids being out in that weather. We had done our homework and knew which of our service vendors and performers were still available the following weekend. So we quickly postponed the Spirit of Beacon Day and alerted all of our vendors so that they could prepare for the following weekend instead,” Katie said.

As for the Farmers’ Market, the procedure for the rain date maybe be unprecidented between the City of Beacon and the Farmers’ Market and Flea Market. “We knew this postponement would impact the Farmers Market. That they would still be closed on our original date because of the short notice. In my own heart of hearts, I knew that there was no way the Farmer’s Market was not going to be open on the rain date. I was texted by my farmer friends, asking what was going to happen for the rain date. I told them I didn’t know. I didn’t know if this was spelled out in their contract,” Katie said. “This is not an agreement between the Spirit of Beacon Day and the Farmers’ Market. It is between the City of Beacon and the two markets. Closing the markets is not the Spirit of Beacon’s preference.”

“What I didn’t tell them,” she continued “was that I was planning a full court press to get them open on the Spirit of Beacon Day rain date. And hopefully every year after this.” The City of Beacon and Dutchess County are discussing developing the DMV lot, which if built, would result in construction in that parking lot as well as a smaller parking lot for the Farmers’ Market. The City Council and City Planner have been discussing it in their last few meetings.

“Beacon has a parking problem,” Katie continued. “Closing the markets should not be a bandaid solution to fixing that for one weekend of a community festival.”

The rain date situation challenged the contract between the City of Beacon and the Farmers’ Market and the Flea Markets. “The panic that this rain date caused the Farmers’ Market participants was unprecedented. The market vendors depend on the Beacon Farmers Market (and Cold Spring, and other markets) to make payroll for themselves and their staff.”

It is unknown to ALBB at this time what the contract says about the event of a rain date. “The Farmers Market managers were inquiring with the Spirit of Beacon Committee as to how they could be open on the big day in any way. Before the postpone date happened. We didn’t know. Since the police gave their answer, and the City Administrator advised us and them to simply absorb the 50+ market vendors into the Spirit of Beacon’s 80+ vendors, without extending the closing of Main Street to accommodate that. We didn’t know what to do,” Katie told ALBB.

After the postponement to rain date, the Market managers, Hampton Fluker and Amy Bandolik, did their own full court press to get representation at the Spirit of Beacon Day. The Spirit of Beacon Committee set to their map-making of fitting in the 50+ vendors from the Farmers Market. Which was in addition to the 80+ vendors the Spirit of Beacon was responsible for. Katie agreed to take a meeting with Hampton and Amy to figure out how to make it work at 5pm on Monday.

“We tried every lot. I emailed landowner Joe Donovan for permission to use every grass space he has on the west end of Main Street,” Katie told ALBB. “Jeana Pearl Fletcher, the Spirit of Beacon Secretary and landscape architect, used her best skills to fit in all of the tables on our new map. Board Member Junior Dabashi was hopeful that maybe we could squeeze the tables close to each other. I mean, we were trying, because the City of Beacon was denying the markets use of the parking lots for the two years I asked the City to allow them to be open. But I couldn’t see how all of these tables could fit,” Katie said.

“When I inquired with farmer vendors, Farmer Carrie of Eggbert’s Free Range Farm told me that she preferred to stay at the DMV because she has a double-wide tent and needs her refrigerated van to re-supply her inventory. The Farmers Market managers confirmed to me that there were about 7 other vendors like that. This seemed crazy to fit them in a confined space, where no regular customer-base would know where to find them,” Katie concluded.

In the end, the Beacon Farmers Market managers collected many testimonials from vendors on how detrimental the financial impact was on them, and sent them to the City of Beacon, requesting that the Farmers’ Market be included in any Spirit meeting with City Officials. In addition, customers of the market wanted the Farmers’ Market open on the big day of the Spirit of Beacon. “How can they not be a part of the day?” expressed Spirit of Beacon board member Jeana.

By Monday at 3:30pm, the City Administrator Chris emailed Katie to inform her that both markets would be open, but stressed, “This does not mean it is going to be allowed next year.” Via email to Katie, he added: “While this might cause some issues with parking, it is not fair to them to lose two weekends in a row.” This meant that the Farmers Market and Spirit of Beacon did not need to have their own planning meeting at 5pm to get this desired result, and Katie did not need to have a 3rd meeting with the City to advocate for this again across the table.

The Farmers’ Market made their announcement via Instagram: “We are delighted to announce that we have emerged victorious in our endeavor to operate the @beaconfarmersmarket on (and in conjunction with) @spiritofbeaconday ❤️🥬🎉 We are deeply grateful to each and every one of you (Beaconites & beyond) for your unwavering dedication and heartfelt testimonials, which have played a pivotal role in making this possible. As the market team, we are privileged to have the opportunity to serve our small business vendors, farmers & makers and to provide fresh food (and more) to our community.”

It is the position of the Spirit of Beacon Day that both markets be allowed to be open on the Spirit of Beacon Day forever. From the Spirit of Beacon Day’s statement: “The Spirit of Beacon Day fully recommends that this forced closure be removed from both contracts of the Beacon Farmers Market and Beacon Flea Market. We need them. We need both markets to help people move throughout the city. And the markets need regularity to prosper and survive.”

Spirit of Beacon Day 2023 To Shine On Sunday September 24 - Keeping the Spirit In Weather

What would be a Spirit of Beacon Day without a weather debate? Beaconites are a durable bunch. We are usually threatened by something, and we usually overcome through much perseverance. This time, there is rain on the horizon, but it’s possible that A. it may pour and pass before Sunday and B. avoid Beacon if we are protected just right between the mountain and the river, perhaps getting some drizzle.

We haven’t checked with the Historical Society, but we are told by past Spirit committee members that the Spirit of Beacon Day has never gone to a rain date. Said the current Chair of the Spirit of Beacon Day and publisher of this blog and article, Katie Hellmuth: “It has even been asked if it should have a rain date at all, so as to avoid this agonizing debate of to go or not to go to a rain date.”

Spirit of Beacon Day will hold the line and stay at September 24, 2024.

Inside The Decision Making Of Marching On

“We have contracts with vendors, but unfortunately, we do not have a contract with The Weather,” said Katie. “If it rains the following weekend, as well as this weekend, then we will have lost all of this momentum. The Spirit of Beacon Day is not just a day you can snap your fingers at to move to the next weekend. Yes, there are logistics that can be rebooked. But for every 1 person we sent an email to about Parade and Tables, they are connected to 10-50 other people in the community. The community has been pushing themselves so hard, with much excitement, to do this. And the day is here. It has arrived. We as a committee are embracing it. To be Beacon means to go with it and make it work. We didn’t want to risk bad weather the following weekend.”

If you want to see inside of the mind of one of the people making this decision, you could watch the video below.

Super Last Chance To Register For Spirit Of Beacon Day Parade 2023

The Spirit of Beacon Day Committee has announced that this is your very last chance to register to march or perform in the parade on Sunday, September 24, 2023. Even if you have rolled in this parade for the past X number of years, you still need to register.

They need to get your email into their spreadsheet to send you updates.

Register Here - Right Now!

Spirit Of Beacon Day Announces Musical Lineup for 2023!

A Little Beacon Blog is a Media Sponsor of the Spirit of Beacon Day 2023. We are pleased to announce the musical lineup for the day, to help you plan which end of Main Street you want to be at, to hear which music when. We have reprinted in full their 2023 Musical Lineup in full:

Two musical stages are returning for this year’s Spirit of Beacon Day: The Main Stage at Veterans Place (next to Post Office and Towne Crier), and the garden at Cross Street. This year will mark the final year (most likely) for the Cross Street garden, as the building that has been slated there for years is finally going into construction. The landowners have graciously allowed the Spirit of Beacon Day to have one more concert there before the shovels go in. So…come to move your body as a final send-off to that location!

Music will begin from 11am-1pm at both stages. At 1pm, the music will pause as the parade comes through Main Street. Music at both stages will pick up again from 2-4pm. Thank you to Goldee Green for being our Musical Spirit Coordinator for Veterans Place, and to Stephen Claire of Beacon Music Factory for curating the stage at Cross Street.

Musical Lineup at Veterans Place Stage

Beginning at 11am:

Beacon Players Drama Club
School of Rock Band
GG & The Shades

Musical Lineup at Cross Street Stage

Beginning at 11am:

Mystery Band
The Dummy Lights

Spirit of Beacon Volunteer Award Announcement at Pohill Park:

Beginning at 12:30pm:

The Spirit of Beacon Volunteer Awards will be announced at Pohill Park, with the help and amplification of K104, who is returning this year to announce parade participants (thank you, Woodman and the K104 team!). This year, the Spirit of Beacon Committee is awarding the following people for their unwavering support and commitment to the City of Beacon:

Susan Antalek: For her decades of support both financial and volunteer for community of Beacon.
Gwenno James: For her commitment in various volunteer roles, and chairing and keeping alive the Spirit of Beacon Day during the pandemic.
Karen James: For her dedication to volunteering to various events and causes around the City of Beacon over the years.
Carman Johnson: For her ever-present volunteering and supportive efforts to whatever is needed to help the community of Beacon succeed.

Musical Lineup at Veterans Place Stage

Beginning at 1pm:

Beacon Players Drama Club
School of Rock Band
GG & The Shades

Musical Lineup at Veterans Place

Beginning at 2pm:

Bosco and the Storm
Beacon Rising Choir
TonyE

Musical Lineup at Cross Street Stage

Beginning at 2pm:

Beacon Music Factory Students
Watson
Entropy Machine
Beacon Youth Jazz Orchestra (rumor has it this group is morphing into an Afrobeat direction…this is your chance to follow them)

SOON IS NOW - A Festival Of Climate And Eco Art, Performance And Activism - Here In Beacon - September 23, 2023

SOON IS NOW is an afternoon of art and live performance about climate change and the ecological in Scenic Hudson’s Long Dock Park, a former industrial site and brownfield transformed by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects, the Scenic Hudson Land Trust, and others, into a sustainable park on the Hudson River in Beacon, NY. This site is on the unceded land of the Wappinger, in a region with a vital history of environmentalism rooted in Scenic Hudson’s fight to save Storm King Mountain from industry and Pete Seeger’s fight for an unpolluted Hudson River.

Twinkle Burke, What We Give Back, by Madeline Sayet, photo by Lucas Millard 

Audience walking to the next performance, photo by Flynn Larsen

Part reverence for the River, part cry for what is lost to climate chaos, part response to the pollution and rejuvenation of the park's ecosystem, SOON IS NOW places art in conversation with the landscape and brings audiences into an immersive experience with original works. 

Actors, dancers, musicians, performance and visual artists are curated throughout the park (many of them Beacon-based): Edwin Torres, Alex Waterman, Raven Chacon, Bob Bellerue, Koyoltzintli, Elise Knudson, Elisa Santiago, Randy Burd, Cecilia Fontanesi, Tom King, Jim Fletcher, Jaanika Peerna, Twinkle Burke, Jojo Gonzalez, Camille Seaman, Andrew Brehm and Jean Brennan.

Edwin Torres, Water’s Way: A Poet’s Choir for the Hudson River with E.J. McDonald, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Tamalyn Miller, Kristin Prevallet, Urayoán Noel, Jayden Featherstone. photo by Flynn Larsen  

The Resistance Revival Chorus will be performing a special concert at 5pm including a new song about climate change. 

The Resistance Revival Chorus, photo by Ginny Suss

On SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd at 2pm the day starts at the River Center (the red barn) in Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park with a visual arts exhibition. Meet activists including Beacon Climate Action Now, Climate Reality Hudson Valley & Catskills and Fareground, and learn what you can do. Sign up for an 80 minute tour of performances throughout the park that start at 2:30, 3pm and 3:30pm, first come, first served. Even if you don't get on a tour you will be able to experience performance, visual art in the River Center and the concert by The Resistance Revival Chorus at 5pm. Poppy's Farm 2 Trailer food truck will be at the event selling tacos. Parking at Long Dock Park is limited. Park at the Metro North Beacon Train Station where all parking spots are free on the weekends, a short walk to the event. Free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by Climate Reality Hudson Valley & Catskills and HV Climate Solutions Week. Part of Climate Change Theatre Action's 2023 season. Funded by Arts Mid-Hudson, the Clara Lou Gould Fund for the Arts administered by Beacon Arts, and many local businesses and individuals. 

Tom King, photo by Lucas Millard

Jaanika Peerna, Glacier Elegy, photo by Flynn Larsen

Liz Zito, Eric Magnus, Andrew Brehm, The Oysters, by Miranda Rose Hall, photo by Lucas Millard

Elise Knudson, Sentinels, photo by Flynn Larsen

For more information: soonisnow.org or contact evemorgenstern@gmail.com.

About Eve Morgenstern:

Eve Morgenstern, Director/Founder/Producer is a photographer and filmmaker. She has been awarded artist residencies at The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Workspace and MacDowell, and grants for her work from The New York State Council on the Arts, Chicken and Egg Pictures, The George Gund Foundation, The Park Foundation and Arts Mid-Hudson. Her environmental film Cheshire, Ohio has screened in festivals in the US, Canada and Asia and is distributed by Bullfrog Films and ovid.tv . Her photographic project Facades of Crises had its solo Museum premiere at Bildmuseet in Umeå, Sweden. Eve is also co-chair of her Climate Reality Hudson Valley & Catskills chapter. She lives in Beacon, NY with her daughter Chloe and her beloved mutt Amber. “This started as an experiment to produce plays from Climate Change Theatre Action, a project that uses storytelling and live performance to foster dialogue about our global climate crisis. The project grew to include visual art and original live performance created in dialogue with the site. The idea to curate works throughout Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park as a tour for audiences is intentional and meaningful as this site was once a brownfield, remediated and revisioned into a beautiful climate resilient public park on the Hudson River.”

CREDITS SOON IS NOW:

Eve Morgenstern, Founder, Director

Connie Hall, Producer

Brian Mendes, Producer

ALBB is a Media Sponsor of this event, and is proud to partner to help get the word out.

Day 6 Of The Broken Traffic Light At Beacon's Intersection For Middle and High Schools

On the morning of the 1st day of school (Tuesday), at around 7:00am, the traffic light at Matteawan and Verplanck broke. This is the intersection for the High School and Middle School drop-off near the track known as Hammond Track, where cars are coming and going to go to work and/or drop off kids at school.

Additionally, kids are on bikes who go through the intersection. Kids also walk. Or coast in groups across the crosswalk. It’s a high-volume intersection for cars, pedestrians and bikers alike.

By Wednesday morning, it wasn’t clear at first for some that the traffic light had stopped working. It was not blinking at that point. Just a solid red for those on Matteawan, and green for those on Verplanck. There is a No Turn On Red sign on Matteawan when turning right onto Verplanck (when the schools are behind you), so the long line of cars on Matteawan who had finished their drop-offs is an expected one. But on the first days of school with this light broken, the line was extra long and not moving. Turning right became more of a risk, as drivers were turning out into cars who had the green.

After some time on Wednesday, later in the morning for Middle School drop-off, a Beacon Police officer had arrived to direct traffic. An officer also assisted in the afternoon for when school let out. Traffic direction from the Beacon Police had been inconsistent but present during drop-off hours, as they may have been called to other emergencies.

So far, the traffic light has been broken from Tuesday - Sunday. In Beacon’s City Code, there is a requirement that a traffic light be at that intersection. It reads: “Traffic control signals shall be installed and operated at the intersection of those streets described in Schedule I below.” The intersection of Matteawan and Verplanck are listed. But the Code does not indicate who is to make what phone call to get the traffic light fixed. When the Dummy Light was hit by a city employee during milling of Main Street before it got paved, the Highway Department restored that light. It is not confirmed if the Highway Department or a different member of the City is responsible for making arrangements to have this traffic light fixed.

The crossing signals at Verplanck and Matteawan are also out, along with the traffic light. They have been out from Monday (9/5/2023) - Sunday (9/10/2023) so far.

After the traffic light was switched to a cautionary blinking red light on the Matteawan side, and a blinking yellow light on the Verplanck side, cars did proceed with less confusion. But some cars still passed through the intersection with uncertainty.

The crosswalk signs are also broken. Pedestrians and bikers have to cross when they see no cars. Being that the track is a destination for the community and students alike, not to mention all of the baseball fields and the turf field behind the high school, people are always crossing this crosswalk on foot, on bike or in car.

USPS Hosts An "Open House" For Beacon's Mail To Visit Newburgh Facility, But Beacon Bridge Traffic Is Too Bad To Get There - What Does This Mean For Beacon's Mail?

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has decided to pull mail operations from several Post Offices across the country, including Beacon, NY.

The Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by Trump, has declared that this decision is in the name of cutting costs, in his 10 year plan. You can hear DeJoy describe this plan in his own words in this forum, which shows DeJoy’s lust for package delivery, and dismissal for mail/letter delivery. Highly recommend the listen, as you may not usually hear DeJoy speak in the news. He speaks plainly here, including how he was “spooned” COVID money, which he used to build this 10 year plan to slow the mail (but not packages).

At the heart of this plan, is to pull mail carriers (the people who deliver your mail to your mailbox at your house or apartment) from their local Post Offices, and have them go to a large facility that several other municipalities (communities) will also report to now. This facility will most likely be far from the zip code where the mail is being delivered to. For Beacon, this means that all mail carriers are going to Newburgh each morning to pick up the mail, then drive to Beacon, then drive back to Newburgh to park their trucks and do it all again the next day.

When this news first hit Beacon, people feared that Beacon’s Post Office might close. They were reassured by Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White, who was reassured by a local post master, that Beacon’s Post Office would indeed not be closed because it was such a high-volume location.

However, the clerks who work the desk at Beacon’s Post Office have since taken jobs elsewhere - as enforced by the USPS - reducing the Beacon Post Office to 1.5 clerk workers. One regular clerk for Beacon was recently in a bad accident, according to the clerk’s Union president Diana Cline, so the clerks Beaconites are seeing now are new to the community.

These clerks are PTF aka “Part Time Flexible Career” staff, says Diana. “Now, Jackie is still there until Saturday, but then she gets excessed to Peekskill,” Diana told ALBB. “Beacon has been borrowing PTF’s. Not sure how many hours Saturday. I heard PTF from Germantown and Gardener will be there. Neither knows the office or PO Box customer names." If someone in their home office calls out Saturday, they would have to be there instead of home hours rule.”

When ALBB checked in at Beacon’s Post Office this week to confirm the union’s speculation, we met one new worker, who was young white man, who said he’d most likely be there indefinitely most likely after next week. The next day, a different man was working the desk, who was an older Indian man. Right before closing, two older white women who were enjoying the air conditioning of the building while holding their purse dog, were upset when the employee promptly shut the service metal window at 5pm. While the women had been talking casually for several minutes, they shouted at the older employee after he closed the window: “Can’t you look one more time?!?” When he finished closing the window, they proceeded to call him an “asshole” twice.

The women may not be familiar with union rules, whereby at 5pm, the Post Office closes. And the metal window shuts, and no one is an asshole for following their worker rules.

Tonight’s “Open House” To The Newburgh Mail Facility Was Hard To Get To - What Does That Mean For Regular Mail?

ALBB has driven to the Newburgh mail facility before: (“Over The River, Across The Bridge, Through The Woods - This Will Be The New Commute That Beacon Mail Carriers Will Drive If Proposal Happens (Already Happening Elsewhere)"). We wanted to see what the drive was like for the local mail carriers. In their rickety mail trucks that go about 40mph across the bridge, because they haven’t been given new trucks or vans. No union president or employee has been able to confirm to ALBB if newer trucks are being provided. DeJoy was awarded eco trucks from his COVID money, but it’s not clear if that includes any mail trucks in Beacon, NY.

Starting next week, the Beacon mail carriers will drive to Newburgh indefinitely. As for the PO Box mail, Diana warned: “The PO Box mail won’t get there until the window is already open, so clerks have to wait on customers and put mail away at the same time.”

It’s Not The Post Office Employees Fault - It’s Federal - It’s Louis DeJoy’s Design

The most important thing to keep in mind during these Post Office changes is that it is not the employees fault for things to be hard. The employees are being shipped to different locations and are bound by tight union rules. If one thinks that the mail is slow, there is a reason. By design, the mail is slow. One should not take it out on the employee. Take it up with Louis DeJoy who is designing this atmosphere to kill the mail, and compete against “frenemies” like Amazon (his words) for package delivery (listen to him say “frenemies” it in that forum).

Zero letter/package carriers will report from the Beacon building. Only 1.5 clerks will be working there, and they may be rotating and different. No business would make this decision for a thriving retail business on Main Street. Unless they were trying to torture and kill their business in a slow death.

The truck parking lot behind the Beacon Post Office will hold….we aren’t sure. Since all of the little rickety mail trucks will be going back and forth over the Newburgh/Beacon Bridge at least twice per day.

PS: Tonight - the power went out in Newburgh because of the severe thunderstorm watch that was also noted in the traffic app. Not only was there an accident on the Newburgh/Beacon Bridge, there was a thunderstorm on the other end in Newburgh.

Before you complain to your Beacon mail carrier about anything you are unsatisfied with about the mail, consider instead taking it up with federal carrier unions, Loius DeJoy, and Joe Biden for allowing DeJoy to still hold the Post Master General position.

Yes, this was a bias article. Sorry not sorry. Will get back to neutral fact reporting in the next one. But for now, this Post Office mail issue is so difficult to report on, namely because it is so absurd, that we have to state issues the way they are stated.

Pictured below are ALBB flashbacks of traffic in Beacon before even getting to the bridge for tonight’s 6pm “Open House.” ALBB didn’t go, and instead, wrote this article. Hopefully pictures of the rare opportunity to go into the Newburgh mail facility will be sent in.

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Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Awarded $47K For Rescue UTV For Mountanous Terrain and Large Events

The Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc. (BVAC) has been awarded $47,000 from Dutchess County’s Municipal Investment Grant (MIG) Program, as was announced today. Said Said Nick Scarchilli, Chief of Operations: "BVAC will use the investment to locate, treat and transport lost and/or injured hikers along the Hudson Highlands and Mount Beacon trails, as well as at large-scale public events, which will help to expedite response times for emergency medical calls.”

Photo Credit: Deborah Cortes, EMT-B, for Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

BVAC will purchase a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) and accessories for mountain rescue operations and large-scale community events. Deborah Cortes, EMT-B and head of Public Relations for BVAC told A Little Beacon Blog: “It is the intention that we will purchase the unit as soon as possible. The UTV is a resourceful unit to assist in the extraction of injured hikers off of Mount Beacon by allowing our crews to safety navigate through the rough terrain of the mountain. Future plans include continuing to respond to mountain calls, standbys, and training personnel for efficient operations.”

BVAC has had to make rescues on Mount Beacon before, like the one pictured here in 2019. Deborah Cortes, EMT-B for BVAC remembers the scene like this: “This rescue started in the dark hours of the evening, ending in the early morning hours. We do go up in the daytime and continue to train but, we need better. ESPECIALLY when we go up the mountains this late at night lasting hours long.”

At that time, BVAC described the situation as this: “At around 20:40 p.m last night The Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps and Mobile Life Ambulance was dispatched to a call on Mt. Beacon for a lost and injured hiker experiencing shortness of breath. The BVAC ATV rode up with 2 BVAC EMT's, Mobile life paramedic and NYS Park Police as far as possible near the fire tower. 1 crew member remained with the polaris while the rest of the crew departed on foot to meet up with lost & injured. The hikers were safely brought down to an awaiting ambulance on the bottom of the mountain where the injured was reassessed. All equipment was back in service shortly before midnight. ** BVAC EMT's & Mobile Life Medic were in touch with the hikers via cell phone the whole time while attempting to make contact closely monitoring the injured hikers condition.”

Antony Tseng, Program Director with BVAC, recalls these situations where the UTV was needed:

• We have deployed the UTV for a search of a patient at University Settlement where there was no access road for vehicles.

• During one of the ice storms, where we could not climb up a sloped driveway, we were able to use the UTV gain access to the patient.

• We used the UTV to support the marathon on the Walkway Over The Hudson (Poughkeepsie) in 2015.

• We helped bring up tools to the Mt. Beacon Fire Tower with the UTV when it was being restored before its grand reopening in 2013.

BVAC is its own entity. The City of Beacon only started funding it in recent years, after the City Of Beacon hired a for-profit ambulance service to service the city. During that time, BVAC advocated very vocally to Beacon’s City Council and City Administrator Chris White for funding after years of volunteering to serve the city and making their own investments through fundraisers.

Donate to the Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps. at any time by clicking here. According to their website: “BVAC is the only volunteer ambulance service operating in Dutchess County. Seven BVAC employees and 35 volunteers respond to approximately 247 calls per month. BVAC depends on fundraisers and contributions of any size at any time. BVAC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all contributions are tax deductible.”

Artwork Deadline September 1 For Beacon Bus Shelters From BeaconArts

BeaconArts is the group behind the changing art on the bus shelters in Beacon, and the time has come to change the art again. After a recent round of fundraising which included a benefit concert, BeaconArts raised the funds needed to refresh the artwork on 5 bus shelters located throughout the city.

Artwork needs to be submitted by Friday, September 1st via this link. Submissions need to be from BeaconArts members (you can join here - membership starts at $100/year).

Artists will be asked to submit digital files that will be printed on vinyl and displayed on the shelter panels.

Submission guidelines:

• All applicants must be BeaconArts members.

• BeaconArts is looking for artwork that has a strong graphic quality and can be viewed from a distance.

• The final artwork will consist of two 50" w x 60" h panels.

• The artwork selected should fit within the proportions of the bus shelter panels

• Submissions must be jpg files, 1000 x 1200 pixels at 72dpi

• If selected, artwork must be delivered as high resolution files, 50 x 60 inches at 300 dpi

Vinyl printing and installation are provided by BeaconArts at no charge to the artist.

Beacon Back 2 School Block Party Invites Community To Celebrate & Prepare For School

South Avenue Park at Loopers Plaza is firing it up again with the Beacon Back 2 School Event from I Am Beacon and Key Food on Saturday, August 19, 2023 from 12-3pm. This event is known for signalling the final days of summer with a cookout in the park, accompanied by several vendors at tables providing information to kids, parents and caregivers, as well as basketball games being played down below at Loopers Court.

Co-founder of I Am Beacon, Reuben Simmons told the Beacon Free Press this week: “Although we host with Key Food, this event is a true collaboration in every sense of the word. Beacon Recreation Department, Beacon City School District, and the Beacon Hoops Summer Basketball program. I enjoy providing a platform for so many of our community organizations to come out and share their information.”

Participating Organizations

Participating organizations this year include: Girl Scouts of the Hudson Valley, Cub Scouts Pack 1, Boy Scouts Troop #41, Brain and Body Coalition, Tradition Christmas Tree Lighting, Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie, St Andrews & St. Lukes Episcopal Church, Growing & Empowering Myself and My Sisters (GEMMS), A Little Beacon Blog, Beacon Elks Lodge #1493, Salem Tabernacle, Tara’s Mission| Flip !t 4 Human Rights, Highlands Current, Conservation Advisory Committee, Staples, Beacon Climate Action Now, City of Beacon Police, Beacon Dental, and Contender eSports Gaming Center Hudson Valley.

Food and Entertainment

Key Food will be providing burgers, hot dogs and drinks for sale or by donation but is not required for those in need. HOPE Church is bringing the grill. “It takes a village!” co-founder Brooke Simmons told A Little Beacon Blog. Proceeds from the sale of food will go to I Am Beacon’s Class in a Bag program, which provides full backpacks and school supplies to students in need in the Beacon City School District grades K-12.

All Star Games from the Beacon Hoops Summer program start at 10am and go through the morning.

School supplies will be collected throughout the day. A small bus will be on-site, and attendees are encouraged to help "stuff the bus" with donated school supplies. DJ King Cyrus will be playing music throughout the event, which will end with a raffle draw.

A Little Beacon Blog will be offering face painting. A portion of the sales will be donated to I Am Beacon, and the rest helps us publish this publication. Donation recommended but not required. We will paint anyone.

How It Works

To get a free bag of school supplies, students will be given a “Student Passport,” and are required to collect “stamps” from each vendor’s booth. Cards will only be handed out for the number of bags available.

South Avenue Park | South Avenue Park is located at 9D and South Avenue. The address is 98 South Avenue, Beacon, NY 12508. The event takes place in the open area between the tennis court and basketball court, and below the climbing playground and Beacon Recreation Center.

Free Citizenship Workshop At Beacon's Public Library For N-400 Application; El Taller de Ciudadanía Organizado por Citizenshipworks Sera Realizado en Howland Public Library

As New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams continues his calls for federal assistance to house immigrants in New York City, saying that shelters are overwhelmed, some immigrants are being moved to the Hudson Valley for better room and board accommodations. Once in the United States, immigrants try getting employment, but the path to citizenship is difficult.

The The Howland Public Library is offering a Citizen Workshop for help with the N-400 application on Saturday, August 19th. This Citizenship Workshop is from Citizenshipworks in partnership with the Office of New Americans and GMHC. Form N-400 is an application to become a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Says the Howland Public Library in a press release: “If you're looking to become a U.S. citizen, this workshop is designed to assist you in completing the N-400 application and provide a free legal review of your application. A team of experts will guide you through the process, answer your questions, and ensure that you have all the necessary information and documents. Don't miss this amazing opportunity to receive expert guidance and support on your path to citizenship. There will be no appointment times. People who register can come by anytime between 11-3 during the Citizenship workshop. To reserve a spot, register at www.beaconlibrary.org/citizenshipworks.”

¡Únase a Howland Public Library, el sábado 19 de agosto, para un taller de ciudadanía organizado por Citizenshipworks en asociación con Office of New Americans y GMHC! Si desea convertirse en ciudadano estadounidense, este taller está diseñado para ayudarlo a completar la solicitud N-400 y proporcionar una revisión legal gratis de su solicitud. Un equipo de expertos lo guiará a través del proceso, responderá sus preguntas y se asegurará de que tenga toda la información y los documentos necesarios. No pierda esta oportunidad de recibir orientación y apoyo de expertos en su camino hacia la ciudadanía. 

Beacon's Fireworks Rescheduled To Thursday, July 6...To Be Continued...

Where there once was no rain date, there is now a Rescheduled Date of Beacon’s Fireworks to Thursday, July 6th at Dark. This waterlogged week of rain has been great for the plants, but has become a nail-biter for firework shows. Much to the chagrin of dog lovers and those who end up in neighborly fights when firework amateur hour on the street results in fireworks going over or onto neighbor’s roofs.

Fireworks were even reportedly canceled on the Jersey Shore when a bit of thunder rolled by, according to some student reporters who left Beacon to visit.

Tune in Thursday to see what happens…

Hope you’re having a good holiday week!

Fourth Of July In Beacon Is On July 2, 2023

Beacon’s Fourth of July Fireworks will be on Sunday, July 2nd, 2023 at dark, with no rain date, the City Administrator Chris White announced during a City Council meeting this month. Sunset has been around 8:30ish PM of late.

The event will be held in Memorial Park as it normally is. If ALBB learns of more details about what to find at the fireworks, other than fireworks, we will update this article.

Details About Beacon's First Annual Juneteenth From Bosco and the Storm, and Beacon 4 Black Lives - Get The Music and Vendor Lineup Here

Mergers in Beacon. Coming together. That is what Beacon’s community is all about. Lots of ideas. Lots of intentions. Sometimes done before. Sometimes done again. Since the racial reawakening of 2020, there have been 3 Juneteenth celebrations in Beacon organized by Beacon 4 Black Lives. But this year’s is being billed as Beacon’s First Annual Juneteenth. That is because a merger happened between groups who each had the desire and drive to produce the event: Beacon 4 Black Lives and Bosco and the Storm and his niece, Lastar.

For the past 3 years, Beacon 4 Black Lives held Juneteenth events. “The first year was a celebration in the form of a protest,” founding member Justice McCray told A Little Beacon Blog. “The next two years were at a private venue. We were thinking…how can we support somebody’s else’s vision? Something better, something new and something fresh. Something that invites more people in.”

At the end of Spirit of Beacon Day 2022, Michael Faison aka “Bosco” of Bosco and the Storm, who was a Musical Spirit Coordinator and performer for that event, told ALBB of his desire to produce a Juneteenth celebration the following year. Brooke Simmons and Rueben “Yogi” Simmons, the brother/sister duo and co-founders of I Am Beacon assisted Lastar with getting in touch with Justice to help them with permits and organizing, who after leading racial justice protests in the city with Beacon 4 Black Lives, ran and earned a position on Beacon’s City Council.

This year, Bosco told the Highlands Current how the idea came to him to produce a Juneteenth event: “I was actually at home and it just hit me that we need to do a Juneteenth festival. I called my niece, who is good at organizing. It’s going to feature my band and other local bands with Black artists, but it’s not just limited to Black artists, because my band is interracial. We’ll have Black entertainers, comedians, singers, dancers, poets — people doing whatever they do to be a part of the festival. Beacon 4 Black Lives also stepped in to help get the permits and that stuff.

“I never thought we would see this [Juneteenth celebrated as a national holiday] in my lifetime, but I’m glad we can start it here, and then the younger generations can keep it rolling. A lot of the Black folks who were born and raised here moved away, so we tried to reach out to them to come home for a day. And it’s not just for Black folks; it’s for anyone who wants to come have a good time.”

While this is called “Beacon’s Juneteenth,” it’s a city-wide event. “The City of Beacon has been supporting us, but it’s a city-wide event, but not produced by the City of Beacon, but the City gave their support,” said Justice.

Juneteenth Musical Lineup

• Bosco and The Storm (Band)

• Cynthia Moore and daughter Maya (Singing Opening Ceremony of the Negro Nation Anthem)

• Jaeden Drysdale (Poet)

• Ice The God (Hip Hop & R&B Artist)

• Jayda Woodall (Poet)

• The Moonlight Initiative (Band)

• Melody Africa (Performers/Dance)

• Common Ground Farm (Vendor)

• Faithful Praise (Performers/Gospel Singers)

• Born Genius (Hip Hop Artist)

Juneteenth Food Lineup

• We Got The Juice

• A&I Concessions

• Cookies Creations

• Pat’s Kitchen

• Common Ground Farm

• Incredible Creations

• Cafe Con Amor Jibaro

• Essie Mae Water Ice

• Luv Y’all Food

Juneteenth Vendor Lineup

• We Got The Juice (Vendor)

• Broadway Art Gallery (Vendor)

• AbuBashir Oils (Vendor)

• Howland Public Library (Vendor)

• A&I Concessions (Vendor)

• Behind The Chair Ministries (Vendor)

• Cookies Creations (Vendor)

• Beacon High Step Team (Vendor)

• Pat's Kitchen (Vendor)

• Backies All Natural (Vendor)

• The Little Me Boutique (Vendor)

• Joce Cova (Vendor)

• Community Voices Heard (Vendor)

• City on a Hill Clothing Company (Vendor)

• 5Heart Products (Vendor)

• Incredible Creations (Vendor)

• Cafe Con Amor Jibaro (Vendor)

• Soaps By Tina (Vendor)

• Four Winds Jewelry (Vendor)

• Newburgh Rowing Club and Beacon Sloop Club will collaborating to offer free Kayaking and boating from 11-2pm

• Compass Arts will be offering free activities and a blank canvas for the festival attendees to create a shared artwork.

Juneteenth Parking

Justice wanted to get the word out about parking: “Parking not listed as MTA’s Free Parking Day, so unfortunately, it is paid parking at the station - as far as we know.” There is a small parking lot by the park, but the organizers are prioritizing that for the elderly. People are recommended to have a parking drop off spot. Beacon’s building, 1 Municipal Plaza, does have free parking on Monday because the building will be closed.

Parking in the MTA lot is $3.50 at the train. You can also park on side streets and walk a bit down to the river.

Beacon Post Office Clerks Given Notice To Find New Locations - 1.5 Clerks To Remain At Beacon PO

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in April 2023, during the time of the social uproar at the possibility of the Beacon Post Office closing. While the social panic subsided, the crisis continues for postal carriers and clerks. There is a Town Hall meeting in Rock Tavern, NY on Friday. Beacon’s post office can employ at least 5 clerks. But as part of the Post Master General Louis DeJoy’s plan, is downsizing Beacon’s post office to just 1.5 clerks. Despite a former Beacon Postmaster reassuring Beacon’s City Administrator that Beacon’s Post Office was one of the busiest in the area. So why downsize from 5 clerks to 1.5 clerks if it’s so busy?

The clerks who work behind the front desk at the post office were given notice in late March 2023 that they needed to find new job locations within the USPS, as confirmed by Diana Cline, the president of the clerk’s union American Postal Workers Union. If the clerks did not want to leave Beacon, they could be “pulled” and another job will be chosen for them. At least one clerk is leaving at the end of April. The former Postmaster for Beacon, Colleen Johnson, reportedly recently took another job in Hopewell Junction, and the reportedly temporary Postmaster for Beacon, Jimmy, was on vacation for comment.

When one clerk is working the desk at the Beacon Post Office, and one other clerk is working the back to retrieve packages that are there for pickup, the customer line is very long. Despite the good job the clerks do with each customer.

If at least 200 post offices in the United States and 16 in New York are downsizing to be “spoke” post offices (which means there will be no carriers, but some services will in theory operate out of that building by clerks), as ALBB reported earlier this week, it is unclear how many positions will be available to the Beacon employees looking for new jobs at other post offices. Since the USPS seems to be downsizing nationally, which you can read about in the USPS 10 Year Plan designed by Trump appointed Post Master General Louis DeJoy, who admitted during this panel that he sees very little value in mail or post offices. He sees money in packages and building giant fulfillment centers with billions of dollars given to the USPS from Congress during the pandemic, which you can read about here and here.

By September 2023, according to to the clerk, there will be 1.5 clerks working at the Beacon location: a full-time clerk, and a part-time clerk.

Why Doesn’t Beacon Offer Passport Service Anymore?

When asked why the Beacon Post Office does not offer the passport service anymore, the clerk explained that the woman who specialized in it had retired.

If the USPS’ plan is to downsize the Beacon Post Office (and other Post Offices), then it does not seem likely that the passport service will be available to Beaconites. The next nearest location is Wappingers.

In a letter dated February 28, 2023, the USPS mailed the APWU (the clerks’ union) to let them know that the Beacon Post Office would be changing in order to cut costs while improving services to residents. It did not state which services would be improving, how how the services would improve with fewer clerks employed. The passport service is not slated to return.

Said James Lloyd, Labor Relations, Policies and Programs for the USPS: “As discussed in our July 29 correspondence the purpose of creating S&DCs is to reduce transportation and mail handling costs, as well as provide Postal customers with additional services. S&DCs will allow for easier standardization and management of operations while improving building and operating conditions for employees.”

The local President from the other union, the NALC for the letter carriers, has confirmed to ALBB that they have not received such letter from the USPS.

What Is An S&DC? And How Does It Impact Beacon’s Post Office And Letter Carriers?

Earlier this week, ALBB reported that the Beacon Post Office was under threat of being closed, when it seemed imminent that postal carriers (who are out delivering the mail to your address) were being eliminated from doing this from the Beacon Post Office, and would instead to it from a large facility in Newburgh, known as a Sorting & Delivery Center (S&DC), which are being built out all over the country (see pictures here).

2 Different Unions Representing Carriers and Clerks

The employees are at the heart of this matter, as well as the location of where people will get services (package pickup, passport service, long lines, etc.). There are at least 2 groups of employees being disrupted - Clerks and Carriers. The Clerks are represented by the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and the Carriers are represented by the National Association Of Letter Carriers (NALC).

According to letters to the carrier’s union APWU from the USPS, and implicated by new TV commercials, employment of clerks and carriers is going to shift dramatically with the loss and relocation of jobs. Based on the planned relocating or loss of jobs of all but 1.5 clerk employees in the Beacon Post Office, the planned skeletal staff doesn’t seem to service anyone very well. It is a stress on the clerks, and a source of impatience for the customer.

Of the 10-12 letter carriers that are stationed at the Beacon Post Office, it is possible that all would be relocated to the S&DC in Newburgh, or other centers. As indicated by this letter from the USPS to the APWU, which was obtained and published by SaveThePostOffice.com, Beacon is on the list of post offices scheduled to not have carrier service anymore, but to have carriers retrieve sorted mail it from an S&DC. However, according to the President of carrier’s local union, National Association Of Letter Carriers (NALC), no official notice has been given to the carrier’s union from the USPS concerning this, or how it would work.

The local NALC President said that a threat of this relocating has happened in the past, a little under 2 years ago, which is when the Trump appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was, and remains, in power and at the helm of these changes. The union president stated that Utica’s transition had started already. SaveThePostOffice.com has been tracking other transformations that have begun, and the loss of jobs that have started.

That, with this new employment information from the clerk, as well as the TV commercials, indicates the new life at the S&DC in Newburgh will become a reality.

Despite what the USPS sources told the City of Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White, the planned skeletal staff of clerks at Beacon’s Post Office does not sound like services will be remaining the same for resdients, but will be declining. If suffocated enough, then there won’t be a purpose to keep open the beautiful building, except to hold Post Office Boxes. Which will have to be stuffed by a clerk. But the clerk is also servicing the front counter. With the proposed one full time clerk and one part time clerk, it is unclear how PO Boxes will be stuffed in a timely manner while the clerk is serving on the front desk.

The local petition to stop the removal of mail carriers from the Beacon Post Office.

The Employment Petition At The Beacon Post Office

A petition to stop the removal of mail carriers from the Beacon Post Office is on the front counter of the Beacon Post Office, right under the plexiglass windows that separate the clerk from the customers.