Pumpkin Roundup! Key Food, Hannaford, and These Farms Have Pumpkins and Patches

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Picture of the bin of medium-sized pumpkins outside of Key Food,
taken Wednesday afternoon...
Last minute pumpkin shopping? Rumor has it from here to Poughkeepsie is running low on pumpkins for carving the night before Halloween. Here are a few sources you can still pick up your pumpkins!

Key Food has a big box of medium-sized pumpkins out front, with only a few big pumpkins left. Open until 9pm.

Hannaford on Rt. 9 on the way to/from Poughkeepsie has a bin of "huge" pumpkins left, and have sold out of the white pumpkins, as quoted by their Produce Guy. Also check their local farm stand for other squash for decorations. Open 24hrs.

Overlook Farm in Newburgh reports that they have pumpkins at their farm stand. Open until 6pm.

Lawrence Farms in Newburgh does have pumpkins in their "Pick Your Own Pumpkin Patch", as well as at their farm stand. They close on Halloween at 4pm.

Fishkill Farms still has pumpkins in the "Pick Your Own Pumpkin Patch". Really fun. Pumpkin patch is open until 5:30pm, and the store closes at 6pm.

Beacon Natural Market on Main Street does not have any pumpkins. Stop in and stock up to decorate your front porch! If you aren't the carving type, you could always paint your pumpkin and sprinkle glitter and glue feathers on it...
Pumpkin picking success! At Lawrence Farms in Newburgh.

Stoney Kill's STONYART Event Happening!

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Stony Kill Foundation Flyer for STONYART

It's finally here! You've seen the flyers, you've mentally marked the date in your mind, and now you get to go to the STONYART live auction featuring local artists to support the Stony Kill Foundation this Sunday, October 26! 

For only $20, you are directly helping the Stony Kill Foundation stay alive and well and beautiful along 9D. The event is easy-peasy to attend. It's at the Howland Cultural Center on the East End of Main Street on the big curve. It's from 3-6pm on Sunday, so you have plenty of time to do your Main Street thang after a brunch in Beacon, stop in for wine and cheese and maybe even a little auctioning of local art! You will be amazed by the art you find there, so don't miss it!

For other events and opportunities such as yoga days and kids classes, visit the Stony Kill Events page.

A Sukkah Comes to Beacon in Celebration of Sukkot: "Open to the Sky: The Beacon Sukkah Project"

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The people of Beacon were given a communal celebration of bounty, vulnerability and appreciation of the harvest, with "Open to the Sky: The Beacon Sukkah Project", a non-denominational celebration around the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. People visiting and walking through the park near the Visitor's Center at the West End of Main Street near the train station were able to experience this deliberately rickety structure with a roof of bamboo built by the project partners, Beacon Arts, Beacon Hebrew Alliance, the Laba House of Study at the 14th Street Y, the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Arts, and other organizations. This time of reflection came at a good period to give thanks for the rain this past week, as local reservoirs are hitting lows that are causing Hudson Valley leaders concern.


“It's hard to be vulnerable, to be open to the sky,” says Rabbi Brent Spodek of Beacon Hebrew Alliance. “It’s easier, however, to be open as part of a community. The ancient festival of Sukkot invites us to come together and give thanks for the harvest and also to be aware of the fleeting nature of life.”

For a period of eight days, the Sukkah was home to discussions, learning, workshops, stories, singing and more. Members of the Beacon community and beyond participated by sharing their knowledge of everything from Celtic folk traditions to hidden Jewish identities to a Beacon time capsule.

Did you visit the structure and what thoughts did you leave with? Please share them in the comments below.

Secret Gardener Vicki Raabin's Streetscape Project

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What's being said more and more about Beacon NY is that the citizens are making it great. While that's a pretty good political slogan, it's ringing true. As one walks by the pleasantries and stops to smell the roses, one may notice they are admiring sunflowers, lavender, basil and other herbs in addition to the potted and hanging floral arrangements that adorn Main Street. What you are witnessing is an "urban streetscape project" by one of Main Street's most known citizens, Miss Vicki Raabin. She is one of several, independently driven, "secret gardeners" that keep the streets looking nice.

Several garden plots started and maintained by Miss Vicki Raabin outside of stores
including Play, Towne Crier, The Pandorica, and across the street from
Poppy's next to Beacon Bread Company. 

In May of 2014, Miss Vicki, most commonly known as the local music teacher and music venue organizer, decided to put some action to her critical thoughts as she walked Main Street and grew dissatisfied with the sidewalk trees. "I got tired of seeing all of the gravel around the trees. My feeling is, if you're complaining about something, you need to step up and do something about it. It bothered me and I felt we could do better." 


Miss Vicki Raabin feeding and watering her plants in her urban streetscape project along Main Street.

Raabin started the project a few years ago with small tulip beds. But this year, she committed to herself to "take over small spaces and make them viable again." Working closely with several local businesses on Main Street, Raabin has received strong support from a growing number of storefronts with beds near their buildings, including Tito Santana Taqueria, Towne Crier, Bank Square, Mountain Tops, Beacon Bread Company, and Key Food.

Donations from the businesses have come in an unusual form: egg shells and water from Towne Cryer; coffee grounds from Bank Square and Beacon Bread Company; bags of mulch from Key Foods, more water from Kamel Jamel, owner of Tito's who fostered a partnership with Green Teen by way of putting in the Common Greens Garden at Tito Santana which has a water collection system. Local residents have given Raabin shubbery when splitting plants in their own gardens which is helpful for acquiring butterfly bushes, creeping thyme, lavender and maybe hostas for next year.

One of many planters designed and maintained
by the Tioronda Garden Club.

Miss Vicki isn't the only one making Main Street beautiful. The potted plants you walk past at major street corners, and all of the hanging petunia baskets are put together by the Tioronda Garden Club, which fundraises for its yearly budget with individual donations and events, like a Wine and Cheese night. In fact, the Tioronda Garden Club gave Raabin some of their flox to act as ground cover for tree plots, as flox is a hearty plant that spreads easily over the years and looks beautiful with masonry.

Hanging baskets on Main Street are put together by the
Tioronda Garden Club and watered by Mayor Casale.

As for the watering of all of these flowers and plantings, you'll see Miss Vicki pulling her red wagon from the Visitor's Center at beginning of Main Street all the way to Towne Crier where she gets another water fill and picks up egg shells to be used as plant food. But who waters those hanging baskets? Years ago, the hanging plants were on the chopping block down at 1 Municipal Plaza during Mayor Gold's tenure. Then council member, Randy Casale volunteered to do the watering, since the Tioronda Garden Club supplied the hanging baskets through their fundraising efforts. He woke up to drive the cherry picker truck in the early mornings when it was still dark. 

As for now Mayor Casale, he still wakes up early to water.  "I do it because it I believe the beautiful flowers that are put together by the hard work of all the volunteers of the Tioronda Garden Club makes our Main Street vibrant and attractive. This is also a way for me to mentally relax. I would like to thank all our volunteers who help to keep our city the city that it is."

Gardening certainly is relaxing. And right now, it's helping Beacon to stay original and special as a train town along the beautiful Hudson River. Secret gardening is offering ways for citizens to dig in, literally into the earth of Beacon to keep it vibrant and ever-changing.



Quick Dip in River Pool at Beacon in the Hudson River

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http://www.riverpool.org/
July and August can mean two things here in Beacon:

- Swimmers are paddling across the Hudson River from Newburgh to Beacon in The Swim, a fundraiser for the River Pool at Beacon, and...

- Swimmers are wading in the floating river pool, supported and surrounded by soft mesh and floating buoys in the Hudson River.

Did you know that river pools were being used by New Yorkers as far back as 1870, but ended in 1930 because of water pollution? And not just one - several pools dotted the river for city folk to enjoy. Thanks to Toshi and Pete Seeger, this pool not only happened, but is part of the environmental changes that Seeger helped lead in this region to clean the water.

Being that July flew by, there are a few weeks of summer left to enjoy the river pool! Open almost daily from 12-6pm except Mondays, and overseen by a lifeguard during pool hours. Put on your bathing suit and bring a towel down to Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park and enjoy floating in the water! Benches line the sides of this circular pool, so you can relax and enjoy the view.

The River Pool at Beacon is free to the public, and does accept donations and has a membership program.

City Wide Yard Sale Well Stocked as Ever!

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Rain fell the entire week leading up to this year's City Wide Yard Sale. But hours before starting, the clouds parted, stopped drizzling, and the yard sales were out!

This year we went on foot, stopping at a yard sale behind Beacon Barkery to find a pink raincoat and matching rubber boots for $5. Onward we forged to fuel up at Culture for their delicious lattes (for my friend...I'd already fueled up at home thanks to my aero press from Mountain Tops that I love).

We found more sales on Beacon and S.Walnut, that had these craft supplies, cute trade paperback books, windows with glass for projects, porch lights still in the box, so much.

Cars and pickup trucks drive by, usually with a man in the driver's seat scouting and a woman jumping out to scavenger before his truck can fully stop. Usually the yard sales offer lemonade and are dotted all over Beacon, from residential streets, to even a cat hospital in the woods! Some specialize in certain things like tools or baby gear, but all offer many things you forgot you needed.

It's one of my favorite weekends in June.

Did you go? What did you find?

For Goodness Bake: Best Bake for Charity Sale Donates to Kids R Kids Feeding Program

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http://beaconcitizen.com/events/for-goodness-bake 

You've seen the flyers. You've read the cover story in the weekend edition of the Poughkeepsie Journal, Southern Dutchess Focus. You listened to the story on WAMC. But have you been to the For Goodness Bake bake sale yet? This year, it's May 10, 2014 (Mother's Day Weekend) on the corner of Main and Cross Streets (rain location is Zora Dora's at 201 Main Street) from 10AM-4PM.

A SPECIAL BAKE SALE CREATED FOR ONE CHARITY A YEAR
Last year, Kristen Cronin and Tara Tornello started the bake sale, "For Goodness Bake" as a charity event to raise money for 6-month year old son of their friend. The food nearly disappeared in 2hrs. And these baked goods aren't the kind found in your 6th grade bake sale to raise money for Spring Break. Kristen and Tara have an exceptional gift at creating the most beautiful, domestically blissful, Martha Stewart Would Be Proud kind of bake sale. If you were to collect cute bake sale ideas in a Pinterest board of yours,  For Goodness Bake would have several pins in your board.

DONATIONS GO TO CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION
This year the girls are donating 100% of all sales to the Kids R Kids Feeding Program, a Beacon based organization dedicated to reducing childhood hunger especially in the Beacon City School District, "until all are fed." Kids R Kids provides transportation for the meals and organizes the volunteers and events for the program. Free meals are available for kids 18 and under at these locations in Beacon throughout the summer.

To make a donation, visit their website, and/or drop in on to the For Goodness Bake bake sale on May 10th! Arrive early to get the treats!

Beacon Open Studios Weekend

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This year, the Beacon Open Studios city-wide art studio tour will be on the weekend of May 3-4th from Noon-6pm. There are over 50 artists to visit (maybe 66 but who is counting) in 25 different venues, some of which are shops on Main Street like Bank Square or even apartments, and some of which are studios located in the artist's homes. Artists are also showing at The Lofts further up Fishkill Avenue (Rt. 52) and worth the drive.



If you're jogging around Beacon as I was several years ago, you've seen the white signs with this big red dot saying "Beacon Open Studios". Can't miss it. Walk in to wherever you see one and explore the art that is hidden there. The discoveries will keep you busy all weekend, and you'll have plenty to eat and sip at the neighboring restaurants and cafes. You will even find one of a kind jewelry from artists like Kit Burke-Smith, Martha Humphreys and Kat Stoutenborough.

And it's even kid-friendly with an art studio at their headquarters. Play-dough, yes!



Thank You for Snow Plowing!

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At the time of this blog post writing, there is probably 3ft of snow in everyone's yard in Beacon. It took a while for our winter to get fierce, but that time is this week. After many snow days announced, this week produced snow blizzards that made everyone plan around future snow days and snow plows. Last week, a blizzard passed through, dumping close to 1.5ft of snow. Schools weren't closed that day because they'd had so many closed days already (so is the opinion of this blog). Snow plowing had actually been slow. What I hadn't realized was, a second blizzard was due in just a day or two later. So maybe everyone was saving up their snow days, salt and plowing.

Today has been one of the heaviest blizzards I've been through, and I've been through a few, including the one two Halloweens ago that devastated power lines, and one in 2009 that dropped 31" and cut power for three days. Plus, I grew up in the snow belt of Cleveland, so getting buried in snow is normal, and schools don't close as often ;)

Today's blizzard dumped 1.5-2ft of snow on top of the already 1.5feet that hadn't melted yet, was very blowy, and then paused for an hour. Right on schedule at 9pm, the sleet came, locking in the mounds of snow on sidewalks. And thunder and lightening! Fortunately, the City had the foresight to remove the plowed snow from sidewalks just one day before this storm, so that new mounds could be piled up on our sidewalks.

Today, snow plow trucks have been whizzing up and down our street continuously. There is even a new 2 foot hole on our street somehow! This blog post is one of gratitude to Beacon and the mayor for planning these plows so well. Hopefully it's like this all over this great wide town. From here, everyone is doing a great job. Fingers crossed the power stays on.

Thanks!

Beacon Halloween Festivities 2013

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Being a newbie in Beacon, I was unaware of all of the festivities that go on here the weekend before Halloween. That's how last year found us at the The Roundhouse eating a kid-friendly lunch with friends, while every kid but my own were dressed in costume and trick-or-treating at stores on Main Street, just days before the actual night of real trick-or-treating.

When those friends asked me this year "What is going on this weekend in Beacon for Halloween?" I stared at the computer screen blankly. I didn't know! But I do now. A quick grocery run at Keyfoods exposed me to a full schedule printed on the front page of the Beacon Free Press! Hurrah! So for any of you looking online for 2013, here's what's in store, courtesy of the tireless organizers of the official movement, "A Very Beacon Halloween" (go see their Facebook page).


 NOTE: As for the actual night of Halloween Trick or Treating, I'm seeking confirmation on those hours, but in the past, little kids have started at 5pm, and older kids come out until about 8pm.


FRIDAY, October 25, 2013
4:00pm
Pumpkin Hunt along Main Street at designated participating stores (free)
Starts at the Beacon Creamery 445 Main Street maps available there that day

7:00pm
Pumpkin Glow with a performance by the Rivertown Kids
Carved Pumpkin Contest winners ceremony near the Visitors Center on 9D and Main Street

8:00pm
Dinema Theatre (dinner and free movie) at the Cup and Saucer Restaurant 165 Main Street

SATURDAY, October 26, 2013
2:00pm
Children's Story time and music at Echo 380 Main Street

4:00pm
Ghost and Cemetery Walks on Main Street (free)

6:00pm
Halloween Movies at the Beacon Theater 445 Main Street

7:00pm
Guess who's Coming to Dinner/ Group Reading at the Cup and Saucer Restaurant 165 Main Street

8:00pm
Howland Cultural Center an Evening with Edgar Allen Poe

9:00pm
Max's on Main Annual Halloween Costume Party 246 Main

10:00pm
Rocky Horror Picture Show Beacon Theater 445 Main St

SUNDAY, October 27, 2013
12:30pm
Line up for Hocus Pocus Parade at The Visitor's Center on 9D and Main St.

1:00pm
Hocus Pocus Parade down Main Street from 9D to the Roundhouse (free)
followed by trick or treating at designated participating stores displaying orange and black balloons.

2:00pm line up for the 8th Annual Howl-a-Ween Costume Contest for dogs
Registration $8- free treat bag for all registered dogs

Ongoing:
Backroom Gallery antique handmade Halloween gift wrapping exhibit (free)
475 Main Street

THURSDAY, October 31, 2013
Trick or Treat! Still waiting on word and a website update from City Hall as to official Trick or Treating hours, but generally, 5-8pm is a safe bet.

In Case You Were a Ball-er...(Basketball Player)

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The Universe just sealed the deal on me entering this 2 on 2 basketball tournament in Memorial Park August 17th to benefit cancer.

I'd just been wishing to myself that there was an intermural basketball league in Beacon (I suppose I could play with people at All Sports courts). So I think that I'm going to enter this basketball event with my husband, and I have no idea what will happen next. I haven't played in over a decade! Time to practice in the driveway...

Beacon NY's Black Friday Shopping Weekend - 2011

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Thanksgiving weekend, you're going to need to strategically plot out where you're going to be shopping on Main Street, and where you're going to break for lunch. Several of the shops are having Black Friday Sales (Friday, November 26), and some of the restaurants too! If you know you're hitting up a store that is not listed here, please include it in the comments below and add it to the list! There is also a Beacon Shopping Facebook page, from which this info came, that you can "like" and get ongoing updates from Beacon shops as to when they are having events, etc. Huge props to Karen at Echo and Ms. Vickey who put that page together with this latest Black Friday info.


GIFTS & SHOPPING

BOUTIQUES
Echo Women's Boutique and Toystore is offering 20% off ALL items in store except the new lingerie section between the hours of 11-3
470 Main, Beacon, NY
845.440.0047
Mon– Sat: 10:00 am–7:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am–6:00 pm

Jacqueline is also offering 20% off all items from 11-3

Lauren and Riley will be offering 10% off all weekend
462 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508
(845)831-3862 phone
(845)831-3808 fax
kimking@laurenrileyco.com


Clay Wood and Cotton will be starting their
extended holiday hours on Black Friday,
Open till 8pm Fridays and Saturdays for the season
149 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508
(845) 481-0149



FUN & SPECIALTY STORES 
Dream in Plastic will be open 12-7pm
and offering 30% off selected items
177 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508
(845) 632-3383

Notions-N-Potions will be open from 12-7pm
And offering a 10% discount
175 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508-2705
(845) 765-2410

Paper Presence will be offering
20% off all items
between the hours of 10-2 on both Fri and Sat
30% off all items
Between the hours of 6-9 on both Fri and Sat
133 Main St.
Beacon, NY 12508-3201



ACTIVE & OUTFITTER SHOPS
Mountain Tops is having a 20% off sale,
and buy 3 get 1 free socks
144 Main Street
Beacon
(845) 831-1997

Peoples Bicycle
In spirit of Small Business Saturday, spend $25 at Peoples Bicycle and get a free t-shirt! Valid all weekend, starting Friday. Our $25 Roller Tuneup will get you ready to ride, as well as a free t-shirt!
8 S. Chestnut Street, Beacon NY 12508


SALONS

Moxie Salon & Beauty Hub is having 50% off our Clip-In Animal Print Hair Extensions!!! 10am-8pm

544 Main Street #1
Beacon, NY 12508

845.440.6653



CHRISTMAS SHOPS
Kringles Christmas Shop will be open from 10am - 9pm
and offering 20% off everything
163 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508-2705
(845) 849-3030



ARTISAN SHOPS
Hudson Beach Glass will be starting their
"make your own ornaments"
162 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508
(845) 440-0068

RiverWinds Gallery is offering a book signing Sunday, from 2-4, by Marika Blossfeldt, of her new cookbook. Based on recipes developed on her Estonian farm, Marika will be discussing how to cook delicious healthy meals.

172 Main St, Beacon 845-838-2880



FOOD
Poppy's Burgers and Fries deal of the day...
Buy 2 burgers, and get fries 1/2 price
184 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508
(845) 765-2121

Homespun Foods will be open
From 11-4pm and offering 10% all
their imported and local cheeses
232 Main St  Beacon, NY 12508-2764
(845) 831-5096

Artisan Wine Shop will be hosting
A wine tasting from 4-7pm
180 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508-2726
(845) 440-6923

Just Donated to Electric Projected the Reboot

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Support and Donate to Electric Projected The Reboot

I got the email from Kelly of The Beacon Citizen, telling me (well, telling her entire BCN people of which, I am just one) about the donation efforts of the Electric Projected project. The project was supposed to light up on August 6th, but after a massive downpour that would not stop, the event was sadly canceled. Some die-hard viewers actually congregated elsewhere to view something viewable from a small-screen, but otherwise, it was a bust.

About The Electric Projected: 
Electric Projected is a FREE outdoor art and music festival that will be held in Beacon NY on the evening of October 1st 201. The focus of the festival are 24 original animations that will be projected onto the side of a vacant 19th century factory building in Beacon NY. Each animation is inspired by and designed to "interact" with artwork that is currently installed in the large windows of the factory as part of the Electric Windows project. It is because of the Electric Windows project that you see murals painted by street artists in each window of the building on the corner of Main Street and East Main, across from what is now known as The Roundhouse. Just the other night, I was walking past that building, looking at the juxtaposition of the hard art, created live in 2010 by dedicated street artists who do paint murals as a profession all over the world. And some of their expression is here in Beacon. The event brought together people, kids, food, vendors, a great community spirit. This continuation of that project will bring more goodness to all involved, from the artists to the viewers (be they locals or visitors) to the shops located around the event.

Enter "The Reboot"! For Version 1 of this project, the producers lost their investment to camera rental, etc. So to have it again, they need to raise $20,000. That's a lot of cash, but guess what? They are doing it on Kickstarter, and already have $10,946! A Little Beacon Blog was their 130th backer.

Click here to get to their donation page at Kickstarter. It's nearing the end of the year, so make sure you've got a nice handful of donations to hand in with your taxes!

You too can get a badge that looks like this!

Support and Donate to Electric Projected The Reboot