Artists And Their Studios Wanted: Registration For Beacon Open Studios 2020 Going On Now

Registration for Beacon Open Studios (BOS) 2020 is now open and you can sign up as an artist for this year. BOS 2020 will take place the weekend of May 15-17, 2020, which is not Second Saturday weekend, for those keeping track. This gives the city-wide art exploration event its own space to stretch without competing with the prior weekend’s schedule. This event is open to everyone. Some participating artists are professionals in other fields who commute to other cities and towns during the week, and only show off their passionate works in their studios here in Beacon.

In other words, this could be your only chance all year to see the work of these artists. And see behind the curtain. Registration closes April 8, 2020. A Little Beacon Blog is a proud sponsor once again of this event.

What Is Beacon Open Studios?

Once a year, artists of Beacon, New York, open their art studios to the public. This free, city-wide, weekend-long event has become one of the largest of its kind in the Hudson Valley. This year marks their 12th Anniversary! This event is an opportunity for the public to see how local artists’ art gets made.

In the past, spaces have included garages, sheds, apartments, offices, and other nontraditional venues of viewing art. It’s a fun way to get connected with your community and learn more about local artists, some of whom are famous nation- or even worldwide. You can pick up a map at various locations. Identify an open studio by a large red dot on a yard sign out in the lawn.

Register As An Artist

If you are interested in participating this year, register by clicking the link here.

Become A Sponsor

Not an artist but still want to get involved and show support? You can become a sponsor too by clicking here! A Little Beacon Blog has been a sponsor for this popular annual event for the last few years and is glad to be back again this year.

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Opens Tickets For Fundraiser At The Garrison - Spirit of the Hudson Gala - March 1st

Hot off our desks at A Little Beacon Blog, please find this press release from Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc.

Tickets are now available for this year’s Clearwater’s 5th Annual Spirit of the Hudson Gala, Sunday, March 1, 2020, from 3 to 7 pm. The event will also honor Tom Chapin with the Spirit of the Hudson Award and celebrate his 75th birthday. The Gala will include food, music, auction items, and more. You can purchase your tickets online.

"I’ve performed with Pete (Seeger), played the Revival, and supported Clearwater in many ways over the decades,” said Chapin. “Now I feel blessed to celebrate my 75th birthday among the wonderful people who, like me, want to ensure the protection and preservation of our mighty Hudson River. I hope you will join us on March 1st at The Garrison."

For over 50 years, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has been at the forefront of the environmental movement as champion of the Hudson River, working to pass landmark legislation like the Clean Water Act, and providing innovative educational programs, environmental advocacy, and musical celebrations, including the renowned annual Clearwater Festival, to inspire, educate, and activate millions of people. Musician and activist Pete Seeger along with several friends had a vision to build a majestic replica of the sloops that sailed the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries, that would bring people to the river where they could experience its beauty and be moved to preserve it. Inspired by that vision, the organization began with the launch of the sloop Clearwater in 1969 —a majestic 106-foot-long replica vessel that is recognized today as America’s Environmental Flagship.

Gala funds support Clearwater’s environmental advocacy and education programs on the Hudson River. The event will be held at The Garrison (2015 US Route 9, Garrison, NY) and tickets can be purchased online by clicking here.

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit, member-supported corporation whose mission is to preserve and protect the Hudson River, its tributaries and related bodies of water. 

Only 529 Tickets Available For Clearwater's The Great Hudson River Revival 2020 After Required Downsizing

Clearwater’s The Great Hudson River Revival will be produced on a much smaller, intimate scale as compared to years past, with tickets for 529 attendees only. Normally a million-dollar event, last year’s festival suffered a financial loss of $190K due to a rainy forecast, according to the organizers. The organization has been working its way out of that loss since June 2019.

For many years, The Great Hudson River Revival was Clearwater’s most important annual fundraiser. It has since grown into the country's oldest music and environmental festival, uniquely spreading environmental awareness, education and activism. With no corporate sponsorship, this loss made a big impact on the organization.

“The Great Hudson River Revival was a major success last year, in the sense that thousands of people joined us to celebrate the Hudson River through music, dance, volunteerism, education and activism,” said Clearwater Executive Director Greg Williams in a press release. “Due to many factors, including a wet weather forecast and rain on Sunday causing low attendance, the festival suffered a financial loss of approximately $190K. Since June, we have been working to keep the organization stable, while paying down our debt to festival vendors, and we are grateful for their patience. It would be irresponsible of Clearwater to move forward with replicating another million-dollar Clearwater Festival in 2020 without having addressed the financial loss we incurred in 2019. We expect that these steps, with the public’s ongoing support, will put us in the best position to return with Revival in 2021."

Williams continued in the press release: "We hope that our transparency will give the public some confidence that we keep our mission close at heart; to continue the work that we do year-round on the Hudson, educating and inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders.”

The Community Celebration for June 2020 will be a unique and intimate event for 529 attendees. Attendance will be very limited due to venue space capacity, but will provide a familiar welcoming weekend of unity, action, education, food, music, crafts, and merrymaking.

Details about the 2020 Great Hudson River Revival will be announced soon. Clearwater expects to return to a full-scale event in 2021, re-envisioned as a sustainable, less-commercial event, according to the press release.

For 2020, a Clearwater Community Celebration will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21, on the festival’s traditional Father’s Day Weekend on a smaller portion of Croton Point Park, in Croton-on-Hudson, NY.

Other Ways To Donate In The Meantime

To contribute to Clearwater’s ability to continue to hold festivals, and/or other programming, you can ​click here​. You can choose whether to have your donation committed to a specific program, or to be used where it is most needed.

You can ​sail on ​Clearwater ​​this sailing season, ​volunteer on the sloop​, help
out with ​winter maintenance​, attend one of their ​events​ this year, or make a donation.​

Schedule For The 42nd Annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration (MLK) and 7th Annual Parade Set in Beacon

WHAT: Services + Parade March
WHEN: Monday, January 20, 2020
WHERE: Springfield Baptist Church, 8 Church Street (aka Mattie Cooper Square)

On Monday, January 20, 2020, for the 42nd year, a daylong celebration for Martin Luther King Jr. is planned at the Springfield Baptist Church from the Southern Dutchess Coalition (SDC). For the seventh year, the Pete Seeger Community “Dr. King Parade” will commence with a march around the block in the morning, with people returning back to the church for the performance pieces and service. Last year, the event was postponed due to an unexpected ice storm. This year, the snow(/ice) date is Monday, February 17, 2020.

Themes & Performances For The MLK Birthday Celebration

According to the organizers: “The 2020 SDC Birthday Celebration promises to be another glorious example of Beacon’s Unity, Community and Diversity!”

This year’s main theme is: “If God Is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?” Continuing the celebration of future leaders, the Southern Dutchess Coalition will present the seventh annual essay contest, which will take place after the parade. The theme of the annual essay contest is: “Injustice Anywhere Is A Threat To Justice Everywhere.”

Schedule For The Day

Here’s how the day is going to go on Monday, January 20, 2020 (snow date is February 17, 2020):

8 am: Dr. King Continental Breakfast (rolls, assorted buns, bagels, coffee, tea)
9:30 am: Opening Session
9:45 to 10:30 am: 7th Annual Pete Seeger/SDC Community Dr. King Parade. Participants are encouraged to bring peace signs.
11 am to 12:50 pm: Annual Celebration Dinner (turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, toss salad and dessert, courtesy of sponsors and contributors)
Annual Youth/Adult Talent
MLK Essay Contest Winners/Presentations - Theme: “Injustice Anywhere Is A Threat To Justice Everywhere.”
1 pm: Annual Celebration Service, from the Rev. Dr. Ronald O. Perry Sr., Pastor.
Persons Of The Year Awards presented to Judge Peter Forman, Beulah Jackson, Patricia White and Goldee Greene.

Organizers for this event include Jennifer Baker-McClinton, Executive Chairperson of SDC; Sharlene Stout, Vice Chairperson & Music Coordinator of SDC; and Bonnie Champion, Parade & Essay Contest Coordinator.

Sponsorship Opportunity For Future Years

“There has never been or will be a charge for any food served to our participants and guests,” exclaim the organizers. If you ever wondered how all of this gets pulled off each year, with two meals being served for free and other organizing event details paid for, it is with contributions from patrons and sponsors. Contributors are listed in the program.

To contribute to or sponsor the following year, please contact the Chairperson via email prazingaljenny@gmail.com or (845) 454-2059. Your name will be listed in the annual program as one of the organizations or individual sponsors.

Meet Via Hero, A Tech Startup In Beacon, on Thursday. You’re Invited!

Guess who moved into the office at the Carriage House building after the Valley Table magazine moved out - ViaHero, a travel-based tech startup that relies on locals to curate great travel experiences.

They relocated to Beacon, and want to meet you and other businesses. They are hosting a networking party on Thursday night and you’re invited. See their sponsored event listing in A Little Beacon Blog’s Events Guide. Thank you for supporting businesses who support us!

The entire guide is made possible by a sponsorship from The Crafty Hammer, a crafty event destination in Beacon. Thank you to businesses who support us!

Spirit Of Beacon Photo Exhibit At Howland Public Library

Over 30 people submitted the best of their Beacon photos to the second annual Spirit of Beacon Photo Exhibit, produced by the The Howland Public Library (HPL) and the Spirit of Beacon Day Committee. The artistic challenge was to find the best photo that captures the essence of the "Spirit of Beacon." Is it the people, the connection to the river, the historical buildings, the beautiful mountains, all of the above, or something else?

The photos have been chosen and will be on display starting opening night, (Second) Saturday, September 14, from 5 to 7 pm. The exhibit, curated by Michelle Rivas and Jennifer Blakeslee, will be on display through Sunday, October 6.

Stop by the library on opening night to see the annual community “portrait” of the City of Beacon. 

The Howland Public Library is centrally located at 313 Main Street in Beacon, NY. For more information, go to beaconlibrary.org.

Photo by Cindy Gould

Photo by Jennifer Blakeslee

Photo by Dylan Wood

Photo by Kevin Bertholf

Photo by Bill Winter

Photo by Rick Rogers

Photo by Carolyn Glauda

Photo by Kelly Ellenwood

Photo by Cynthia Careccia

Photo Uncredited

Photo by Philomena Kiernan

Photo by Ross Corsair

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: Face Painters Wanted For Spirit Of Beacon Day

The Spirit of Beacon Day Committee is seeking volunteer face painters to give one hour of their day to being a face painter for kids between the hours of 12 pm and 4 pm. Supplies and training/orientation will be provided.

The Spirit of Beacon Day is Sunday, September 29, with a rain date of October 6, 2019.

Do you enjoy working with kids and paint? Sign up!

If you’re interested in volunteering, please email: spiritofbeacon@gmail.com.

How To Enter The Corn Muffin Contest During The Beacon Sloop Club's 2019 Corn Festival

Photo Credit: Beacon Sloop Club

Last year marked the launch of the Cornbread contest at the Beacon Sloop Club’s Corn Festival. This year, the baking returns! In Corn Muffin form. Let’s see what you’ve got!

Rules and Regulations for Corn Muffin Contest

1. Anyone can enter. The only rule is the corn muffin must be made from scratch.

2. Prize for first place is $25.

3. To enter, bring your corn muffin to the Contest Tent before 2 pm. Bring your cornbread on a dish or plate, along with a card with your name, phone number, and recipe. Besides the name of your recipe, please include the ingredients used. Winner will be announced at 3 pm.

Beacon Sloop Club's Corn Festival To Include Live Music, Free Sailing, Tumblebus, and More (Free)

Photo Credit: Beacon Sloop Club

The Beacon Sloop Club’s Annual Corn Festival is this Sunday, August 11, from 12 pm to 5 pm at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park. To welcome the beginning of Fall, you can expect to nibble on sweet corn on the cob, cold watermelon, hot chili, cold drinks, and other summer treats. The mission of the Beacon Sloop Club is to protect the Hudson through environmental advocacy. Bringing you closer to the water is one way they do that. Admission to the Corn Festival is free. Info: www.beaconsloopclub.org

New! Kids Entertainment Will Include Tumblebus (Free)

This year’s festival will feature the Tumblebus, a full-size school bus converted into a mobile gym for kids from 18 months to 9 years of age. This special free activity for children will be open at this festival from 12 pm to 4 pm.

Live Music and Storytelling

Two solar music stages will have live performances from: Jonathan Kruk, storyteller, Susan Wright & Friends, Betty & The Baby Boomers, The Cabo’s, Ernie Sites, Roadhouse Roosters, Hank Woji, and Lydia Adams Davis. The festival will start with an original poem by Beacon Poet Peter Ullian, created to commemorate the festival.

More Things To Do, Including Free Public Sails On The Sloop Woody Guthrie

The festival will also feature environmental educational displays, craft and food vendors and many other free activities, fun for all ages! The Sloop Woody Guthrie will give free public sails. Sign-up begins at noon at the BSC tent.

New Corn Muffin Contest!

Rules and Regulations for Corn Muffin Contest!!

1. Anyone can enter. The only rule is the corn muffin must be made from scratch.

2. Prize for first place is $25.

3. To enter, bring your cornbread to the Contest Tent before 2 pm. Bring your cornbread on a dish or plate, along with a card with your name, phone number, and recipe. Besides the name of your recipe, please include the ingredients used. Winner will be announced at 3 pm.

From Route 9D, follow signs to the Beacon Metro‐North Train Station. Look for signs to Riverfront Park.

Annual Fish Fry This Saturday From Springfield Baptist Church

The annual Springfield Baptist Church Fish Fry is this Saturday on Mattie Cooper Square/Church Street, on the corner of Willow Street just behind Main Street. Have your belly ready for some cornmeal-fried fish filet and other menu options.

A Little Beacon Blog was created in part to spot events like this and share them with the community - to add to the efforts community organizers make to get the word out. Getting the word out takes a lot of work! A Little Beacon Blog is here to help. 

You know who else helps make this happen? Our sponsor of the popular Event Guide, The Crafty Hammer, a new DIY crafty business in Beacon. They came to us saying: “We want to use ALBB in our promotional planning. All the time. Where else can we help support you?” Amazing. Thank you to all of our sponsors!! 

To submit an event for consideration in our Event Guide, use the Event Submission Form in the menu above. This is great for free events, educational, super cool and unique (tough choice there because everything is super cool! Just make sure it’s VERY unique). If you’re running a marketing event for your business, that is free, we may ask you to buy a Event Promotion Package. All advertising helps keep us posting here on the Internet, so thanks in advance! Maybe one day we’ll be in print!

UPDATE: Mystery Flyer About Tuesday Book Club For Parents

UPDATE [7/12/2019]: We should have scanned the QR code right off the bat. This is for a specific book about parenting. It has been removed from our “Repeating Meetings + Events Guide” because the title should have been on this flyer, and not been disguised. We are leaving the article up in case any others were checking back for updated information.

UPDATE [7/12/19]: This Book Club is actually a mystery. We have not attended it yet, and haven’t heard from anyone who has. If you have information, please email editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com. Thanks!

The 16th Annual Great Newburgh to Beacon Hudson River Swim - Registration Closes Friday, July 19!

The River Pool at Beacon is hosting the 16th annual Great Newburgh to Beacon Hudson River Swim on Saturday, July 20, 2019 (rain date is Sunday, July 21). All swimmers must pre-register to swim by Friday, July 19, 2019. Registration on race day will not be allowed.

The race is a wonderful opportunity for experienced swimmers to swim about one mile (72 lengths of a standard 25-yard pool) across the Hudson River and raise funds to benefit the nonprofit volunteer organization River Pool at Beacon (a 501c3 tax-exempt organization). You can also learn more about the River Pool from this article we published about their 2018 opening.

Swimmers will check in on the Newburgh side of the river at Water Street, between 3rd St. and 4th St. (UNICO Park Plaza) between 8:30 and 10:15 am. Swimmers must be at least 10 years old, but swimmers ages 10-17 need certification of ability signed by a coach or athletic director.

Family and friends are encouraged to drop off swimmers in Newburgh, watch them start the race, then drive across the bridge to Beacon to greet them as they come out of the water. There will be light snacks, food, and beverages available for purchase on the Beacon riverfront.

Kayak Escorts Wanted

In addition to swimmers, they are also looking for kayak escorts for the race to ensure the safety and well-being of all swimmers, as well as keeping them on-course. There are no registration fees to be a kayak escort.

Regularly check riverpool.org/the-swim for updates, especially the week before the swim. To register for the race as a swimmer or escort, visit www.riverpool.org/swim-3/.

The Crafty Hammer Signs On To Sponsor A Little Beacon Blog's Event Guide

Thank to our newest sponsor and one of the newest businesses in town, The Crafty 🔨Hammer! They are under construction over there in the Ritter Building, across from Rite Aid, in what is now purple and a former yoga studio space (a moment of reflection for the departed yoga studios!). Keep up with The Crafty Hammer each week in our Friday newsletter, and do peek in through the window while they are building! They already shared a power drill with us!

With support from local businesses like this, we can continue updating A Little Beacon Blog with upcoming events! There is a Submission Page that gets info to us for consideration. The Crafty Hammer is also a sponsor in the Adult Classes Guide, because they have so many DIY workshops you want to be a part of! Make your own stuff on their big workshop tables!

If you want to start sponsoring A Little Beacon Blog in some way, please see our Media Kit for ideas, and then contact us!

Sneak Peek Into Beacon Open Studios 2019 - Kickoff Is This Weekend!

Kick Off Party - Friday
Day: May 17, 2019
Time: 6 to 9 pm
Oak Vino Wine Bar 
389 Main St., Beacon, NY
​
Beacon Open Studios
Days: Saturday, May 18, & Sunday, May 19, 2019
Time: Noon to 6 pm
Location: Citywide in Beacon, NY!
Get the map online, or find their brochure in stores!

While Beacon celebrates its local artists all year long, the Beacon Open Studios weekend is special because once a year, the artists of Beacon open their art studios to the public. This free, citywide, weekend-long event has become one of the largest of its kind in the Hudson Valley. A Little Beacon Blog is happy to once again be a sponsor for Beacon Open Studios, the weekend of May 17-19, 2019.

Sneak Peek Into Performances and Art

The artists have been promoting their studios and exhibits in anticipation of this weekend. A few interesting pieces crossed our inbox, so we’re spotlighting them here on the blog.

Visit the Beacon Open Studios website for a directory and map of participating artists, and you can plan out your visits. The organizers even offer four different tour suggestions to help you navigate through the area. You can also pick up a brochure and map at various businesses along Main Street. You can also wing it on your own, and just follow the red dots that will be all over the city.

A-Y/Dancers Perform at KuBe (aka the Old Beacon High School)

Included with the open studios will be a live performance from the A-Y/Dancers at the KuBe Theater in the old Beacon High School on Saturday, May 18, at 5 pm and 7 pm. They will also perform at the Ethan Cohen Gallery beforehand in the hallway.

As part of their inaugural season, A-Y/Dancers licensed a unique “MinEvent” from the Merce Cunningham Trust. The performance, titled “Embodied Time: A Collaborative Performance,” is an arrangement of excerpts from works that Cunningham choreographed across three decades, from the ‘60s to the ‘90s, strung together by Jean Freebury, a former member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. A unique score composed and performed by sound artist Mark Trecka will consist of audio recordings of the dancers’ bodies during rehearsals, transferred to cassette, but into loops, and amplified back into the room in real time. In a synchronistic approach, artist Joseph Ayers created a unique animation that samples the dancers’ movements recorded during rehearsals, and then projects the resulting abstraction as a backdrop to the live performance.

Having a hard time imagining all of that? Below is a teaser video of what you will see live on Saturday!

3 Artists at Caiming Cheung’s Studio

The jeweler Caiming Cheung has opened up her studio to the potter Virginia Piazza and the painter Chris Sanders. Caiming’s studio is at 70 Eliza Street, Beacon.

Photo Credit: Virginia Piazza

Photo Credit: Caiming Cheung

Photo Credit: Chris Saunders

For The Photography Lovers

Some photography work featured this weekend.

Photo Credit: Randy Calderone

Photo Credit: Michael Bogdanffy-Kriegh

Photo Credit: Dale Leifeste

Furniture Making

Photo Credit: Chris Ungaro

Photo Credit: Justin King

Mixed Media

Photo Credit: Kat Stoutenborough

Photo Credit: Johana Skalsky Presence

Photo Credit: Patricia Di Bella-Kreger

The Reel Life Film Club Screening Of Documentary "Artisans Of Beacon" June 7th!

The Reel Life Film Club for tweens and teens returns to Beacon. On Friday, June 7, at 6 pm, the Howland Public Library will present a special test screening of the film Artisans of Beacon, a documentary directed by Michael Gersh.

Artisans of Beacon is a portrait of six artisans based in Beacon, NY. Jon Joseph is a welder, Jessica Wickham is a woodworker, Deb Davidovits is a beekeeper, Lisa Tompkins is a donut maker and owner of Glazed Over Donuts, Eva Gronowitz is a puppet maker, and John Vergara is a luthier. Each artisan describes their art, how they got involved in their field, and why they love doing what they do. They all share a powerful passion for their crafts.

After the film, teens will have an opportunity to meet the filmmaker as well as some of the artisans. The filmmaker, Michael Gersh, is also a technology teacher at Beacon High School, so this is a wonderful opportunity for students interested in filmmaking to ask questions of a local filmmaker and teacher. Terry Nelson, former director of Beacon Independent Film Festival, will moderate the discussion. 

Reel Life Film Club is an opportunity for middle-school students to view documentary films and talk about them with inspiring people. Now in its third year, the film series is a collaboration between the Beacon, Cold Spring and Garrison libraries. A new film is shown each month, rotating between the three locations. 

All students in grades 6 and up are invited to the screening. Pizza will be served at the event and registration is encouraged to ensure there is enough pizza for everyone. To register to attend the Friday, June 7, screening of Artisans of Beacon, email community@beaconlibrary.org.