Calico Ball Now Accepting Ad Sponsorships for Dance Brochure

The Calico Ball, started by the late, great, local legend Pete Seeger 28 years ago, is a dance residency for all third-grade students across the Beacon School District, led by the Vanaver Caravan dancers. Students learn about different cultures around the world and perform in a global dance festival. For the past eight years, BAEF (Beacon Arts and Education Foundation) has sponsored this event, providing joy, amazement and education to hundreds of children. Spaces are open now for business or individual sponsorships to advertise in the dance program. The deadline is May 26, 2017.

Art Programming in Public Schools Diminishing

In order for artistic enrichment to be provided in the Beacon City School District, funding from outside sources is required as state and federal funding have decreased. According to the BAEF website, "In recent years, the amount of state aid has decreased dramatically. Consequently, it has become increasingly difficult to fund innovative educational programs that provide a richness to the educational experience of students."

BAEF’s goal is to support programs and activities that would not otherwise be achievable through available public funds, as well as to encourage the educational development of BCSD students and staff. Their mission is to foster community involvement and partnerships in the public education process. The Calico Ball is paid for with funds that BAEF raises. That money comes from annual fundraisers like the brochure ads and donations from the PTO/PTAs, as well as a grant that Vanaver Caravan researched and applied for, according Anna Bergin, a co-chair of BAEF this year.

Since BAEF's inception in 2004, they have provided over $100,000 to bolster arts education programming in the BCSD. Financial support has paid for:

• new sound equipment in the high school auditorium
• a new kiln for the high school ceramics studio
• teaching artist residencies in the schools, including the I’m Tired Project at Rombout Middle School
• musical instruments
• arts supplies

Business and Individual Sponsorships In The 2017 Calico Ball Program

Businesses and individuals can buy an ad in the Calico Ball program by clicking on this form to find ad sizes and prices, and then making your ad purchase/donation directly through BeaconArts by clicking this link or by sending in a check, which is a fiscal sponsor for BAEF and this project. Support from the community helps the Calico Ball continue year after year, and contribute to the experience that is living in Beacon, NY. The ad deadline is May 26, 2017, so get on it!

Last Days To Donate Kids' Toys, Clothes, Books, Other Stuff to Ree-Play Sale Before Shopping It

These are your last days to donate to the Ree-Play Sale, the biggest annual fundraiser produced by the Wee Play Community Project, set for April 21 to April 23, 2017. The nonprofit organization raises money for children's programs at the Beacon Library, BAEF (Beacon Arts and Education Foundation), and maintains the public parks you see and play in around Beacon, including Memorial Park, Riverfront Park, and Green Street Park.

The success of any great sale is rooted primarily in what it sells. And the Ree-Play Sale gets its gems from locals in the community who are no longer using toys, books, gear, bikes, even some furniture. This week is the final week that Ree-Play is accepting donations from your attic or children's rooms, so clean it out now, load up the car, and head over to the Settlement Camp on Wolcott during the time slots that the Ree-Play volunteers post to their public Facebook Group. Posted hours as of today are:

 Spring break sorting/donation hours:

Monday
12:30-2:30

Tuesday
9-12

Wednesday
10-4

Thursday
9-11

Friday - last day for accepting donations
9-12

Saturday - none posted

Sunday - none posted/Easter

Any questions, including pickup requests, can be directed to Kristen Checkalski VanCott at cactus232@hotmail.com.

Hint: If you bring a lot, do them a favor and sort it when you get there, as in, place the toys in the toy section, boots in the boot section, and clothes in the boxes that are marked with age or size ranges. But if you need to drop-and-dash, you can do that too!

Here's another hint: You may want to bring your kids on this errand, as they will be able to run around the new used toys, gear and clothes, and beg you to walk in the woods, among the frisbee golfers. Currently, there is a  little battery powered jeep just waiting for a lucky new owner, and that's the hardest item to keep curious children from who want to ride it everywhere.

Your Donation of Gently Used Stuff Helps Beacon

Some people save up all year for this sale, keeping their kid's retired clothes, shoes and toys in special boxes in the attic. If you consign, there maybe be some items you save from the consignment store and give instead to the Ree-Play sale as a donation. This fundraiser has raised tens of thousands of dollars for kids in Beacon, as we explored last year.  

Shopping The Ree-Play Sale Helps Beacon Kids and Families

Your one and only chance to shop this big sale is from Friday, April 21st to Sunday, April 23rd from 9am-1pm daily at the University Settlement Camp Theater (Beacon Pool entrance/9D, Beacon). Credit cards are accepted. Clothing deals include a $15 fill-a-bag for the clothing tables. As is every year, a delicious bake sale will be held daily, with fresh baked goods from local parents (have you heard of the #BeaconDessertMafia? OMG). Half-Price Day is Sunday, with a special treat of Balloon Animals form 11am-1pm on Sunday, too!

While we haven't confirmed that these particular oatmeal chocolate chip squares - which sometimes have coconut - will be in the bake sale lineup, you can bet that something will be from this baker, Tessa Dean, a #beacondessertmafia contributor.

10th Annual Beacon Barks Parade Is Happening for 2017!

View fullsize

The Beacon Barks Parade went on hiatus last year as the Beacon Barkery, the co-founding institution behind the event, transitioned to new owners. Recently, dog and cat fans have been happy to see the familiar yellow flyers return to storefront windows around town for the event, which raises money for Safe Haven Animal Shelter & Wildlife Center, and raises awareness for homeless animals in our communities.

Slated for Saturday, April 29, from 11 am to 4 pm (with no rain date planned), people and dogs will gather once again along Main Street starting at the west end of Main Street near Mountain Tops to the parking lot at the DMV. Some will be in costume for the Costume Contest, while others will be participating in canine performances while music plays on the street. Rescue organizations will hosting pet adoptions during the day, so be prepared to fall in love with a dog or cat - of any age! Just find someone to love and rescue.

Sponsor Opportunities

As in years past, there are vendor and sponsor opportunities available, and anyone can be a vendor, not just pet-related businesses or organizations. There is no fee for nonprofits, or for storefronts located along the parade route, to have a vendor table. To date, event sponsors include Canine Sanctuary, Tonya’s Tasty Treats, the VCA, Beacon Barkery, and Safe Haven.

To be a vendor, stop into Beacon Bakery at 190 Main Street to pick up or drop off an application (download one here from Hudson Valley Pet Expo's website) and leave a $50 vendor fee. The application deadline is April 15 (so get your taxes done early so that you can do this without panic!). Vendors get space for a 10'x10' table. Tables aren't provided, but details on renting a table and chairs are in the application. You could always invest in a table and chairs at Home Depot.

Costume Contest and Marching in Parade

To enter the pet costume contest, you also will need to fill out an application, but there is no fee. Anyone can march in the parade, and marchers do not need to register. 

Details for the parade can be found here at Hudson Valley Pet Expo.

Fundraiser to Bring More Veggies to Food Assistance Programs for Families In Need at Beacon Farmers' Market

View fullsize

View fullsize

Beacon G4G recipient Sam Brittain and her daughter Charlie.
Photo Credit: Beacon Farmers' Market

Last summer, the Beacon Farmers' Market welcomed a new program: Green for Greens was introduced as part of a wider program to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables sold at the Beacon Farmers' Market. With Green for Greens, people enrolled in food assistance programs - including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often referred to as "food stamps" but dedicated to nutritional food), WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, servicing low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and infants and children under the age of five), or FMNP (the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program) - received extra vouchers to use at the Beacon Farmers' Market..

Just four months after the launch, the program ran out of funds due to high popularity. The program will be available again for the 2017 growing season, but this year, the Beacon Farmers' Market is raising money in advance to keep the program funded after its allotted budget runs out. The "Soup for Greens Fundraiser" is this Sunday, February 12, at the Beacon Farmers' Market's indoor/winter location at the VFW Building (aka the Memorial Building at the intersection of Main Street and Rt. 52, near the diner) from 10 am to 2 pm.

View fullsize

Helanna Bratman (who also leads the Green Teens), started the Green for Greens program with the idea to double the benefits that recipients receive from assistance programs, in order to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables. The Green for Greens matching program is unique to Beacon and is not yet available in other communities.

What Is Available At This Fundraiser?

The Beacon Farmers' Market will be selling an array of hearty winter soups including meaty, vegan and vegetarian varieties for $10, to be enjoyed on the spot. There are take-away $10 options for people who bring their own containers (for freezing or eating later). For $25, supporters can choose a hand-crafted ceramic bowl made by local artisans, including Virginia Piazza, who frequently has a booth at the market.

View fullsize

Bowls made by local artisans will be available at the soup fundraiser. You might find a gem like these, made by Virginia Piazza, a potter who participates in the Beacon Farmers' Market.
Photo Credit: Virginia Piazza

View fullsize

Even more artisan-made bowls will be available for $25 at the Soup for Greens fundraiser.

For those who cannot attend the event but want to pay a bowl of soup forward, there is an online donation option available here. Donors will receive a soup recipe, and a lucky person in need will receive a bowl of soup. 

Where Do The Funds Go, And How Do People In Need Find Out About It?

All proceeds collected from selling soup and bowls will go to the Green for Greens Double Up Program, a program that doubles the amount of money available from each respective food assistance program in order to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at the Beacon Farmers' Market and Common Greens mobile markets around town.

Last year, the program distributed $3,000 to people who qualified before funds ran out, according to the Beacon Farmers' Market Manager Sarah Simon. "We got the word out last year by hanging posters in key locations – the Beacon Community Health Center, the WIC office, the SNAP/EBT office – and so forth," Sarah recalled. "We also did a flyer distribution as well as a robo-text (text to all families) in the Beacon City School District. The mobile market, which is a program started by Green Teens and Helanna Bratman in 2015, is also well-attended, so we made an announcement there as well. This year, we hope to do more tabling at community events."

Support from Businesses and Individuals

View fullsize

Families like Kristen and Rob VanCott will become "soup chefs" and donate soup they made to the fundraiser.

Volunteer support has come in many forms: citizens in the community have been cooking soups, Quinn's has donated a large quantity of paper goods, and Beacon Pantry and Jennifer Clair have offered burner space to keep soups toasty warm. Over a dozen people will staff the event and assist with outreach, according to outreach coordinator Jill Rubin.

The benefits program made available within the Beacon Farmers' Market is sponsored by CCEDC Green Teen and Common Ground Farm, with additional support from United Way, Poppy's, Obercreek Farm, Homespun Foods, Fishkill Farms and Hudson River Healthcare.

What Else Is Available At the Beacon Farmers' Market?

Produce enthusiasts can also get fresh seafood at the Beacon Farmers' Market as well as fresh poultry, depending on vendors what is in season. The Farmers' Market will remain at its indoor location at the Memorial Building on Sundays until April 9, and will reopen its outdoor location by the Hudson River on April 23. While you're there, don't forget to tip the fiddler.

View fullsize

Poultry from Grass + Grit Farm.
Photo Credit: Beacon Farmers' Market

Fresh shrimp from Hudson Valley Seafood.
Photo Credit: Beacon Farmers' Market

View fullsize

Photo Credit: Beacon Farmers' Market

Beacon Fundraisers Raise Over $13,000 for Refugees Settling in Hudson Valley, and In Mountains Abroad

View fullsize

The beacon of light and hope that people refer to when describing Beacon, NY, the city named for fires burning atop Mount Beacon during the Revolutionary War to send signals warning of British advancement, extends beyond the City of Beacon to reach refugees locally and in warring countries abroad. Today, Beaconites have organized to send money to people displaced by war,  with the culmination of three such fundraisers from 2015 to 2016 having raised over $13,000 to be sent to nonprofit groups who help refugees, or to organizers who have a direct connection to a refugee camp and deliver and distribute the donation themselves.

Lemon bars with olive oil and sea salt from the artist Anna Bergin, for sale at the Beacon of Love bake sale.
Photo Credit: Beacon of Love Facebook Page

On December's Second Saturday this year, a local group called Beacon of Love, whose group type in Facebook is a category called "Get Things Done," raised $4,476.60 during a pop-up bake sale organized by Julie Shiroishi. Held in Open Space, an art gallery on the east end of Beacon, the pop-up benefited 80 refugees relocating to the Hudson Valley from the Middle East and Africa. Proceeds went to Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley for the #BeaconofLove project, and will be used to help the people coming over.

In 2015, just before Thanksgiving, a pop-up bake sale called "Bake Love Not War" was hosted by Shannon Brandt of Shambhala Yoga Center, Anna Sullivan-Youatt, and Nisreen Nasser. That sale raised $3,500, which was personally delivered by Nisreen to a Lebanese refugee camp located on the border with Syria. The fundraising organization is now known as Solidarity Through Humanity and continues to raise money and document the use of donation efforts through an online campaign platform, IndieGoGo, and has raised $5,271 from 82 people in the last 23 days (as of this publishing), and the donating continues here for the next delivery to Lebanon. Solidarity Through Humanity's goal is to deliver fuel for heating, water management techniques to keep water from seeping in under tents, and other supplies to help the 600 refugees living there through harsh conditions. The first death at the camp was a child.

Pictures taken by the contact and distributor Nisreen Nasser after the "Bake Love Not War" pop-up bake sale fundraiser at Shambhala Yoga Center last year. Nisreen's goal was to distribute fuel to the refugees who otherwise have no heat in the winter in the mountains of Lebanon on the Syrian border. learn about that camp here.
Photo Credit: Solidarity Through Humanity Facebook Page

Bake Sale Fundraisers That Persuade Through Sweetness

Perhaps first to demonstrate the great impact of a bake sale fundraiser are the ladies behind For Goodness Bake, Kristen Pratt and Tara Tornello. They're known for organizing pop-up bake sales straight out of a Martha Stewart magazine spread, and they dedicate 100 percent of the proceeds to one cause per year. So far, they've benefited the Beacon Community Kitchen, Green Teen, and Kids R Kids Feeding Program, raising a few thousand dollars each sale for the causes. Veterans of this art, they have advised others on how to make their bake sales a success.

Bake Sale Fundraising Takes a Community

The effort behind such a bake sale involves a community effort, with sometimes more than 100 citizen bakers volunteering to get their bake on by breaking out their most favorite dessert cookbook, and trying a recipe that will impress and tempt donors into purchasing a single piece or an entire pie or loaf of bread. Professional establishments have been known to donate baked goods as well. What often accompanies such fundraisers is the build-up to the event, with citizen bakers posting pictures of their accomplishments, and bake sale organizers thanking each baker in social media posts. The anticipation, and the unique notes from the bakers, such as this one shown below, help make the events a success: "Pear-Pecan-Vanilla Tart: Full of gluten, nuts, butter, super fattening. YOU WANT THIS TART. Sooooo good. - Enid"

Citizen baker Enid Zentellis tempts donors with her Pear-Pecan-Vanilla-Tart.
Photo credit: Beacon of Love's Facebook Page.

Stepping up the game can also be a raffle with prizes, as was the case with the Beacon of Love fundraiser, which offered a number of prizes from local and national brands.

These fundraisers are easy to participate in - both as a baker and as a buyer - making community stronger all around. They're a spoonful of sugar in spotlighting problems that may otherwise find fundraising slow-going.

Beacon Sloop Club's "Little Boxes" Painting Fundraiser for Sloop Woody Guthrie Restoration This Weekend

View fullsize

A painting of the Woody Guthrie on a square canvas, similar to art produced for the "Little Boxes" fundraiser.

The 38-year-old Woody Guthrie, a sailboat (aka daysail sloop) built by Pete and Toshi Seeger and the Beacon Sloop Club in 1978 to create public access to sailing on the Hudson River, will not be sailing this year. The Sloop Woody Guthrie instead will undergo a complete restoration, and is currently fundraising to complete those efforts. The most recent fundraiser is the "Little Boxes Art Contest" happening this Sunday, December 4, from 5 to 8 pm at Scenic Hudson's River Center (Red Barn) at Long Dock Park, Beacon NY.

The Woody Guthrie is a long-standing symbol of river improvement: It was built to foster people's appreciation for the Hudson River during the early years of massive cleanup projects after General Electric (GE) had discharged 1.3 million pounds of PCBs into the Hudson River from two GE capacitor manufacturing plants located in the towns of Fort Edward and Hudson Falls, New York, between 1947 and 1977. The Seegers were instrumental in spearheading the cleanup and protection of the Hudson River. Building the Sloop Woody Guthrie was one way they demonstrated their commitment, and the sloop brought the public into direct contact with the Hudson to experience its vastness and river life for themselves.

In 1969, Pete and Toshi Seeger and the Hudson River Sloop Restoration instituted the second great "Age of Sail" on the Hudson River with the launching of Clearwater, a wooden, gaff-rigged, topsail sloop, based on traditional designs developed over a 100-year period during the heyday of commercial sailing on the Hudson River. In order to make the boat more manageable by a modest budget and team of volunteers, the Woody Guthrie was designed as a smaller replica of the Clearwater.

About the 'Little Boxes' Art Contest 2016

People are encouraged to participate in the contest as artists or as patrons bidding on the art, to be auctioned off on Sunday, December 4. For an entry fee of $25, (fee can be paid here) each artist will receive a 3 x 3-inch, numbered canvas on which to create an original work of art, in their media of choice, on the theme of "The Hudson River." This fee includes a ticket to the reception, which is otherwise $15 (ticket can be purchased here). Artists wishing to submit multiple entries may purchase an additional canvas for $5. All completed artwork must be returned by December 2. Registration as an artist, or to simply attend the event, which will include refreshments, can be purchased here online.

To receive a canvas: Purchase your ticket online and bring proof of purchase to River Winds Gallery, 172 Main St., Beacon NY, Wednesday through Monday between noon and 6 pm.

All artwork will be offered for sale at a starting bid set by the artist, with all proceeds to be split 50/50 between the artist and the Woody Guthrie Restoration Project. Attendees will have the opportunity to vote for People's Choice awards. A prize of $50 each will be awarded for the following categories:

• Most Beautiful
• Most Spectacular
• Funniest

Ticket Details

The Artists' Reception and Awards will be held:
Sunday, December 4, 2016
5 to 8 pm
Scenic Hudson's River Center (Red Barn)
Long Dock Park, Beacon NY

Tickets for the reception only are available for $15, and can be purchased here.

For more information, please contact Susan Berliner at 845-527-8671 or Rosemary Thomas at 845-463-4660.

Pop-Ups With Handmade Goodies and Sweet Treats Coming To Beacon

We have a few exciting pop-up shops in Beacon coming soon...

For Goodness Bake!

The popular bake sale, For Goodness Bake, is back for its fourth year next Saturday (September 24th) at the Catalyst Gallery (137 Main Street).  This bake will be raising funds for The Beacon Community Kitchen (formerly Beacon Soup Kitchen), which provides lunches, love, and warmth to those in need in the Beacon community. Says Tara Tornello one of the organizers: "The Beacon Community Kitchen volunteers are skilled at turning a few dozen pounds of veggies into a delicious, fulfilling meal. It's pretty cool to see what they can whip up with just a few basic ingredients like farm-fresh tomatoes and eggplant. Our goal is simple: raise funds for the Kitchen to purchase more of these wholesome ingredients as well as new utensils and appliances that will help make food preparation a breeze. Every dollar raised will go directly toward these needs."

The Beacon Community Kitchen transforms .
Photo Credit: Tara Tornello

Over the past four years, For Goodness Bake has raised $8,000 cumulatively for charities such as Green Teens (nearly $3K), Kids R Kids (nearly $3K) and Baby Felix ($1.5K), who was the beneficiary the first year this bake sale was produced. This year, funds will go toward purchasing new appliances (possibly a stove) and groceries for meal preparation at the Beacon Community Kitchen. The bake sale will feature some of the Hudson Valley’s most celebrated amateur and professional bakers and confectioners.

Hudson Valley bakers wait all year for this fundraiser. Tessa Dean calls it her "Christmas" as she prepares cupcakes that will appear on Instagram with the hashtag #beacondessertmafia - before they head for your mouth.

Take a look at this lineup!

• Savory tarts from Little House Bakeshop
• Salted caramel pretzel brownies from Nerds with Knives
• German apple cake from Gina DeMaria Gratz
• Lemon yogurt pound cake from Virginia Piazza
• Cookie dough peanut butter cups from Susannah Pugsley
• Coconut macaroons from Patricia DeGroodt
• Semolina cake from Lena Jamal of Beacon Bread Company
• Assorted vegan cookies and cupcakes from Nora Holt
• Pumpkin pie cheesecake bars from Mike DeCiutiis
• Zucchini bread from Margaux Lange
• Brown butter rice krispie treats from our own Kristen Pratt
• and SO much more!

---

Mid-Hudson Etsy Makers Pop-Up Market

Get an early jump start picking up some unique holiday gifts on Saturday, October 8th. The Howland Cultural Center will be hosting the Mid-Hudson Etsy Makers Pop-Up Market. The market will feature 13 artisans of handmade goods from the mid-Hudson Valley area.  The market is free and open to the public. Doors will be open from 10 am to 4 pm. And so begins the holiday season!

---

Kitchen Cuts: A Pop-Up Hair Cut Day at A Little Beacon Space with Your Presence Salon

Join A Little Beacon Blog and Your Presence Salon during the Children's Hocus Pocus Halloween Parade down Main Street for our second Kitchen Cuts, a Pop-Up Kids Hair Cut day with face painting! Hair cuts are $16 the day of at the door, or book ahead online for $12. Face painting is $1 and will have a collection can, with face painting proceeds going to Beacon elementary schools. We collected $36 last time, and we're adding to that to make one donation, hopefully for teachers' art supplies. Book your hair cut online here, or come by the day of! If the kids are still up for it, they will be the ones doing the face paint - and they are really good!