The City of Beacon’s website updated again. Please use this link to access ALBB’s original reporting of the Emergency Alert System, which maintains updated links as they happen.
Last year we reported the new Opt-In requirement for cellphone notifications from the Emergency Alert System. There has now been another update to the website itself.
Visit, then bookmark, the city’s new link for Public Safety Alerts:
Did y’all notice that NOW 97.7 stopped playing Top 40 and started playing Country? You probably listen to Spotify, and this radio business is too old-school for you, but I for one do love listening to local radio in my car. The flipping around the stations for catching random songs cannot be beat. However, my kids are the boss of what we listen to (usually) and if it’s not Kidz Bop, it is/was 97.7. The raging debate for a while was if it was pronounced 97 “point” 7, or just plain 977 with no hyphen or dot. Apparently it was the latter!
But then, 97.7 as we know it disappeared. Country songs started coming out of those call letters in the first days of January 2020. This discovery was made in my older car, which has questionable, imprecise radio frequency, so I blamed it on that. Days later, I verified in my newer car, that indeed, country music was coming out of 97.7. Not that I don’t like country music. I like to line dance! But this was our Top 40 go-to spot on the FM dial.
Next, I verified the change with the 97.7 app. Yup. There, too, was the country. And now articles covering country celebrity gossip were in the news feed! As well as Hudson Valley headlines. The 97.7 app was still good for Hudson Valley headlines (as depressing as they could be, like when human remains are found behind a diner), which are now associated with the Hudson Valley Post. (Another not-great story that showed up when I looked at the station’s news: this one about New Paltz drinking water being contaminated.) It’s a less overwhelming place to go for headlines than Google News, though do keep going to your Google News, folks, as that source picks up A Little Beacon Blog headlines as well!
But finally, Wikipedia confirms the change, another step in the long and interesting history of WCZX 97.7. What this change really means for my family is… that I finally get to listen to K104.7 and WALL Radio - a move my son has protested against each time. But now we get to hear the celebrity headlines in the morning, and the mid-morning mashup of ‘90s songs. WALL Radio reads all of the political headlines. I’ll miss PopCrush Nights with Lisa Paige (hadn’t heard Kayla aka “KT” yet) that I would catch during Kid Pickup. Not sure where to find them again. I’ll still keep the 97.7 app on my phone for the quick scroll of local headlines, but I’m glad for the freedom in radio tunes on my dial.
Clearwater’s The Great Hudson River Revival will be produced on a much smaller, intimate scale as compared to years past, with tickets for 529 attendees only. Normally a million-dollar event, last year’s festival suffered a financial loss of $190K due to a rainy forecast, according to the organizers. The organization has been working its way out of that loss since June 2019.
For many years, The Great Hudson River Revival was Clearwater’s most important annual fundraiser. It has since grown into the country's oldest music and environmental festival, uniquely spreading environmental awareness, education and activism. With no corporate sponsorship, this loss made a big impact on the organization.
“The Great Hudson River Revival was a major success last year, in the sense that thousands of people joined us to celebrate the Hudson River through music, dance, volunteerism, education and activism,” said Clearwater Executive Director Greg Williams in a press release. “Due to many factors, including a wet weather forecast and rain on Sunday causing low attendance, the festival suffered a financial loss of approximately $190K. Since June, we have been working to keep the organization stable, while paying down our debt to festival vendors, and we are grateful for their patience. It would be irresponsible of Clearwater to move forward with replicating another million-dollar Clearwater Festival in 2020 without having addressed the financial loss we incurred in 2019. We expect that these steps, with the public’s ongoing support, will put us in the best position to return with Revival in 2021."
Williams continued in the press release: "We hope that our transparency will give the public some confidence that we keep our mission close at heart; to continue the work that we do year-round on the Hudson, educating and inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders.”
The Community Celebration for June 2020 will be a unique and intimate event for 529 attendees. Attendance will be very limited due to venue space capacity, but will provide a familiar welcoming weekend of unity, action, education, food, music, crafts, and merrymaking.
Details about the 2020 Great Hudson River Revival will be announced soon. Clearwater expects to return to a full-scale event in 2021, re-envisioned as a sustainable, less-commercial event, according to the press release.
For 2020, a Clearwater Community Celebration will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21, on the festival’s traditional Father’s Day Weekend on a smaller portion of Croton Point Park, in Croton-on-Hudson, NY.
To contribute to Clearwater’s ability to continue to hold festivals, and/or other programming, you can click here. You can choose whether to have your donation committed to a specific program, or to be used where it is most needed.
You can sail on Clearwater this sailing season, volunteer on the sloop, help
out with winter maintenance, attend one of their events this year, or make a donation.
Tuesday was the day! Jenny Offill’s new book, Weather, is being released by Penguin Random House and on Saturday the Syracuse resident is blessing us downstate babies with a reading for free at Binnacle Books from 7 to 9 pm at 321 Main Street. Yes, the very same Jenny Offill that wrote the amazing Dept. of Speculation, Last Things, and Sparky - a book for children that is very beloved in my house.
Binnacle made these beautiful posters for the event and promises that “wine and literary wit and beauty will be served.” The book’s main character is a librarian (swoon), and there’s a family member with addiction issues (love), and a podcast that is bringing together left-wingers and right-wingers who are all afraid the end is nigh. So it sounds very timely, does it not?
Even more exciting is that the evening is framed by a conversation between Jenny Offill and local author Lynn Steger Strong. A Little Beacon Blog was able to ask her some questions about what to expect Saturday night and also about her own forthcoming book.
ALBB: I always start my article with what some vaguely linked assortment of people I know are reading. What are you reading and loving right now? Or what’s topping your reading list for 2020?
LYNN STEGER STRONG: I'm re-reading Iris Murdoch's The Bell for a class that I'm teaching ,as well as Deszló Kosztolányi's Skylark, and Willem Frederik Hermans' The Untouched House. I also just finished Rufi Thorpe's extraordinary new novel The Knockout Queen, which comes out in April.
JENNY OFFILL: I am reading the new novel by Eimear McBride, Strange Hotel.
ALBB: So, Saturday night! What do you think you’ll be talking about? Is there anything in particular that you hope to be able to discuss or have Jenny elaborate on? Have you gotten an advance copy of Weather to read ahead of time?
LYNN STEGER STRONG: I have read Weather, and think, like Jenny's previous novel, Department of Speculation, it is an extraordinary exploration both of the intricacies of daily life as well as an engagement with some of the largest and most daunting questions and issues of today. I think I'll ask her about this combination. How, in such a short span, in these sometimes paragraph-long missives, she is able to crystallize the specific wants and fears and anxieties of our daily lives in ways we've not yet seen or thought them right next to and in congress with the anxieties and wants we feel globally. I want to ask her about precision and acuity and how she achieves it, as I feel like her books are informed as much by what they include as in this extraordinary ability to leave almost everything but the absolute most important details out.
ALBB: Are there stylistic or narrative threads that you feel connect your novels (and maybe even your children’s books? Sparky is quite deep, in my opinion)?
JENNY OFFILL: I think I write a lot about loneliness. And Sparky is about a particular kind of loneliness you feel as a child when your grand plans don't work out. Dept. of Speculation is about the loneliness that can exist even within a good marriage. Weather is about a wider kind of loneliness, the loneliness of humans having cut ourselves off and placed ourselves above the other creatures of the world.
ALBB: Also, let’s talk about how it feels to have so many double letters in a row in your first and last name. Do you think that’s contributed, along with your intensely awesome use of language and interesting writing perspective, to your success? Lynn Steger Strong also has a double letter in her name, so I think this event will be something really special.
JENNY OFFILL: Maybe it's lucky! I have certainly had a lot of good luck lately. When I was younger, I heard that my last name was Welsh and came from of the field, but now I have an aunt who is really into genealogy who says we are not Welsh, so who knows?
ALBB: Lynn, would you like to tell us something about your own forthcoming novel, Want? When is that being published?
LYNN STEGER STRONG: Want takes place over a period of a few months in the life of a mother and teacher who, along with her husband, is declaring bankruptcy, and, in this process and during the gradual unraveling that follows, she decides to reach out to her oldest, now estranged, friend, who also happens to be in an extreme moment of flux. It comes out in July and attempts to explore topics of womanhood, motherhood, friendship, privilege, anger, and downward mobility.
ALBB: We can’t wait to read that one. Unraveling and flux are never not-timely.
And there you have it, friends. See you Saturday night for Jenny Offill at Binnacle. We are betting it is going to be crowded. I need to find a babysitter ASAP!
A reader wrote in via Comment in A Little Beacon Blog’s Free Parking Guide to inquire where to park cars that would normally be parked on the street during a snowfall, while the City of Beacon trucks are plowing.
According to the City of Beacon, when the City is plowing and salting the streets, residents can park in the free lots if there is a spot. But the 24-hour rule still applies, and you must move your car when time is up. Which also means digging it out. There is otherwise no designated overflow lot for cars avoiding street snow removal.
It’s not often that haute couture or bespoke tailoring is available to Beaconites in Beacon on Main Street. But its time has come this Saturday, February 8, 2020, when bespoke suit tailor David Reeves (who himself is a Beaconite and has a studio in Union Square in NYC) will be popping up at Luxe Optique during their trunk show for Jacques Marie Mage, an eyewear designer of rare frames.
David will be on hand to show his style and fabric recommendations for men’s and women’s suits. Also, look at his fabric swatches for linings that serve as a pop of color, personality and uniqueness to complement the custom-tailored suit. See the video below to get a better idea.
Luxe Optique is in Beacon, NY, at 181-183 Main Street. David’s favorite eyewear designer is Jacques Marie Mage, who will also be having a trunk show at Luxe Optique the same day. This is an amazing opportunity to experience custom design in Beacon at your fingertips.
Clockwise from top right: Alex Bradley Cohen at Parts & Labor, Cinda Sparling at Bau, Rochleigh Wholfe at the Howland Cultural Center, Rosaire Appel at No. 3 Reading Room and Photo Book Works, and the collection of the Southern Dutchess NAACP at the Howland Public Library.
Happy Second Saturday weekend, Beacon! In between the many musical events happening this weekend, take some time to pause and reflect on the quieter arts. Get comprehensive Beacon gallery listings in one place in our handy Guide right here.
February is Black History Month, and two exhibitions honor that. At the Howland Public Library, the Southern Dutchess NAACP is showcasing historical art, and ties local figures with the ongoing civil rights movement. At the Howland Cultural Center, check out art in a variety of media by African American artists from around the Hudson Valley. Elsewhere, new exhibitions are opening at Parts & Labor, Clutter Magazine Gallery, RiverWinds Gallery, No. 3 Reading Room and Photo Book Works, and Bau Gallery. Two talks today at Dia:Beacon include the artists themselves: Barry Le Va and Mel Bochner. This isn’t scheduled again until Friday, February 14, but is notable and worth seeking out by appointment: Theo Ganz Studio’s exhibition of Inuit stonecut prints. Find detailed descriptions of these shows and so many more in our Second Saturday Art Gallery Guide!
Thank you to No. 3 Reading Room and Photo Book Works for sponsoring this Guide. Thank you to BeaconArts for promoting the arts and our little city for more than 15 years. Big, big thanks to the sponsors of A Little Beacon Blog, who make all of this possible! And thank you, readers, for supporting the businesses that support us.
See you strolling!
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When I posted my first picture of the Beacon P.O. Boxes, while checking in on my new post office box, the reception from readers was really good. An unexpected story came in, and this prompted us to want to hear more. My reflection was that I am so happy to be part of a new community of P.O. Box checkers, as I begin to see some of the same faces across the counter, and other regulars walking in and out of the post office doors.
One reader from @hhacademytoddlers (Hudson Hills Academy) shared her story: “My favorite thing about Beacon when we first moved here was that my kids knew Pete Seeger just as ‘the man at the post office’ because of our mail getting overlapped. The post office brings everyone together!”
Another reader, @gildedtwig (art conservator Deborah Bigelow), shared her feeling: “I really like your photo of the boxes. I used to have one and enjoyed going to the PO, too.”
Do you have a story to share about your experience with your P.O. Box? A pen pal? A love note? Letters crossed, intended for a different P.O. that resulted in something good? A new venture? Please share it with us here in the Comments section of this article.
Happening this weekend! Live Light Travel Often and PTACEK Home are hosting a LOVE SONGS by LOCALS on Saturday, February 8, at 146 #2 Main St., Beacon, NY. The special event includes music, fire, marshmallows, hot cider and wine PLUS the chance to find the perfect gift for your special someone.
Look for this special event and more in this weekend’s edition of A Little Beacon Blog’s Newsletter. We can share this special Love Songs event with you because Live Light Travel Often and PTACEK Home are sponsors of A Little Beacon Blog’s Shopping Guide, and support helping all businesses rise up to be shopped! Find their shop, filled with curated objects and furniture, around the corner from Mountain Tops.
Start a sponsorship with A Little Beacon Blog so that we can start including you in our promotions!
If following Beacon’s Board of Education is important to you - as in, keeping tabs on budget tracking and decision making - then you need to listen to this podcast interview with board member Meredith Heuer. She is one who tracked the board long before joining, and made an actual impact long before joining, to bring more art and enrichment into the schools through creative fundraising.
Listen to her Beaconites podcast via Apple, Google Play, Spotify or wherever you get podcasts! @beaconites_podcast with @get_repost. Find more information about Meredith here.
Photos by @mdisabell. One out of every five Beaconites is a student in the city’s public schools. In this week’s podcast, board member Meredith Heuer discusses the work being done to support young people and teachers, and to rebuild trust following a chaotic 10-year period marked by high turnover in the district administration.
It’s Census 2020 time, which is an opportunity for the City of Beacon and the Beacon City School District to benefit from new financial opportunities and incentives. Beacon’s Superintendent, Dr. Matthew Landahl, published on his Superintendent’s Blog a message encouraging people to participate in the Census.
The Census begins on April 1, 2020, and every household in the country can participate in it. “An accurate count is critical as the results will be used to determine funding for a range of programs, including many that our students and our school districts rely upon. Unfortunately, many households did not participate in the 2010 Census and that number is expected to increase this year,” said Dr. Landahl in his blog post.
”Some households are concerned that their responses will be shared with other government agencies,” he continued. “This is not the case and respondents should know that their participation can only benefit them, their families, and their communities.”
To learn more about the process and how it benefits public schools, visit this link.
The Beacon City School District is preparing for the 2020/2021 budget and potentially a new Capital Project, according to the Superintendent’s Blog by Dr. Matthew Landahl, who is hosting different listening/discussing sessions with different stakeholder groups as he has done in previous years.
Meetings will be held with school PTOs, student groups from grades 5-12 in all of Beacon’s buildings, and meetings with faculty and staff. “Listening to the BCSD community is the most important thing I do as we make plans for the future,” said Dr. Landahl.
The schedule for the PTO meetings the Superintendent will be attending:
Rombout Middle School Wednesday, February 5 at 6:30 pm
Glenham Elementary Thursday, February 6 at 3:30 pm
JV Forrestal Elementary Tuesday, February 11 at 4 pm
Beacon High School Wednesday, February 12 at 7 pm
Sargent Elementary Thursday, February 20 at 7 pm (this may change slightly, we will update if it does)
South Ave. Elementary Tuesday, March 10 at 6 pm
With a heavy heart, the day has come to report on the closing of my event space, known as A Little Beacon Space. After three years of hosting community events, pop-up shops, and business retreats in Beacon's historic Telephone Building at 291 Main Street, I have closed that space, along with Tin Shingle’s new CoWork space, which was located in the basement of the building. Both spaces may begin again elsewhere, but for now, they are nestled into my attic, basement, and other living spaces. Happily, A Little Beacon Blog is continuing to publish all the news that you need to know about happening in and around Beacon.
To address some FAQs:
The Telephone Building sold to The Telephone Building Beacon, LLC, represented by Shady Twal in December of 2019. After negotiating the lease package that was presented to me, it became clear that leaving the building was the best decision for my business.
The weeks leading up to the negotiation, and then the final week of it, were emotionally thick. Making the decision to leave was one of the most difficult I have ever made, and I am so, so grateful for the warm embrace of support I have felt from the Beacon community - friends and family - even if they did not know the details of what was happening. I will take that sensitivity with me as ALBB covers other businesses that must move or close up shop for whatever reasons any other small business owner might face.
I’m so glad people are asking this question. I miss having the space to offer to people, and I’m really glad you love my new interior design skills. :) However, no, you may not buy all of that new gorgeous furniture because that vision may rise again. Right now, that bar with the love story behind it and those dope purple chairs are in my newly converted home office-living room, and I’m back to work-from-home life. (I did it for 11 years before taking the storefront on Main Street.) I can become quite like a hermit, so ask me out for coffee! :)
I’m property shopping! I love looking at new properties. What I created in the Telephone Building was unique to that space. My experience in the Telephone Building enabled a test kitchen environment, and I want to keep that level of comfort and offer it to others. I plan to take all of those feels with me to the next spot, wherever it might be, which will allow for meetings, community gatherings, and pop-up experiences.
I’ll be looking at the luxury buildings. The run-down buildings. The buildings in the fringe areas (I love the fringe!). Business friends of mine are encouraging me to come up to Wappingers Falls and over to Newburgh. One never knows which way the wind will blow.
I have a new little P.O. Box, so I’ll be popping into my new post pffoce community of fellow P.O. Box checkers. In fact, I’ll probably see more of you because the A Little Beacon Blogging Team will be blogging from coffee shops and park benches and cars and my cozy living room. So stay tuned…the pop-up side of me may rise again!
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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.
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