LTC Caroline Pogge Gives A Woman's Perspective During Veterans Day Speech in Beacon

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The Veterans Ceremony in Beacon on Sunday, November 11, 2018, was moved indoors after the chilly air proved to be too cold for most who were attending, including children, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, veterans, city leaders, and the public. The keynote speaker was LTC Caroline Pogge, who, according to her speech, was in part asked to deliver it so that people could get a female perspective on serving in the military.

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Her speech was given on the 100th anniversary of signing of Armistice, which marked the ending of World War I. In the second half of her speech, she gave a brief history of women’s involvement in serving in the military of this country - which began in disguise and in secret.

The lieutenant colonel followed up with a small part of her own story of serving in Iraq. LTC Caroline Pogge granted permission to A Little Beacon Blog to publish her speech in full here, with headlines added to help you skim down.

Following that is the video provided by the City of Beacon of the entire event, where you can also listen to her speech. We wanted to publish in text to help share the stories in history.


Good morning! Thank you for the wonderful introduction. As a 22-year and counting veteran, it was an honor to be asked to speak with you this morning. Not only because of what Veterans Day represents, but more specifically because of what THIS Veterans Day represents. 100 years ago today, the German delegation signed an Armistice in a train car outside of Paris, formally ending the “War to end all wars.” Unfortunately, as we know, this was not the case.

While there was an end to international involvement in the war, it was not an end to regional instability as civil wars, revolutionary and counter-revolutionary conflicts emerged across the globe. As nations split, empires collapsed and monarchies abdicated, boundaries were redrawn and new nations were created. In many cases this resulted in new players scrapping for position, some with less-than-honorable intentions as extremist attitudes, including ethnic cleansing, emerged.

This was not limited to Europe, but rather spread across to the Middle East with the fall of the Ottoman Empire; to Asia where Korea, influenced by President Wilson’s 14 Points, protested their independence and the Chinese Civil war raged; and to Africa where nations were trying to make sense of newly drawn boundaries that had little to do with cultural demographics.

All the while, the global struggle went seemingly unnoticed in America. Many of us spent a very short time discussing World War I and its global impact. Certainly far less time than we spent learning about the Civil War or World War II. For most Americans, it can be summed up simply as: WWI was a decisive victory brought about by American bravery and might.

WWI had a relatively small impact on the U.S. population, particularly when compared to Europe. During the one-year U.S. involvement, approximately 50,000 troops died from combat and another 50,000 died from the 1918 influenza pandemic. Unfortunately, the peace of WWI would fail and the ripple effect would have a tremendous impact on America for years to come.

By ignoring the wildfires spreading across Europe, America and the international community (led by the newly formed League of Nations) quickly learned a difficult lesson: that peace can not be won by simply stopping combat operations; rather, lasting peace must be reinforced through stability. This hard lesson influenced the development of the Marshall Plan after WWII and COL Hunt’s drafting of a Congressional report formally recognizing my specialty of Civil Affairs as a military function. Both these events continue to influence our military operations today.

But who are these soldiers and statesmen, fighting one day and securing the victory through stabilization operations the next? They are Americans who, as LTC G. Edward Buxton described in the American Legion’s Constitution Committee Report in 1919, “fight to perpetuate the principles of Justice, Freedom and Democracy.”

They are Americans who serve selflessly, not for accolades and praise, but as D. Bernard Ryan wrote home in November 1918, troops who want to know we “had contributed by personal contact to the rout of the Enemy and his defeat.” And simply knowing that makes our efforts “worth all we have endured.”

I’d like to now ask my fellow veterans, particularly those who may be standing incognito in today’s crowd, to make yourselves known as I announce your conflict era:

Among the 20.4 million living veterans, less than 10% of our population, there are fewer than 500,000 living WWII-era veterans. 

1.3 million Korean War-era veterans (pauses for anyone to stand)

6.5 million Vietnam War-era veterans  (pauses for anyone to stand)

and our current conflicts are included in the 7.4 million Gulf War-era veterans.

“Women Represent About 9% of the Veterans”

Of these, women represent about 9% of the veterans, a number expected to grow to nearly 18% by 2045. I was asked to speak a bit about my service as a woman in uniform. To do this I need to take us through another brief history lesson.

When Women First Started Serving In The Military - In Disguise or Unrecognized

While our formal involvement in the military is growing, women have served since the Revolutionary War, albeit not always in a sanctioned role. There are countless stories of women serving alongside their spouse or family member in disguise or even as spies. For example Deborah Sampson, who during the birth of our nation, in 1778, was the first woman to enlist, although as a man under the name Robert Shirtliffe. She served for three years before she was discovered while being treated for an illness, thanked for her service and promptly discharged.

Young Woman Rides Twice The Distance Of Paul Revere To Alert that British were Coming, Yet Remains Unknown

Or you may have heard about the Hudson Valley’s own Sybil Ludington, who on the night of April 26, 1777, at the age of 16, rode between Putnam County, NY, and Danbury, CT, alerting militia of the approach of British forces. We all know the story of Paul Revere, but despite riding nearly twice the distance and given her much younger age, even many locals do not know Sybil’s story!

First African-American Woman to Enlist In Army During Civil War - As A Man - As Buffalo Soldier - Was Discovered and Discharged After 3 Years

Fast forward to the Civil War and let me introduce you to the first African-American woman to enlist in the Army, Cathay Williams. She spent three years as one of the Buffalo Soldiers before being discovered and discharged from service.

Woman Surgeon Volunteers As Nurse - Since Female Surgeons Weren’t Permitted To Serve

Others were able to more openly serve, such as Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, who volunteered for the Union Army as a civilian nurse since women surgeons were not permitted to serve. Her work caused her to frequently cross battle lines to treat injured civilians and even resulted in her capture by Confederate troops, who arrested her as a spy. During her military career, she was eventually awarded a commission as a “Contract Acting Assistant Surgeon,” which made her the first-ever female U.S. Army surgeon.

Women Begin Formally Joining The Fight in 20th Century

Moving into the 20th century, we are witness to many women joining the fight, be it on the frontline, in the sky, or at sea. Mary Borden, born into a wealthy Chicago family and educated at Vassar College, used her passion and funds to create field hospitals on the front lines of WWI, which were credited for saving countless troops’ lives.

In WWII, the military finally started to recognize and award veteran status to women, but only to a handful of female Air Force service pilots, such as Irene Kinne Englund, who spent 18 months ferrying military aircraft, transporting medical patients and towing aerial gunnery targets which freed up men for combat service overseas. The tide began to change in 1948, with the passage of Law 625, “The Women’s Armed Services Act,” which allowed women to serve in fully integrated units during peacetime and leaving the Women’s Army Corps as the only remaining separate female unit.

But in reality, even women’s efforts during the Korean War and Vietnam were often little recognized and hard-earned. It is literally within my lifetime that women’s involvement has really increased. In 1976, two years after I was born just up the road at Vassar Brothers Hospital, the first group of women was admitted to join the military academies’ Classes of 1980.

“Women Continued to Blaze Trails Despite the Obstacles Such As Combat Limitations”

Women continued to blaze trails despite the obstacles such as combat limitations, which often limited their career progression. Mostly, women simply wanted to do what they were trained to do and serve beside their fellow troops. No one stopped LTC Eileen Collins and LT Celeste Hayes as they flew assault teams and wounded troops in and out of Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury in 1983, or CPT Linda Bray, who, at 29 years old in 1989, became the first woman to command American soldiers in battle, when she led a company of MPs during the invasion of Panama.

Women Were Banned From Combat Roles Until Recently

It was during the 1991 Gulf War that many Americans began to recognize the volume of women in uniform. Having come a long way from a few hundred troops, often in disguise, to over 40,000 women in uniform, we were no longer relegated to “safe” administrative and medical roles. Despite officially being banned from combat roles until just two years ago, we were still flying aircraft, serving on staff at the front lines and in some cases working right in the middle of combat operations.

SGT Leigh Ann Hester, who earned the Silver Star (the third-highest decoration for valor) for her role as a Military Police team leader during a convoy ambush in Iraq in 2005, and 19-year-old Army SPC and Medic Monica Lin Brown, who also earned the Silver Star for running through gunfire to shield wounded soldiers during a roadside attack in Afghanistan in 2007, are testaments to not only the amazing women I have the honor of serving with, but also great examples of why in 2013 Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta lifted the ban on women serving in combat, which became effective in 2016.

LTC Caroline Pogge’s Own Story

In reality, we have been serving in combat for decades, often by capitalizing on technical loopholes. Don’t tell my mother, or maybe more importantly don’t tell the Army, but in reality, when I crossed the berm from Kuwait into Iraq in the first week of April 2003, I was technically not allowed to participate in combat. But as a Civil Affairs soldier attached to the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, my role took me through tank battles, leapfrogging elements of the 101st and 82nd Airborne, to finally settling into Baghdad on 17 April before ground combat was officially declared over.

In reality, I was looking forward to crossing the berm. Not because of a desire to go to war, or a drive to prove myself. But honestly I just wanted to leave Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, where someone was preying on female soldiers during SCUD attacks. Yes, while we were preparing to move north into armed conflict, I needed an escort to go to the latrine after dark because of a series of assaults on female soldiers.

Once in Iraq, my driver, SGT Betty Navarro and I, would notice the minute the locals “spotted us.” I frequently had to overcome additional cultural obstacles to achieve my mission, as often curious Iraqis would be surprised that a “woman could be in charge.” But being a female also had its advantage as frequently the ladies would welcome us into their community and offer us access unavailable to our fellow male troops.

Thankfully, I believe the military is much easier to serve in today for women than it was even 40 years ago. We are paid based on the same pay scale as men. We are now afforded the opportunity to serve in any role across the service, and have the same chances to succeed as our male counterparts.

“I Still Get Frustrated When Someone Sees My Veteran Tag On My Car And Asks If My Husband Served.”

I can only imagine the path the ladies before me had traveled and the obstacles they had to overcome which enabled me to stand before you today. From the days of Deborah Sampson hiding her gender in order to fight for her country, we have come a long way. It’s still a male-dominated profession, and I still get frustrated when someone sees my veteran tag on my car and asks if my husband served. But at least I can offer a smile and simply reply, “I don’t know. I haven’t met him yet.”

Let me close by asking one thing from all of you. They say one of the greatest things we can offer the next generation is inspiration. I hope you look around this crowd, and across our community at the many veterans who have served during peace and conflict over the past century and see countless reasons to be inspired. See the veteran who was drafted and sent to a place they may not even know to fight for justice, freedom and democracy. See the veteran who chose to join the ranks and found themselves standing watch to protect our way of life in far-away places. And see the veteran who today finds themselves in places like Afghanistan, Djibouti or Poland working to secure a lasting peace through the stabilization of democracies and economic freedom around the world. All these veterans are an inspiration and represent the best of what we can offer as Americans.

While President Theodore Roosevelt was addressing Civil War veterans in 1906, his description still rings true: “Veterans by their lives, by the records of their deeds, teach us in more practical fashion than it can be taught by any preaching, for they teach us by practice that the ultimate analysis of the greatness of a nation is to be measured not by the output of its industrial products, not by its material prosperity, not by the products of the farm, factory or business house, but by the products of its citizenship, by the men and women that that nation produces.”

By this measure alone, America is a great nation! Thank you to the many veterans in attendance here and particularly those standing watch today in posts around the world. It is an honor to serve with you. I wish everyone a happy Veterans Day, and may God Bless America.


What Is A Civil Affairs Specialty?

You may have wondered what “civil affairs” meant as Caroline mentioned it. We did too! Here’s how Caroline describes it:

“Civil affairs is a military specialty like infantry or military police. Essentially, we're the middlemen between the military and civilian populations, attempting to minimize the impact of conflict on the civilians and the interference of civilians in military operations. Post-conflict, we work with civilian populations in an attempt to get basic services back up and running. Pre-conflict, we attempt to identify gaps or areas of potential concern that could offer violent extremist actors to exploit the population and cause instability.“

https://m.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/intelligence-and-combat-support/civil-affairs-officer.m.html

Veterans Day Ceremonies for Beacon on Sunday, November 11, 2018

The Veterans Memorial Building at 413 Main St., Beacon, NY. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Veterans Memorial Building at 413 Main St., Beacon, NY.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Veterans Day Ceremony will be held on Sunday, November 11, 2018 at the Veterans Memorial Building at 413 Main St., Beacon, NY at 11 am. The ceremonies begin when veterans gather outside on the front porch of the building. The guest speaker will be Lt. Colonel Caroline Pogge, according to a calendar posting at Dutchess Tourism. Over the years, the amount of people who attend this event has grown.

This spring, during a Memorial Day service at the same location, the presenting veterans acknowledged how appreciative they were of the turnout during that day, feeling the support from the community. City Council Member John Rembert, who is a veteran, also acknowledged this during the June 4th, 2018 City Council Meeting: “The veterans really appreciated it. It meant a lot to all of us.”

So get your hat and gloves on, and head over to these services. It will be a time to share a moment with your neighbors. Bring a to-go cup of coffee and nibble on a chocolate croissant as you walk down.

Veterans Day Ceremony
Day:
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Time: 11 am
Location: Veterans Memorial Building, 413 Main St., Beacon, NY
From the Dutchess Tourism Website:
”The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 666 will be sponsoring Veterans Day ceremonies on the front porch of the Veterans Memorial Building. The public and all veterans are cordially invited and encouraged to attend. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held inside the bingo hall of Veterans Memorial Building. Guest Speaker: Lt. Colonel Caroline Pogge”
Information >

Mount Beacon Eight Ceremony
Day:
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Time: 12:30 pm
Location: Fishkill Veterans Park, Route 52, south of I-84, on the north side of Route 52 between the Fishkill Town Police Department and the Fishkill Town Recreation Center.
A ceremony will be held to remember the service members who died in a plane crash into Mount Beacon. That plane crash happened on November 11, 1945, 30 minutes after leaving Wright Caldwell Airport in Caldwell, NJ. The men were en route back to the Quonset Air Naval Base in Quonset, RI when their Navy Beechcraft Twin Engine Transport plane crashed near the northwest ridge of Mount Beacon in the Town of Fishkill, NY.
Learn About the Mount Beacon Eight in A Little Beacon Blog’s Article >

200 Beaconites Protest Justice Department Shuffle of Jeff Sessions' Replacement, Matthew Whitaker

Yesterday we reported that people were gathering at Polhill Park in Beacon to protest the appointment of Matthew Whitaker to temporarily replace Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, after Sessions submitted his resignation letter (as requested by the president, according to the first sentence in the letter Jeff Sessions submitted). A participant sent in an estimate of 200 people in attendance at Beacon’s protest, one of 900 that happened across the country.

As a bring-you-up-to-speed if you need it, Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation which is a look by federal authorities into if and how Russia influenced the 2016 election, and if the current president played a part in that in any way. Sessions has continued to do work that the president has directed him to do, but the president has openly resented Sessions for his recusal. Matthew Whitaker was the Chief of Staff under Sessions, and has vocalized wanting to end the Russia investigation. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has been protective of continuing the Russia investigation.

From a participant, Air Nonken Rhodes, we have a description of Beacon’s event, and pictures that Air took. In Air’s words:

About 200 people in total were there at the time of its largest crowd (5:30 pm), and about 80 people were there most of the rest of the time from 5 to 6:30 pm. Kids, grandparents, commuters coming off the train, people with their dogs, everyone showed up with signs and spirit to stand up against what we see as a power grab.

Conversations included how scary it is to see the checks and balances in our democracy unravel. The mood was generally light, with lots of hooting and hollering with joy whenever a car would honk in support. The commuter traffic going by was generally supportive of our signs.

A small minority shook their heads or gave thumbs-down, a dozen or so going out of their way to roll down their window in the cold air to shout curse-riddled invectives and diatribes against the protestors. A few were stunningly hateful, and took some careful explaining for the kids present. It was deeply sad to see this Trumpish incivility on our own Main Street.

One kid standing next to me asked, “Are we allowed to be here? Are we allowed to do this?” (meaning protest) and her mother explained proudly, “Yes, as Americans we have the free right of peaceable assembly and the right of free speech. We are allowed to be here and do this, and it’s very important to do so whenever something goes wrong. The President doesn’t think the rules apply to him, and we have to remind him that they do.”

Photo Credit for All Photos: Air Nonken Rhodes

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Thursday's Planned Local Protest in Beacon Is One Of 900 In USA In Protest of Jeff Sessions’ Replacement, Matt Whitaker

When: Thursday, November 8, 5 pm
Where: Polhill Park, intersection of Route 9D & Main St., Beacon, NY 12508
What: Citizens protest against President Trump replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions with Matt Whitaker

On your drive or walk home from work, if you notice a gathering of people at the intersection of Main Street and 9D known as Polhill Park, they have gathered there in protest against President Trump replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions with Matt Whitaker, who as of yesterday, was the Chief of Staff under Sessions. This protest is one of about 900 scheduled across the country, encouraged by MoveOn.org, categorized under the theme “Nobody’s Above The Law”.

Air Nonken Rhodes, a citizen from Beacon, wrote into A Little Beacon Blog to alert us about the event, and had this to say about attending: “We are standing up against Trump's appointment of Matt Whitaker as acting Attorney General because we see it as a clear move to thwart the power of the Mueller investigation… [It is my opinion that] Whitaker has been appointed not because he will make a good acting AG, but because he will protect the President. If Trump has nothing to hide, he would allow the investigation to continue. The American public (and people around the world) have the right to know the truth about the financing and influences in the 2016 election, Russia's interference in it, and Trump's personal, family, and business connections to these issues.”

Voted. How To Vote, And What To Expect While At The Polls

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The polls are open from 6 am to 9 pm in Beacon.

If you’re looking for where to vote for your Ward, then you can click here to see the list of locations we compiled, including easy links to maps to see which District within a Ward you reside in. Or even if you don’t know what Ward you are in, you can find out by following those links.

What Is It Like? How Do I Cast My Vote?

To my surprise, my very own husband called to ask me this: “How do I vote? Are there levers?”

Levers? No. Ok, so here’s what it’s like to vote in Beacon:

You walk into your polling precinct, aka “place to vote” as I call it. This is determined by “Ward.” There are four Wards in Beacon. It’s like big borders, and you live within a border of one of them. Within a Ward, there may be a smaller zone called a “District.” You probably never think about these things until Voting Day, but usually that little yellow card that comes in the mail prior to election time tells you. The last time I saw a card was during the primaries this year. You can get a list of polling locations in Beacon here.

Once you get to your voting location, there are several tables set up inside. The tables are divided by District (that border within a Ward) and by name (in alphabetical order). You will find your name at one of them.

You may be asked: “What District are you in?” If you checked the locations list here, you’ll know. “I’m in District 2!” you could say, and volunteers will tell you what table you should go to next. However, if you don’t know what District you are in (like me), there is hopefully a table dedicated to District Discovery at your polling place just for telling you this information. (Insider Tip: Check this first! It will save you from waiting in a line).

Once it’s your turn in line, a volunteer will hand you a large voting card with a privacy sleeve. You’ll walk over to tall table/desks with metal privacy walls around the top of the desk. A pen is provided for you to mark your circle bubbles of your votes. The directions at the top of the voting card will tell you how many people to vote for in each race. Like for governor, you would vote for one person. For judges, you would vote for seven names. Just follow those directions at the top to make sure you’re not over- or under-filling in the circles.

When you’ve completed all of your circles, you walk it over to a scanning machine. Another volunteer will be there to make sure the machine doesn’t break, because you are feeding the machine with your voter card yourself. Once you slide your card into the machine, it tallies it, swallows your card, and tells you what number voter you were.

I was #60!

Thank You To The Volunteers

A HUGE thank you for the volunteers who are running these polls. If when you go to vote, and you wish it were run differently, or had better signs, it’s best not to take your frustration out on the volunteers. They are your friends and neighbors, and may not be as experienced at running an event as you are. Same goes for any event run in Beacon (or anywhere in the world). If you feel passionately about how something is organized, then it’s best you sign up to volunteer, and help make it a better experience for all of us.

Places to Vote in Beacon for Elections (for General and Primary)

EDITORIAL NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect how to vote in the election on November 6, 2018.

Wondering where to go vote this Tuesday, November 6, 2018? Did you toss your yellow card by accident? Below is a list of locations for where to cast your ballot based on where you live and are registered.

Polls for Beacon are open from 6 am to 9 pm, according to the Dutchess County Board of Elections.

There are two sources for this list of locations:

ADDRESSES

Lewis Tompkins Hose Company
Route 9D Entrance, 13 South Ave.
Beacon, NY 12508

Rombout Middle School
84 Matteawan Road
Beacon, NY 12508

James V. Forrestal Elementary School
125 Liberty St.
Beacon, NY 12508

First Presbyterian Church
50 Liberty St.
Beacon, NY 12508

LOCATIONS

Ward 1, District 1:
Lewis Tompkins Hose Company
Ward 1, District 2: Rombout Middle School
Ward 2, All Districts: Lewis Tompkins Hose Company
Ward 3, District 1: Rombout Middle School
Ward 3, Districts 2 and 3: James V. Forrestal Elementary
Ward 4, All Districts: First Presbyterian Church


District - Which District in Which Ward?

Voters can determine what District they’re in either by looking at the yellow voter card that arrived by mail, or by looking at the map on this website:

http://dutchesselections.com/pdf/2014townmaps/CityofBeacon.pdf.

Or, you can find what District you are at this VoterLookUp web page from New York State's Register to Vote page.

The VoterLookUp tool will tell you what District you are in, as well as which Ward, Senate District, County Legislative District, Assembly District, and Congressional District apply to you.

Can I Vote in The Primary Elections?

Two answers to this:

  • You’ll need to be registered in Beacon if you’re not already. You only need to do this once for each move. If you got the little yellow card in the mail telling you where to vote, you’re good. Otherwise, look yourself up at this VoterLookUp web page.

  • You’ll need to be registered in a party if you want to vote in the primary elections. If you’re registered to vote, but didn’t officially declare a party on your registration, then you can’t vote in the primaries for your party. You also can’t sign name collection forms from politicians looking to get onto the ballot, BTW. You would need to be registered in their party. You will, however, have gotten a little yellow card in the mail, even if you haven’t officially affiliated with a party.

  • You do not need to be affiliated or registered with a party (Independent, Republican, Democrat, Green Party, Working Families, etc.) to vote in the General Election. You do need to be registered to vote, however, based on where you live (see above).

Where Can I Register to Vote?

Here’s how to register to vote in Beacon:

You could click here to do it via this website, and please note: You’ll need to snail-mail it in.

Or, you can register to vote with friendly people around town who have set up registration stations. Some that we know of:

  • The Howland Public Library

  • The Spirit of Beacon Day Parade 2018. Look for a table from “We All Vote”

  • The annual Sukkah that happens each fall down at Polhill Park (the park across from Bank Square and Beacon Creamery where the Visitors Center is)

There is a deadline to register to vote - you’ll want to be all buttoned up by Sunday, September 30, if you’re doing it via the folks above. They are physically driving the registration forms to their destination in Poughkeepsie. “We are driving them to Poughkeepsie so we don’t give people stamps.

There are lots of rules about this,” says Ronna Litchtenberg, a volunteer with When We All Vote. Or, people can take the form home and mail it in themselves. “But we’re making it easy on you,” says Kelly Ellenwood, another volunteer. “We’ll hand-deliver it to Poughkeepsie to make sure it gets there.”

But don’t let it slide by again. In a small city town, your vote really does make a difference. "One vote matters, especially in Beacon where elections have been decided on by as few as 10 votes,” says Ronna.

Salvation Army's Seniors Art & Meal Program Continues To Flourish This Holiday Season

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The Salvation Army is a Main Street staple. We featured the Salvation Army’s Seniors Program here at A Little Beacon Blog when there was fear of them closing their doors. The leadership at the Salvation Army has changed to Lts. Josue and Leilani Alarcón, and we’re happy to report that the Senior Program is still going strong and is flourishing after 17 years serving the community, according to Rhode Lopez Northrup, who runs the Senior Program.

The Senior Program is for anyone over 50 years of age. They are welcome to come to any Tuesday and Thursday meal, and enjoy activities like taking fun quizzes, games, songs and a crafty projects. 

2018 Thanksgiving and Christmas Meals for Seniors

The Seniors Program in the Salvation Army will be hosting an early Thanksgiving Dinner on Tuesday, November 20, 2018. They will also have a Christmas Celebration on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. More details will be added to our Events Guide on each event.

You can learn more about this wonderful program, see more pictures, and learn how to get involved and donate, by checking out this article.

Anti-Semitic Flyers Posted on Churches in Beacon; Person's Home Vandalized in Nelsonville

Editorial Note: This event is related to an event that happened to two churches in Beacon this month. Please click here to learn more about that.

If last night’s Halloween candy didn’t leave you feeling nauseous today, then these two revelations will: A person acting on behalf a neo-Nazi group has posted anti-Semitic flyers to two churches in Beacon: The First Presbyterian Church at 50 Liberty St., just over the Fishkill Creek, and the Salem Tabernacle church, which is located at 7 Delavan Ave., just past Mavis Tire off of Route 52.

If you care to see the visual of the flyers, you can in two articles at the Highlands Current: this one from Beacon, and this most recent one of vandalism on someone’s home in Nelsonville this week.

After the flyers were posted at the First Presbyterian Church, according to an article by Brian Cronin in the Highlands Current, Pastor Ben Larson-Wolbrink held up the flyer to his congregation, and said that it was not consistent with Jesus’ teaching to love and serve each other. According to the article, the Presbyterian congregation - which is normally silent during sermons - responded with a hearty “Amen.”

Pastor Ben (as he is known here in Beacon) smiled and chuckled at this out-of-character - but appreciated - outburst: “That’s something Presbyterians really don’t do,” he said with a smile.

The churches are not the only place the flyers showed up. They have been posted to Marist, Vassar, and Dutchess Community College. According to Brian’s reporting, on October 8, 2018, a man in a hooded shirt and rubber gloves was hanging anti-Semitic flyers at Marist College. He was confronted by police. The posters, according to Brian, say that they are sponsored by a local book club, which the Anti-Defamation League identifies as “small crews of young white men who follow and support” a person who started the neo-Nazi group referred to in the beginning of this article.

As reported by Michael Turton today in the Highlands Current, the Nelsonville home of a person of Jewish heritage was vandalized, with a swastika spray-painted onto their under-construction home. In his article, Michael quoted Rabbi Brent Spodek in advising how to cover these types of events: “Rabbi Brent Spodek of the Beacon Hebrew Alliance said he felt it was important for the media to cover anti-Semitic acts but that the focus should not be on whether the suspects are caught. The more important question, he said, is, ‘Where do average people in Nelsonville, Beacon and America stand be in these moments of fear?’ When hate crimes occur, he said, ‘there is no neutral.’ ”

Michael also reported this quote from the Nelsonville Mayor Bill O’Neill: “This hateful vandalism is outrageous and heartbreaking.” According to Michael’s article, the mayor “noted that village residents have expressed revulsion over the incident as well as support for our neighbors who have been subjected to this mindless act.”

According to Brian’s article, Mayor Randy Casale of Beacon said in a “swift” statement after the Beacon postings: “Hate has no place in our community, which is proudly a home to all faiths and backgrounds. This type of behavior will not be tolerated. We are stronger when we work together.”

One Beacon Presents: "Light in the Darkness of Racism & Anti-Semitism"

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This evening, One Beacon will be hosting a special interfaith event at The Salem Tabernacle at 7 Delavan Ave. in Beacon, from 6 to 9 pm. Clergy in Beacon planned this event almost two weeks ago as a response to racism and anti-Semitism in our local area.

“When this event was being planned, we had no idea that the topic would continue to be more urgent, as we saw with the mass shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue last weekend,” said Jacolyn Dandreano, the Office Administrator for the Salem Tabernacle, who is also the pastor Reverend Bill Dandreano’s wife.

The event will include time for dinner together (many will be fasting until dinner on Thursday) as well as reflections and exhortations from several speakers from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities in Beacon, in addition to Mayor Randy Casale.

Speakers include:

  • Pastor Bill Dandreano of Salem Tabernacle

  • Pastor Ben Larson-Wolbrink of First Presbyterian Church

  • Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek of Beacon Hebrew Alliance

  • Imam Abdullah Abdul Wajid of Masjid Ar-Rashid

  • Pastor Ronald O. Perry of Springfield Baptist Church will be in attendance but will not be speaking.

No sign-up or donation is necessary to attend. Salem Tabernacle is providing the food and venue, and childcare will be available for children ages 9 and under.

InterFaith Alliances And Support Shown In Beacon

Some clergy in Beacon met at the Beacon Hebrew Alliance on Sunday in order to show support to the Jewish community before they headed off to their own services. “Our pastor, Reverend Bill Dandreano, related that many were overwhelmed to the point of tears by the comfort this simple act provided,” said Jacolyn in an email to A Little Beacon Blog. From the event’s postcard:

“One Beacon calls on people of all faith and good conscience to come together to acknowledge our collective capacity for racism, anti-Semitism, as evidenced by the recent flyer attack in Dutchess County.”

Learn more about this event on their Facebook page.

Writerly Happenings: Growing Local Community of Writers and Readers - November 2018

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Hi There, Reading Anything Good These Days? 

It’s Phoebe here - kicking off this column with what everybody is reading here at A Little Beacon Blog before we dive into the second installment in this new column, Writerly Happenings.

I just returned Peter Carey’s new “A Long Way From Home” to the library without getting too far, though he’s usually a favorite. Now I’m starting “The Glitch” by Elizabeth Cohen, which passed me by when it was published in 2012, but I’ve heard good things. 

Katie is reading edible Hudson Valley’s Fall issue about the secret hotel created by an app developer of luxury cars (what?!). He wouldn’t even let them take full photos - all secret photos.

Marilyn, our Managing Editor, is actually blogging about her yoga teacher training experience at her blog, Ink and Coffee.

Catherine, our Editor of the Art Gallery Guide, is reading science. Science! Actually it’s Anatomy this week. She is back in school to be a nurse.

Speaking of good things, here’s the second installment of this new A Little Beacon Blog Guide to Writerly Happenings. Every couple of weeks I round up the best events happening in our growing local community of writers and readers and the people who love them.

WRITERLY HAPPENINGS IN BEACON & COLD SPRING

On Wednesday, November 7, Binnacle’s Book Club meets from 7 to 8 pm at Denning's Point Distillery to discuss “Lake Success,” by Gary Shteyngart. If you are going and want to buy the book at Binnacle, you get 10% off this title. I’m sorry to have missed the reading of “The Seas,” by Samantha Hunt, on Wednesday the 24th, but staying tuned for more events to come.

The littlest Halloweenies and literary types might love the storytime and costume contest at Split Rock Books in Cold Spring on Sunday the 28th with David Quinn, author of “Go To Sleep, Little Creep.” Grown-ups should check out local author and journalist Virginia Sole-Smith’s reading from her first book, “The Eating Instinct” - described as “a personal and deeply reported exploration of how we learn to eat in today's toxic food culture,” on Saturday, November 10, from 7 to 8 pm.

Get Lit Beacon has its monthly writer salon at Oak Vino on Sunday, November 11. Featured speaker will be notable author Leland Cheuk. Get Lit offers an option for any writer to read their own stuff, so you should also sign up to read some of your work. And - they made T-Shirts! So far you can only buy them at the event, so go. Last month featured a very engaging professional storyteller explain how to tell a story, as well as local journalists Brian Cronin of the Highlands Current, and Katie of A Little Beacon Blog.

On Tuesday, November 13, poets from Ruth Danon’s Live Writing workshops take over Quinn’s for a reading of their work. We’ll be back with an update once the Facebook event page is up. 

Beacon’s new Poet Laureate, who has not yet been announced, will be inducted on Tuesday, November 20, at the Beacon Library in the Community Room from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. 

OPEN MIC NIGHTS THAT LITERARY TYPES MIGHT LIKE

For monthly musical open mic nights, check out The Falcon Underground in Marlboro, the Wherehouse in Newburgh, the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon and Fiesta Friday in Poughkeepsie.

Calling All Poets is having an open mic night at the Towne Crier in Beacon on Thursday, October 15, and on Friday, November 2, at its First Friday reading series up in New Paltz at Roost (the open mic on Friday, December 7, will feature Beacon local Ruth Danon).

FARTHER AFIELD 

Rough Draft Bar & Books hosts a reading on Tuesday, October 30, with local author John Langan reading from his horror novel set near the Ashokan Reservoir. Sounds scary and also totally worth a trip to Kingston.

We are prepared to tailgate to hear Roxane Gay discuss her book “Bad Feminist” on Wednesday, November 7, at Vassar. And we might have to because it’s first-come, first-serve to get in. Get your elbows ready!

And we are super excited that former Beacon resident Jon Beacham is back in the Hudson Valley and has opened The Brother In Elysium Books. This Tivoli bookstore had its grand opening at the end of September, a poetry reading earlier this month and in addition to focusing on poetry, literature, art, design, photography and film, also carries used and out-of-print books, actively buys books and “is also home to The Brother In Elysium publishing imprint and letterpress studio.”

We’ll see you back here in a couple weeks with more upcoming events. Tell us where to go and what to read in the meantime, if you like. phoebe@alittlebeaconblog.com

New Women's Volleyball League On Wednesday Nights at Rombout Middle School

This just in!

There’s a new Women’s Wednesday Night Volleyball League happening at the Rombout Middle School Gym from October 2018 through May 2019.

According to a press release from the Beacon Recreation Department, there are existing teams, and they are looking for an eighth team. New players are welcome. We have a few questions about this development, and are finding out more. When we do, we’ll post it here! So come back and refresh this article every now and then.

Day/Time: Wednesdays, 6:30 to 9 pm

Questions? Email these folks: Mark Price at the Beacon Recreation Department - mprice@cityofbeacon.org - or Joanna Matias, jmatias8@optonline.net.

The Spirit in the Spirit of Beacon Day 2018 - Pictures from the Day of "Unity in Community"

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Everyone has their first Spirit of Beacon Day experience. If you moved here recently and didn’t know about it before, you may have woken up on Sunday morning to a lot of excited commotion, with a frenzy of people setting up tables and coordinating with one another on Main Street.

The Spirit of Beacon Day is one of the biggest efforts put on by the people of Beacon to strengthen the community of Beacon. If you just moved here from another place that didn’t really have a strong sense of community, then this feeling might be new for you, and you will most likely love it. The spell of the community is part of what you felt when you visited Beacon for the first time, and fell so unexpectedly in love with it.

Pictures of the Spirit of Beacon Day are below. But first, a brief history for those who have newly moved here or are newly interested in Beacon -because I hear the FAQs, and “What is the Spirit of Beacon Day” is an FAQ I hear often!

What Is The Spirit of Beacon Day?

The Spirit of Beacon Day festivities started in Beacon in 1977 as a call to mend a broken relationship between the youth of Beacon, and the schools and surrounding community. Well documented by the Beacon Historical Society’s book titled "Celebrating Our Centennial," in the winter and early spring of 1977, "racial problems became severe" for several days and nights. City leaders decided to meet several times to discuss the issues that were causing unrest. Organizers included a representative from the FBI's Community Relations office, Dutchess County Youth Bureau, then-Mayor Robert Cahill, local legislators, City Council, local churches, and representatives from youth-focused organizations like Beacon City School District, the Howland Public Library, the Beacon Community Center, and others.

It was decided that there would be a Community Day aimed at bringing the people of the city together in order to "get to know one another better, learn what each other liked, [via] conversation, feelings, entertainment, education and food." And so the Spirit of Beacon Day was born. Here are some pictures from over the years.

2018 Marked a New Year for Spirit of Beacon Day

This is an event put on by the people, and not an official sponsored City of Beacon event. The organizers usually were behind the scenes, sought very little recognition, and for the most part, the majority of Beaconites didn’t know who they were. That is, until the longtime organizers decided to retire from the role in 2017 (don’t worry - they didn’t really retire).

This prompted a new group to say: “Wait! What? No! The Spirit must go on! We will help!” And so the Spirit of Beacon Day has continued, under new leadership, with the help of the former leaders. The Spirit of Beacon Day has a new website to help get the word out, new megaphones, and new T-shirts to help people know what’s going on during the day. This year, the motto on the T-shirts was: “Without Unity There Is No Community!”

Your Spirit of Beacon Day 2018 In Pictures

There are so many photographable moments. Here are a few we found or captured. As for the schools, the PTA/PTO/PTSO is usually behind the production of designing and building each school’s parade contribution. It’s a challenging job to come back to, just after summer break - to dive into a big float-making project! But they do it each year (I’ve been a part of it for the past two years with South Avenue).

South Avenue Elementary School

Representing the parade theme of “Celebrating Unity” by celebrating our differences and beauty in the the moments when we become one, together, despite our differences. The Hudson River flows in two opposite directions, yet is one river. The fish and other wildlife make up one ecosystem, just as we do in Beacon!

J. V. Forrestal Elementary

These cutie pies from J. V. Forrestal Elementary all got together on Family Fun Nights at the school to make an underwater world, full of jellyfish and flowing lace.

Photo Credit: J.V. Forrestal PTSO and Gate House Realty

Sargent Elementary

It’s rainbows and unicorns at Sargent Elementary! And they shared some behind-the-scenes photos of how those magical balloon arches got made.

Photo Credit: Sargent Elementary PTO

Glenham Elementary

The kids of Glenham Elementary drew their pictures, cut out their handprints, and hung them together to symbolize togetherness rooted in the world.

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Walking down Main Street after the parade, the street was alive with options. The Spirit of Beacon Day is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the various community organizations, so you and/or your kids can get involved.

Let’s take a look at a few scenes from the day!

The Beacon Players, which is the theatre club of the Beacon High School. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Players, which is the theatre club of the Beacon High School. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Highlands Current, a local newspaper based in Cold Spring that is devoted to covering Beacon as well. Beacon beat reporter Jeff Simms usually writes the Beacon articles and this day is representing at the newspaper’s table. Photo Credit: Katie H…

The Highlands Current, a local newspaper based in Cold Spring that is devoted to covering Beacon as well. Beacon beat reporter Jeff Simms usually writes the Beacon articles and this day is representing at the newspaper’s table. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Historical Society. Without them, we wouldn’t know the many iterations of what Beacon’s community has been like, as it changes over generations as different people migrate to and from here, from all over. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Mart…

The Beacon Historical Society. Without them, we wouldn’t know the many iterations of what Beacon’s community has been like, as it changes over generations as different people migrate to and from here, from all over. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Fire Department. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Fire Department. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Police Department. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Police Department. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Beacon Elks Club. It’s that brick building on Wolcott Ave. that Frequently offers line dancing and car shows!

The Beacon Elks Club. It’s that brick building on Wolcott Ave. that Frequently offers line dancing and car shows!

The Mt. Beacon Eight. A group dedicated to sharing the story of the eight veterans who died when their plane crashed into Mt. Beacon, after they had survived many war battles. A Little Beacon Blog wrote about them here.

The Mt. Beacon Eight. A group dedicated to sharing the story of the eight veterans who died when their plane crashed into Mt. Beacon, after they had survived many war battles. A Little Beacon Blog wrote about them here.

Animal Rescue Foundation, located along the Fishkill Creek, off of Wolcott avenue as you head out of town. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Animal Rescue Foundation, located along the Fishkill Creek, off of Wolcott avenue as you head out of town. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The Salvation Army, located near Beacon Pantry. Photo Credit: The Salvation Army Beacon

The Salvation Army, located near Beacon Pantry. Photo Credit: The Salvation Army Beacon

The Sisters of Strength S.O.S. They are an outreach ministry affiliated with the Springfield Baptist Church, making a difference for other organizations like the Salvation Army Beacon and others.

The Sisters of Strength S.O.S. They are an outreach ministry affiliated with the Springfield Baptist Church, making a difference for other organizations like the Salvation Army Beacon and others.

Photo Credit: Humans of Beacon

Photo Credit: Humans of Beacon

Kids from Compass Arts’ Rompatom class playing music. Photo Credit: Screenshot from video from Angela Helland.

Kids from Compass Arts’ Rompatom class playing music. Photo Credit: Screenshot from video from Angela Helland.

Yanarella School of Dance performance. Photo Credit: Yanarella School of Dance

Watch the video below produced by the City of Beacon:

SEEKING STATEMENTS FOR ARTICLE: Float Themes for Spirit of Beacon Day Parade

If you are an organizer of a float or presentation that is participating in the Spirit of Beacon Day Parade, we would like to hear from you about the meaning of your float in keeping with this year's theme. If you would like to provide a statement about how your organization is showing how it is "Celebrating Unity," please email your statement to editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com.

Thank you!

$400K Grant Awarded for Music and World Language Programs for Beacon City School District

Photo Credit: Beacon City School District's Website. Photograph by Dawn Sela.

Photo Credit: Beacon City School District's Website. Photograph by Dawn Sela.

The Beacon City School District was busy this summer. According to Beacon's Superintendent Matthew Landahl, the Beacon City School District was awarded a $400,000 grant from the New York State Education Department to "expand the instrumental music program and to offer an additional world language program at the secondary level" said Dr. Landahl. Parent involvment influenced the results of this grant. “Both aspects of this grant were deeply influenced by community input through either surveys or community conversations that took place last year,” confirmed Dr. Landahl.

The grant money will be implemented over the next two school years, and will pay for:

  • instructional staff salaries

  • materials and supplies

  • professional development to both expand the instrumental music program and to begin an additional world language program.

Music Program Expanded for 4th Graders

Third grade students receive a special musical experience called The Calico Ball, courtesy of the Beacon Arts and Education Fund (BAEF) which was innitiated by Pete Seeger years ago. This dance residency is for every 3rd grader in the Beacon City Public School District. After weeks of practice, a performance happens in the Beacon High School at the end of the school year.

This newest grant provides an easier continuation of music to the 4th grade. According to Dr. Landahl: “The music portion of the grant will allow us to expand our instrumental music program into the 4th grade this year. We are working on hiring the teacher and the 4th grade program will be in place later this fall. The grant pays for the teacher's salary for a year and all of the materials, supplies, and most important instruments to get the program going.”

Mandarin Might Be Coming To Beacon Schools

Beacon currently offers Spanish as a world language that is taught in school. This grant will bring Mandarin closer to the classroom. “The grant is for us to offer Mandarin in the 2019-2020 school year. A key part of the grant is that it allows us to explore the best ways to do this for a year before we implement the following year. If we are not able to offer Mandarin, we will explore offering a different language. The grant pays for a year of a teacher's salary and all of the materials and supplies to get the new program going.”

Dr. Landahl gave a special thanks to Assistant Superintendent Cecilia Dansereau-Rumley for "heading up the effort," according to his article on the Beacon City School District's website.

The grant was part of a larger one totaling $28.5 million, awarded to 38 school districts across New York State as part of the Student Support and Academic Enrichment federal grant program. Read more about that here.

Beacon Team Wins Battle of the Books - A Multi-County High School Reading Competition

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The finals at this year's High School Battle of the Books on Saturday, August 18, 2018, culminated in a tight battle between kids from Beacon and teens representing neighboring libraries: Cold Spring and Wappingers. "The three-round final ended with Cold Spring and Beacon in a tie. Everyone was on the edge of their seats when the two teams met for the tie-breaking round," according to the press release from the Howland Public Library. Beacon answered the tie-breaking question correctly to become the 2018 Mid-Hudson Library System's third annual High School Battle of the Books champion.

Battle of the Books is a national summer reading program for middle- and high-school students in the five-county region of the Mid-Hudson Library System. The program began in 2005 as a way to encourage middle school students to read during the summer. In 2016, the program was extended to reach high school students as well. Congratulations to Butterfield Library's team, The Evil Latin Teachers, who were the second-place winners, and to Grinnell Green Grapes, who took home third place.    

Beacon Team Is Two-Time Champions, Five-Time Winners!

This is the Beacon team's second championship at the high school level, and their fifth win overall since the competition began in 2005. This year, 13 public libraries in the Mid-Hudson Library System's five counties (Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia, Ulster, and Greene) competed in this nationally recognized literature contest in which teens answer trivia questions based on books they read over the summer.

Individual library teams worked through the summer with their coaches to prepare for this final regional battle. Mini-battles were played throughout the summer to practice for the big event. Over 60 students in grades 9-12 participated, while coaches, family, and friends cheered them on. "The teams all proved to be winners when it came to knowledge, team spirit, and good sportsmanship," according the Howland Library's press release.

Join Next Year’s Battle of the Books Team

To find out when the Howland Public Library is recruiting for next year’s time for both Middle and High School age kids, subscribe to their newsletter and to A Little Beacon Blog’s newsletter. We usually put information like that in our Kids Classes Guide, as a helpful reminder of signup dates.

Special Thank You from The Howland Public Library

A message from the Howland Public Library:

A big thank you to the host venue, SUNY Ulster and Matt Pavloff, HS BOB chairperson. Congratulations to all of the volunteers and families who came out to support the teams, and the coaches and librarians who worked so hard throughout the year to make this special event possible.

The Howland Public Library team would like to give a special shout out to Harry Thorne for his help coaching the team and the Friends of the Howland Public Library who generously sponsor the Beacon team every year. Last but not least, many thanks to Pizza and Stuff for keeping the team's hungry minds fed all summer.