Yes, it is snowing right now, but it DOES snow every April in a mega dump, so if this is it, that is good! A few years ago, two or three years in a row, an April (snow) shower wiped out the magnolia trees. They just started opening this year. Fingers crossed this is it for snow!
PS: Can you guess where this picture was taken?
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Wine and liquor stores in Dutchess County are required by law to close at 7 pm, as we discussed with Artisan Wine Shop when we discovered Artisan’s petition asking for extended hours. Wine shops in surrounding counties are able to stay open longer, but thanks in part to some liquor stores fighting years ago to keep a short leash on the closing time, the 7 pm law has remained in effect for Dutchess County. This law is being challenged on Thursday, April 4, by a new resolution authored by Dutchess County Legislator Frits Zernike and co-authored by Dutchess County Legislator Nick Page. The resolution proposes that stores be able to stay open until 9 pm. Frits will present the resolution tonight at the April 4 Legislative Committee Meeting, which is open to the public to attend and voice opinion.
“Dutchess County, for all its advances in recent years, remains a backward place,” said Frits to A Little Beacon Blog via email. “Our opening hours are the most restrictive in the state, and we lose business to neighboring counties with less antediluvian laws because of them.” In the past, county representatives from Beacon, including Jerry Landisi, have challenged this law. “Similar resolutions have been introduced in the past, and have never made it out of committee,” said Frits.
The resolution that Frits is proposing today requests that wine and liquor stores “be permitted from 9 am to 9 pm on weekdays, as well as on New Year's, Memorial, Independence, Labor, and Thanksgiving days, and on the day before Thanksgiving, December 18-24, and New Year's Eve,” as stated in the resolution he authored.
In April 2015, the City of Beacon created its own resolution to show support for extended open hours, and it was signed by nearly all of Beacon’s City Council at that time: Charles P. Kelly, Pamela Wetherbee, Ali T. Muhammad, Lee Kyriacou, George Mansfield, and Mayor Randy Casale (Peggy Ross was absent for the vote). But the law was never able to be changed.
The reason seems to reside with stores located (more) upstate. Said Frits: “[The lack of change] seems to be because liquor store owners up county, in Poughkeepsie and beyond, are fearful of what expanded hours would mean. As they see it, they'd have to stay open later, never seeing their families, and face the certain prospect of being robbed after dark. There are various holes in those arguments, but in the past they've prevailed.”
This line of thinking was displayed in a letter submitted when this law was being challenged several years ago, from a wine and liquor store owner in Lagrangeville, NY. From the supporting documents, the letter reads: “Has anyone taken into consideration the already long hours that my family works and how this proposal will just increase our work hours and shorten our family time? Has anyone thought to think of the increased overhead this will create for our already struggling businesses? And finally has anyone thought of the increase in crime and burglaries that may occur if stores are allowed to stay open past 7 pm?”
The store owner went on to say in the 2015 letter: “You will be taking business away from us that would just come back to us the next day. The law to allow stores to open on Sundays has done nothing but take away from family time for our business. It has simply spread our sales out that we would have made on Saturday and Monday.”
In his support of longer hours, Frits point out that stores are not mandated to stay open longer. “Expanded hours won't force anybody to do anything; they'll just offer greater opportunity. Stores that wish will be able to stay open until 9 pm. Those wanting to close earlier can.”
Frits has written this logic into his proposed resolution, which reads: “WHEREAS concerns about crime, lost or increased business and revenue, as well as quality of life issues arising from decisions regarding hours of operation are best resolved by individual business owners, rather than subject to legislative regulation or edict.”
Artisan’s petition is in support of this resolution. Artisan Wine Shop has amassed more than 200 signatures from customers who do want longer shopping hours, who may not necessarily simply return the next day. Beacon is a commuter city, where many people are just beginning to arrive home at 7 pm. Shops who close at 6 or 7 often leave commuters shopping on the weekends if at all.
Beaconites often head off on day trips out of Beacon and may or may not be able to hit up wine stores in Beacon to stock up on bottles for the week if they can’t shop after 7 pm during the week. Wine shops outside of Beacon may benefit, however, as people are doing errands on Route 9 and are in other towns on day trips.
Editor’s Note: there are other wine shops in Beacon, and should we get input from them, we will update this article. Usually this requires us visiting them in person.
This resolution proposing a longer open time will be presented on Thursday, April 4, 2019 at a Committee Meeting at 5:30 pm in the County Legislature chambers. That location is at 22 Market St., 6th Floor, in Poughkeepsie. Members of the public are invited to speak on agenda items at the meeting. There is a three-minute time limit for each individual's comments.
Residents who want their voices heard about this issue are encouraged to email the general legislature email: CountyLegislature@DutchessNY.gov
Will the law change this time? Allowing wine and liquor stores to stay open past 7 pm? When the rest of retail locations like bars, breweries, beer stores and gas stations that sell beer are open long into the night? Stay tuned!
It’s Bingo Night (adults only) at Hudson Valley Brewery on Thursday, May 2, from 7 to 10 pm, an event to raise money for playground improvements at JV Forrestal Elementary, hosted by that school’s PTSO. According to the poster, there will be raffles! and fun! If you’ve ever been to a school fundraiser at the brewery, you’ll remember that the raffle is no joke. It’s one you want to enter and buy more than one bingo card for.
Kids in all of Beacon’s elementary schools love their outdoor recess and playground time, and it is with the support of the community that these playgrounds grow to add new equipment, landscaping, outdoor teaching opportunities, and more. All are welcome to attend and participate 0 this is not limited to JV Forrestal Elementary families!
P.S.: This poster was designed by the talented Steven Blumenthal, who is a dad at JV Forrestal, and is the designer behind the new sign on our building (the Telephone Building), as well as the designer behind Beacon Made, illustrations at Club Draw, and other images you may recognize.
This event has been added to A Little Beacon Blog’s Beacon Public School’s Opportunities Guide. There are some opportunities that involve no money at all.
Ticket price: $10 in advance/$15 at the door
Ticket price includes one bingo card
Additional bingo cards available for purchase
Information >
All Sport Health and Fitness has teamed with Compassionate Animal Rescue Efforts (C.A.R.E. of Dutchess County) to bring the community a special Puppy Yoga and Adoption Day and it was a huge success. “We had such a demand that we added a second session - that sold out, too! - and raised some funds for the C.A.R.E. of Dutchess County organization,” said Ashley Valitutto, marketing manager for All Sport. “We know that some lucky doggies found forever homes, and the day was full of smiles and puppy kisses.”
Puppy Yoga was led by Mind Body director Megan Wiley for two 30-minute sessions. The all-levels yoga class allowed participants to practice their downward dog pose while getting puppy kisses and seeing wagging tails. The puppies get some much-needed socialization, and attendees got a unique way to brighten up their day and exercise routine for the day.
In addition to Puppy Yoga, All Sport will continue to have a table in their lobby all month long for collecting pet goods to support the animals at the rescue. Some of the items being collected are Purina Pro-Plan puppy food, puppy and dog toys, Wee-Wee pads, blankets, and other basic needs for operation.
Compassionate Animal Rescue Efforts of Dutchess County (C.A.R.E. of D.C.) is a “No Kill” non-profit pet adoption agency formed in 2016. Founder Karen LeCain established C.A.R.E. of D.C. after many years of successful animal rescue and placement. Karen has dedicated her life to ensure that all animals are given a chance at life, whether they’re found sick and afraid, injured, or abandoned. She is takes great care in properly selecting the right applicants for the animals being adopted to ensure the best fit with the pet’s health, well-being, and happiness.
To learn more about CARE of DC, please visit their website at careofdc.org, or call them at (845) 240-4862.
All Sport Health & Fitness is located in the Village of Fishkill. To learn more, please call (845) 896-5678 or visit www.allsporthealthandfitness.com.
Photo Credits: All Sport Health & Fitness.
Photo Credits: Wee Play Community Project
Going on now is prep work for the annual Ree Play Sale, from the Wee Play Community Project, one of the best affordable kid stuff weekend sales around. The best part? Your purchases of kid stuff go directly to funding kid spaces in Beacon, including the playgrounds at the public parks, as well as some programming at the Library and Rec Center by way of the Blue Blocks Project and Lego Club. The Wee Play Project was started many years ago by volunteering parents, and continues today as the torch is passed from graduating parents to younger parents.
The first way to help and get involved is to donate your stuff. Collection for this yearly event is going on now - so this is your chance. Bring your stuff to the University Settlement Camp: 724 Wolcott Avenue. (This is also the location of the Beacon Pool and Frisbee golf - but up the dirt road, just beyond it.)
If getting your stuff together now is overwhelming, either take the plunge, and then start a pile in your attic or basement that you put things in over the year. This makes getting all of your Ree Play stuff really easy.
If you’ve got nothing to donate, another way you can be involved is to bake, or shop. Shopping is the easiest! But sorting through everything is really important, and the best time to make new friends. The actual sale is Friday to Sunday, April 26, 27, 28.
Trauma Note: To not traumatize your kids that you are now purging all of their old clothes, toys, games, dolls, sports stuff, etc., involve them in the process. “Stuff” can be emotional. Explain where the things are going. Give them the option to donate, or to keep. As they know, the room can fill up, and the only way to make room for new treasures is to give your treasure to someone else, or keep it in a forever place in your house. It might be exciting to think that their old plastic basketball hoop will help buy a new swing at Memorial or Green Street Park.
New parents often want to meet new people and build their community, and bringing your stuff to the Ree Play sale is a great way to do that. If you have nothing to donate, you could sort. It’s easy, no pressure, sorting clothes into piles, or shoes onto shelves, or games into a lineup. Plus, if you sort, you might get first dibs on purchasing new/old stuff.
Most of the times to donate or volunteer are announced on Instagram or Facebook. If you’re not on Facebook, then Instagram would be the best way for you to see times that they post. Most donation and sorting times are volunteer-based. In other words, sorting can only happen if someone has volunteered to be there. Maybe that’s you!
Lots of what you have seen outside in Beacon’s parks has had an injection of Ree Play Sale cash to support it. The most recent project is the Wee Woods. This is a mini woods-within-woods scene behind the playground at Memorial Park, designed by One Nature with community input. There are natural playthings, like logs and willow arches.
Follow Wee Play’s Instagram or Facebook for updates. They do have a newsletter, which you could subscribe to here. If making newsletters is your thing, volunteer to send theirs a bunch!
Don’t wait on this. Donate your stuff today or this week!
Every April 1st, the locks change on the gates of Beacon’s Dog Park, which overlooks Memorial Park and Ron’s Ice Cream along Fishkill Avenue. Ever evolving, the Beacon Dog Park has changed things up by adding online registration, and introducing a new partnership with Brett’s Hardware for the keys.
The 2019 registration process has changed in two important ways this year:
The application process has moved online, and
There is a new process for distributing keys and membership tags to the park.
To provide added convenience and enhance member experience, the registration process has moved online to www.beacondogpark.org/membership.
All dogs must meet the basic requirements of the park, meaning that they must be:
spayed or neutered
have a current rabies vaccination
licensed in their home municipality
never have acted in an aggressive or threatening way toward other dogs or people.
Prospective members can complete an application, upload required documents, and provide payment all through the park's website. Full-year membership for an owner and one dog is $55, plus $10 for each additional pup. All major credit/debit cards will be accepted. Membership fees provide the operating funds for the park. Members will get a confirmation email when their application has been approved.
There is a new process for distributing keys and membership tags to the park. Each year, members of the dog park are provided with a key to the park gate and a membership tag that their dog must wear while in the park. For 2019, they are introducing a new key distribution partner, Brett's Hardware in Beacon.
Members can pick up keys and tags at Brett's Hardware during regular business hours. Key/tag distributors won't be able to review applications or process payments on site. Please apply online before going to pick up keys and tags.
Beacon Dog Park was voted the 2018 Best Dog Park in Hudson Valley by Hudson Valley Magazine. The dog park provides the residents of Beacon and the surrounding area a place to come play with and exercise their dog(s) that’s safe, secure, and enjoyable. The Friends of Beacon Dog Park is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that maintains the community-funded Beacon Dog Park.
Visit beacondogpark.org for more information.
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Prior to today’s water main break, Beacon had a sewer main break on February 24, 2019, as first reported by the Highlands Current, releasing thousands of gallons of partially treated sewage near Fishkill Creek in Beacon, according to state officials mentioned in the article. Drinking water supplies were not impacted, according to the article.
In May of 2018 a sewer line broke under Main Street and Tioronda Avenue in Beacon, causing waste to back up into the basements of some shops, and the closure of Main Street in that section during repair.
According to reporter Jeff Simms of the Highlands Current in a March 15, 2019 article: “Aging infrastructure — in many cases dating back a century or longer — is a major challenge for municipalities around the country. Because miles of pipe rest, in some cases, a dozen feet or more underground, repairs or replacement is expensive. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates it will cost $271 billion over the next 25 years to upgrade the nation’s wastewater infrastructure. And, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 95 percent of that spending will be at the local level.”
On March 4th, 2019, Beacon’s City Council voted to approve monies being spent on upgrading water and sewer systems.
During the March 4 City Council meeting, City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero delivered a report on actions the City of Beacon is taking to repair February’s sewer main break. He also indicated that precautionary steps would be taken, with the city preemptively inspecting more pipe. From his report, for those who like details on how something is fixed, this a breakdown of what went on underground after the break. At ground-level, it’s easy to see a road get split, and then patched. But what goes on underground? Anthony breaks it out:
“Tam Enterprises was called in to install a bypass pump to relieve the sewer main to stop the overflow, which it did. City staff excavated the main, and found the top half of the pipe had eroded, leaving the top section of the pipe brittle. We determined that at this point they bypass through the night and requested that Tam return the next day and evaluate the condition of the pipe and begin emergency repair.
“Tam televised the section of the pipe that was being bypassed, and found remaining sections of the pipe in the same condition as the collapse, so upon further inspection it was determined that three manhole sections were deteriorated, so it looked like it was a larger section, which we were afraid of.
“Currently Tam is in the process of replacing 100 feet of the 14” pipe with 15” plastic sewer drain pipe. So we’re upgrading it to modern standards. They have been alternating use of the bypass by replacing the sewer main. The Water Department Staff has replaced 25 feet of 4” cast-iron pipe with the new 4” ductile iron pipe and replaced the water connections to 150 Wilson Street. Tam is setting up a road bridge at the intersection of Round Tree and Liberty to allow traffic flow.
“Once the new pipe is installed and the manholes are set, the remaining 14” ACP will be slip-lined to prevent any further collapse. Since this is not a standard size, we’ve had to order this. It is a three-week lead time, which we are already one week in. So hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will have this material.
“Also, I’ve instructed the Water and Sewer Department for any of this type of ACP pipe that we may have out there for us to TV to see how they are holding up, as a precaution. We are taking immediate actions and steps on this, and it will be resolved in the next couple weeks.”
After the City Administrator gave his report at the March 4 City Council meeting, the Mayor contributed to the conversation as monies are spent to upgrade aging infrastructure:
“It is not unique to see a pipe collapse in any one of the communities. We are upgrading and we have spent a lot of money on our sewer system over the last seven or eight years, and we will continue to spend that money to upgrade the sewer and water system. We are putting an Asset Management Plan together, which will hopefully put us in a position to do some planning ahead to be job-ready to get grants to upgrade them.
“This is not unique to any old city along the Hudson River. If anybody believes it is, they are living in Fairy Land. Read the Newburgh paper, see how many collapses they had right across the river. Read the Poughkeepsie paper. Read down in Yonkers. It happens all over, from New York City to Albany because everyone has an old infrastructure because the taxpayers couldn’t afford to dig up every pipe and put new pipe. They’ve been in the ground for 100 years.
“We’re working at it. As we get more income, we’ll do a better job at it. And we will continue to work at it. I want the public to know that. If they think that this situation was done through development, the last I looked at this City, there hasn’t been a lot of development up in that area.
“I know people want to blame it on development, but development hasn’t caused the problem. What has caused the problem is that the pipes have been in the ground for over 100 years, and nobody has put money into upgrading the infrastructure anywhere, throughout the United States. It’s one of the places the government puts the least amount of money - into infrastructure improvement. Pick up the national papers across the country. It’s not unique to this city.”
At that City Council meeting, the following resolutions regarding Water and Sewer Systems were passed.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
On Thursday morning in Beacon, a water main broke on Route 52 near Dunkin’ Donuts, causing traffic jams for the morning commute. One parent of middle schoolers at Rombout Middle School said she was stuck in traffic, and thought it was a result of the Beacon High School re-opening after Wednesday’s closure. But after learning about the water main break, she realized that could have been the problem.
“The road was closed from Prospect Avenue in Fishkill to Blackburn Avenue” (in Beacon, by Ron’s Ice Cream), confirmed Anthony Ruggiero, the City Administrator for Beacon. By 11:30 am, cars were being routed for one lane of traffic, and by 12 pm the road was open and the break fixed. The Beacon Highway Department was on it like bonnets to close up the street and sweep it.
The Barking Frog, located across the street and down the road a bit from Dunkin’ Donuts, was pleased with Beacon’s response, saying via A Little Beacon Blog’s Instagram: “Great job guys! We were so happy to be able to open this afternoon!!!!”
If you noticed low water pressure this morning, it was a result of the water main break, confirmed Anthony when we inquired. No one lost water, he added.
The City of Beacon gave an overview of water and sewer pipe infrastructure in Beacon, and the city’s current and future plans to upgrade it during the March 4, 2019, City Council meeting. You can read about that here in this article on A Little Beacon Blog. The article includes a breakdown of what was done to address the sewer pipe break back in February 2019.
On Tuesday, March 26, 2019, a case of C. diff (Clostridioides difficile) was confirmed at Beacon High School. C. diff can cause diarrhea or colitis. Said Beacon Schools’ Superintendent Matthew Landahl in a “robocall” message delivered by phone/email/text to parents on Tuesday: “We immediately consulted with the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health, who advised that we clean hard surfaces in the school this evening to help prevent the spread of this bacteria.”
The Beacon City School District contracted with ServPro to conduct the thorough cleaning. They used an EPA-approved cleaning agent specifically used to stop the spread of C. diff, according to Superintendent Landahl in his message to the community. “We are implementing this cleaning protocol out of an abundance of caution. Closing the high school for a day was our decision as a school district.”
You can learn more about C. diff here at the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) website. According to the CDC, “C. diff bacteria is commonly found in the environment, but most cases of C. diff occur while you’re taking antibiotics or not long after you’ve finished taking antibiotics. People on antibiotics are 7 to 10 times more likely to get C. diff while on the drugs and during the month after.” C. diff symptoms include “diarrhea, including loose, watery stools (poop) or frequent bowel movements for several days, fever, stomach tenderness or pain, loss of appetite, and nausea,” according to the CDC.
More C. diff risk factors presented by the CDC include:
age (more than 80% of C. diff deaths happen among those 65 and older)
complicated medical care and extended stays in healthcare settings, especially hospitals and nursing homes
certain antibiotics, such as fluoroquinolones
a weakened immune system
previous infection with C. diff or known exposure to the germs
Find that shoebox, clear out the Altoid tin, or build your own little container, and create a tiny world to be part of our Collaborative Immersive Art Experience in June. Deadline to apply is midnight, May 1st.
Inspired by Hitchcock’s Rear Window as well as the recent popularity of miniature diorama as an art form, Garrison Art Center invites artists of all ages to create dioramas to be included in the Art Center’s June Collaborative Immersive Art Experience.
These dioramas may represent the interior of a room, or any interior. They may be photorealistic or complete abstract fantasy. All materials are welcome, except perishable items or items that cause the diorama to exceed the weight limit of 5 pounds. Keep in mind, the interior will be lit from within to be viewed as if at night. The selected dioramas will be arranged in an urbanscape.
Please see the prospectus (at www.garrisonartcenter.org) for timeline, specifications and application details. Submissions that do not conform to the requirements on the prospectus will not be considered.
Click this link to fill out the entry form.
Garrison Art Center is located at 23 Garrison Landing, Garrison, NY, and can be reached at (845) 424-3960.
Photo Credit: Beacon Open Studios, Russell Cusick Gallery
Are you an artist? This is your last chance to register your studio to be an official Open Studio for the weekend of Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, 2019 for Beacon Open Studios. This is a citywide event in its 11th year, where the public gets to roam around all of the neighborhoods in search of artists they want to discover. We have written about the phenomenal event bunches of times here on the blog.
This free, citywide, weekend-long event has become one of the largest of its kind in the Hudson Valley. Artists are encouraged to put themselves out there to meet others, and get on the map - literally. Your studio will be on the map produced by Beacon Open Studios and distributed to business locations throughout Beacon, NY to help people find artists. You can see which artists have signed up so far on the BOS website.
This is one of A Little Beacon Blog's most favorite collaborative events of the year, and we are once again a proud sponsor.
Details & Register >
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Reception: Saturday, March 23, 5 to 8 pm
Artists Talk: Sunday, March 24, 2 pm
Space is limited, seats are reserved, please RSVP.
A catalog of the exhibit is available for purchase
HOURS:
Sunday, March 10, 12 to 5 pm
On view Saturdays & Sundays 12 to 6 pm
Through April 28
The Reading Room will be closed on Saturday, April 20 & Sunday, April 21 for Passover and Easter
Exhibits at No. 3 Reading Room & Photo Book Works are usually rare. Meaning, the material that you can look at or read could be a rare book that involves a delicate touch. Because of the sometimes-fragile nature of what is inside of No. 3 Reading Room, their blinds are usually drawn to protect the paper inside. The owners of the gallery, Paulette Myers-Rich and David Rich, are artists, and purchased the building in order to continue their life’s work. Inside are more than one letterpress, and tables with years - yes, years - worth of paint on them, as they are used as a painter’s palette so as to not discard the paint.
The exhibit this month, which opened on March’s Second Saturday and continues through the month into April, features David Rich’s work, and that of his friend, Clarence Morgan. It is work that was made 30 years ago that Clarence recently reexamined and worked back into, therefore it's both new and "old".
The exhibit features time, and offers a special reception as well as an Artists Talk this weekend, where you are invited to not only see the paintings in the gallery, and go upstairs to talk to the artist and see the incredible painting space.
While not expecting David’s painting space to be photographed, they did allow these photos to be taken to show you a rare glimpse into this painting world. On the tables is paint. Years’ worth of paint that David elected not to throw away. He uses the tables as his palette.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Here is an excerpt from No. 3 Reading Room & Photo Book Works’ description of the show:
Clarence Morgan and David Rich are painters who have worked for decades in both the studio and the classroom. Their devotion to painting and teaching brought them together decades ago in Minneapolis where they both arrived to work, teach and raise their families.
Longtime colleagues, Clarence and David were co-founders of what was known early on as the Painter’s Group, formed in Minneapolis in 1993 along with other local painters of various persuasions to generate dialogue exploring issues in contemporary painting. The purpose was not to critique each other, but to discuss the questions raised by their work and the possibilities for painting to address a range of concerns. Meeting in each other’s studio amongst peers, the ongoing conversations evolved organically and became a crucial source of discourse that was lacking outside academia at that time. It was an environment that was counter to the isolation of the studio and offered painters a space for the paintings to exist in a larger context.
Working overtime. Working over time. They sound the same, but connote different temporal states. Both apply to the painters and their works in this exhibit.
What does it mean to make a painting over time? What does devotion to one’s practice extended over a lifetime entail? To painters Clarence Morgan and David Rich, each in their sixth decade, time has become compressed, with a degree of urgency about its limitations and passage.
Yet both are known to, without reluctance or hesitation, revisit work done decades ago, to pick up their tools and search within both dimensions of painting and of time, of then and of now. Nothing is fixed, everything is up for grabs. Time collapses and the dialogue commences. As one day merges into the next, as each year melds into another, their work in the studio continues overtime and over time, yet is enacted in the here and now.
And in time, the paintings will be all that remain. Within the abstraction, the residual marks add up to signs and signals, visual occurrences and references. Old hands painting alongside younger selves, trains of thought picked up, clarified, informed and strengthened by years and years of working- a form of talking to one’s self, over time.
The resultant images become meditation devices, bold assertions or quiet murmurs of being, resolved, but not static, forces with lyrical movement residing within a compressed space, offering room for thought and for eyes to wander and explore. Within these paintings, time operates on its own schedule in relation to the viewer, offering first the immediate read, and then the slow reveal that rewards durational looking.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
UPDATE 4/4/2019: Artisan’s petition supports a resolution that Dutchess County Legislator Frits Zernike has authored, which requests that the law be changed to allow wine and liquor stores to remain open longer. Read more about that resolution - being presented on Thursday, April 4 - here.
If you’ve ever sauntered to Artisan Wine Shop on a summer evening, only to be met with a “Closed” sign at 7:30 pm, it’s not because they want to call it a night. Wine and liquor stores in Dutchess County are not allowed to stay open past 7 pm. Many people leaving their desk in New York City, Westchester County or Poughkeepsie (or anywhere else that involves extended commute times) often arrive home after 7 pm. Which means they are not able to shop for wine after 7 pm.
Currently, the hours of retail sale of wine and liquor in Dutchess County are restricted to 9 am to 7 pm on weekdays (defined as Monday to Saturday), and 9 am to 10 am on New Year’s, Memorial, Independence, Labor, and Thanksgiving days. You read that right - one hour on those holidays. “We usually don’t even open on Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, or the Fourth of July,” said a staff member from Artisan Wine Shop when A Little Beacon Blog called to confirm the one-hour holiday policy on those days.
People can, however, walk down to a wine bar, like Chill or Oak Vino, who can be open late into the night. Or, people could stop into a beer shop, like Beacon Craft Beer Shoppe next door to Key Food, to stock up on creatively brewed craft beer. People could decide to patronize any of the growing number of craft breweries in the area, like Two Way Brewing or Hudson Valley Brewing Company. While you’re at it, a person could even go to a whiskey distillery tasting room, like Dennings Point Distillery by Rite Aid, to sip a little and listen to live music late at night.
Crossroads Wine and Spirit in Fishkill asked local government to extend Open hours in 2014, as it was hurting their business to close at 7pm. They have since closed this location.
Wine and liquor stores have tried to change this in the past. Crossroads Wine and Spirit in Fishkill wrote an email in 2014 to local government, asking that it reconsider the early closing time, especially considering other counties in New York had later closing times. In 2015, a resolution went through Beacon, asking Dutchess County to reconsider the early closing time (see resolution PDFs here). From Beacon’s 2015 Resolution to Dutchess County:
“The City Council of the City of Beacon hereby requests the Dutchess County Board of Legislators recognize the current County liquor store closing hours create an inconvenience to County residents, visitors to the County and it is also detrimental to the business owners and taxpayers, as it forces dollars that would otherwise be spent in Duchess County to be spent elsewhere and that therefore, the hours of operation for liquor stores on Monday through Saturday be permitted to be from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm.”
Inside of Artisan Wine Shop.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Now it’s March 2019, and there is a stack of signatures on a petition on the counter at Artisan Wine Shop, asking Dutchess County to let wine and liquor shops stay open until at least 9 pm.
From Artisan Wine Shop’s petition, supporters from all over Dutchess County - not just Beacon - are encouraged to write to their county legislators, both to the General legislature email address, and to one’s own county legislator directly.
From the petition: “We're asking Dutchess County residents to email the Dutchess County Legislature to make the biggest impact. And please forward this to your family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances in the county (as many outside of Beacon as possible too!).“
Emails To Send Open Hour Extension Requests To:
General legislature address: CountyLegislature@DutchessNY.gov
For Beacon: fzernike@dutchessny.gov or npage@dutchessny.gov
Artisan Wine Shop is located at 180 Main Street, Beacon, NY. And they’re only open until 7 pm, so plan accordingly.
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The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
Dutchess County Helpline. Open 24/7 to take your calls, listen, and give you resources.
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Restorative Sound Bath with Shawn Feeney at Firefly Yoga
