For this winter season, the administration has featured a stunning photo of Beacon’s East End of Main Street. The Winterscape is a photo by local photographer Scott Snell, who is a DP, Camera Op, and Aerial Cinematographer. The scene feels like Beacon is a little gingerbread town, or box cover of an Advent calendar with chocolate surprises behind each window.
If you've enjoyed something you've read about in A Little Beacon Blog, do share it with us! Tag us in a photo or email it to us.
In this scene, Nicole Smyle, Director of Client Engagement and Development for Smyle Taxes, the boutique accounting firm specializing in creative and entrepreneurial industries, enjoyed Die Nutcracker Harder at Savage Wonder during opening weekend.
Sorry to miss this one for you...but keep your eye on creative classes from Witch Hazel... Collage Club Crafting with Laura Delarato at Witch Hazel Day: Sunday, December 14, 2025 Time: 1-3pm Price: $20
Join us in the Witch Hazel studio for two hours of open studio time and collage crafting, led by artist Laura Delarato. All supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring your own ephemera, stickers, zines etc! All skill levels are welcome. Information >
Die Nutcracker Harder
A Co-Production from Savage Wonder and Exit12 Dance Company Days/Times:
Sunday, December 14 – 3:30 PM & 8:30 PM
Saturday, December 20 – 7:00 PM
Sunday, December 21 – 3:30 PM Location: 139 Main Street, Beacon NY Information >
City of Beacon SNAP Grocery Card Gift Card
Day: Weekdays Time: Business Hours Location: Beacon Recreation Center, 23 West Center Street, Beacon, NY
During the SNAP crisis, Mayor Kyriacou proposed, and the City Council approved, the purchase and distribution of emergency grocery gift cards to one of the following food sources: Key Food, Beacon Natural, and the Beacon Farmer's Market. The City of Beacon has a list of Beacon residents who receive SNAP, and those people may come to pick up their grocery gift card if they haven't yet. Information >
Features from our Sponsors. Is your business on the menu?
HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL 288 Main Street, Beacon NY
Down with the flu? Feed that flu! Trina at Tara Fusion inside of the Hudson Valley Food Hall has the broth you need. Her fresh beef soup is steeping in garlic, carrots, celery and more. Sip it and feel your body get nice and hot. Grab extra napkins as your nose will run to clear the toxins.
BAGEL-ISH
226 Main Street, Beacon NY
Yusuf made a batch of jalepeno chedder sourdough bagels, and they made Bagel-ish's Instagram. These house-pickled jalapeno lead the way in a sandwich. Order one with the turkey bacon egg souffle. Instagram > Bagel-ish is a Sponsor!
CARTER'S RESTAURANT Main Street, Beacon NY
Influencers be influencing…Vincenzo Esposito said he heard a lot about this spot, so he went in. His accent is on point, and he ordered all the top faves. “We ordered a few appetizers and she settled for the burger,” he said of his dinner partner before moving to show the enormous chicken Parmesan he got, plus the French Onion Soup, drink tower, and ended with the sundae. Dare you not to order in or out from Carter’s tonight or this week.
(9pm every other night and Sunday 8pm) Catering and Private Parties available. Call them for details. 845-743-6527 🍁 Instagram > Carter's is a Sponsor!
Eggbert’s Free Range Farm
Introducing…Eggbert’s Skincare! Just in time for Stocking Stuffers. Using the tallow from their beef fat rendered, they have mixed tallow-based Balm, Unscented Soap, and Lotion. Great for cold, dry winter weather. It is rich in Vitamins A,D, and K. It absorbs in to the skin creating a barrier to keep your skin from drying out and it is a natural anti-inflammatory. Try a sample at their table at any of their markets when you pick up your eggs and beef!
FARMERS MARKETS: Wednesdays: Cornwall Farmer's Market: 11am-3pm Saturdays: Cold Spring Farmer's Market 10am-1pm Sundays:Beacon Farmer's Market 10am - 2pm SHOP ONLINE:Online ordering is available 24/7. DELIVERY: 🚚 Delivering to Cold Spring, Cornwall, New Windsor, Newburgh, Beacon, Fishkill, and Wappingers Falls. Website > Instagram > Eggbert's Free Range Farm is a Sponsor!
The Blushery 528 Main Street, Beacon NY
Book now for your brow shape or chin wax! Laser Hair Removal is also available for anywhere on the body. Gift Certificates also available. Book Online >
Mountain Stream Budo 340 Main Street, Beacon NY
(door is on Eliza Street, near Citizens Bank)
Give the gift of 1 Free Month of Martial Arts with Mountain Stream Budo. Students of all ages and abilities register for their program, and can attend unlimited classes in their chosen discipline.
Students have their choice of attending at least 3 classes in each discipline per week. Mountain Stream Budo does not bind you for a financial commitment with penalties for breaking that contract. Unlike many Martial Arts schools, they want you to be there because you want to be there. Because it has meaning in your life.
Owner and Kyoshi Noah Michell will guide you through the program in terms of how it works and how much it costs. If someone in your life loves Martial Arts or would benefit from trying, then this Gift Certificate of 1 Free Month is the perfect gift.
Call or email today to purchase and learn more.
(845) 526-BUDO
nfo@MountainStreamBudo.com Class Schedule & Signup >
Mountain Stream Budo 340 Main Street, Beacon NY Self Defense Seminar
This two-hour private or semi-private workshop is geared toward individuals with no prior martial arts background and who don't have the time or desire to commit to a long-term training regimen. It will consist of an overview of self-defense theory and concepts and will include many basic techniques, focusing primarily on releases and controls, as well as pressure points.
The cost of your seminar will vary depending on the number of people in your group. Private lessons are available upon request.
Please contact us for more information or to schedule your seminar.
Tin Shingle's Content Planning Template
Dropping soon: Tin Shingle's 2026 Editorial Calendar Template will be available for free to Tin Shingle Members, or for purchase or fresh download for those who already have lifetime access. This template is a spreadsheet of the 12 months of the year with national themes included. Perfect for coordinating planned publish dates with your team. Learn More >
Free Breakfast Program Day: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays Time: 6:30am-8:30am Location: 12 Hanna Lane, Beacon, NY 12508
They have a Wish List of food items! If you're in the mood to donate, find the list here. Information >
FRIDAYS: Fareground's Free Community Dinner Day/Time: Fridays, 5:30pm-7:30pm Location: First Presbyterian, 50 Liberty Street, Beacon, NY 12508 Information > Volunteer > Donate >
During Sunday’s projected snowfall of over 2”, the Beacon Farmer’s Market will be open. This means that the DMV parking lot is closed to cars seeking to park there when the City of Beacon receives 2” or more of snow. City code demands that all cars be moved off the road when more than 2” of snow have fallen. Usually, the City of Beacon encourages people to park in one of the free municipal lots (see ALBB’s OG Parking Guide here).
The Beacon Farmer’s Market announced on their Instagram: “A quick parking reminder for neighbors and visitors: The DMV lot is not available for parking from 8am-3pm on Sundays. Thanks for helping us keep a great Market Day rolling. Please pass it on.”
A Little Beacon Blog’s First Toy Drive Gift Guide!
Each year, we get asked: “Where are the Toy Drives? Where can I give a gift?” In response, we have started the Toy Drive Guide to answer you that question. Two opportunities here:
🎁 Submit your Toy Drive and ALBB will include it in this list.
🎁🎁 Sponsor ALBB’s Toy Drive Guide with your logo to help us get the word out. Click here to sponsor >
St. Joachim / St. John Annual Christmas Fair
Day: Saturday December 6th, 2025 Time: 9am-3pm Day: Sunday, December 7, 2025 Time: 8:30am-2pm Location: St. Joachim's School Gym, Leonard Street, Beacon, NY Information >
Die Nutcracker Harder
A Co-Production from Savage Wonder and Exit12 Dance Company Days/Times:
Saturday, December 6 – 4:30 PM
Sunday, December 7 – 3:30 PM
Sunday, December 14 – 3:30 PM & 8:30 PM
Saturday, December 20 – 7:00 PM
Sunday, December 21 – 3:30 PM Location: 139 Main Street, Beacon NY Information >
Adam's Junk Removal Toy Drive - Party + Give Opportunities
A multi-site Toy Collection opportunity:
Wreck Room Hudson Valley
Beacon Police Department
Twins Barbershop
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services The Following Beacon City Schools:
South Avenue Elementary
Sargent Elementary
J. V. Forrestal Elementary School Glenham Elementary
Rombout Middle School
Beacon High School Days/Times: Donate until December 12th Toy Giveaway: December 13th at Slater Chemical Fire Co., 76 Old Glenham Road, Glenham, NY Information >
Congressman Pat Ryan’s C.A.R.E.S. Van Comes To Beacon’s Howland Public Library
Day: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 Time: 2-4pm Location: 313 Main Street, Beacon, NY
One-on-one assistance from my office with federal programs and benefits including: Social Security, Medicare, VA Benefits, federal grant funding, passports, immigration services, the IRS and more. For more information or if you need assistance, but can't make the event, contact his office: (845) 443-2930C.A.R.E. stands for: Constituent Advocacy Resources Empowerment Services Information >
Collage Club Crafting with Laura Delarato at Witch Hazel Day: Sunday, December 14, 2025 Time: 1-3pm Price: $20
Join us in the Witch Hazel studio for two hours of open studio time and collage crafting, led by artist Laura Delarato. All supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring your own ephemera, stickers, zines etc! All skill levels are welcome. Information >
City of Beacon SNAP Grocery Card Gift Card
Day: Weekdays Time: Business Hours Location: Beacon Recreation Center, 23 West Center Street, Beacon, NY
During the SNAP crisis, Mayor Kyriacou proposed, and the City Council approved, the purchase and distribution of emergency grocery gift cards to one of the following food sources: Key Food, Beacon Natural, and the Beacon Farmer's Market. The City of Beacon has a list of Beacon residents who receive SNAP, and those people may come to pick up their grocery gift card if they haven't yet. Information >
Features from our Sponsors. Is your business on the menu?
HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL 288 Main Street, Beacon NY Burgers and Boards, from Honorable Ink
Have you seen the skateboard tattoo art exhibit inside of Hudson Valley Food Hall? The collection is in conjunction with Honorable Ink, a tattoo shop on Main Street in Beacon. The intricate designs are amazing. Grab a cup of coffee from Old Dhaka or a beverage from The Roosevelt Bar, and street food from any of the vendors inside to warm up any afternoon or evening.
BAGEL-ISH
226 Main Street, Beacon NY
Bagel-ish owner Beth was left to her own devices and made a peppermint chocolate cream cheese. Tasting it is quite an experience. It is like an aroma in your mouth that packs a flavorful punch on a salt bagel. Try it also on a rosemary bagel for a double-hit. Instagram > Bagel-ish is a Sponsor!
CARTER'S RESTAURANT Main Street, Beacon NY
Hot Chocolate? Or 🎄 ANGRY ELF 🎄
This is a cup of a decadent mix of tequila, Kahlúa, bourbon cream, Ancho Reyes & hot chocolate — sweet meets heat in the most festive way.
Ho-ho-hold on… this one bites! Available now at Carter’s.
Open until 11pm Friday/Saturday
(9pm every other night and Sunday 8pm) Catering and Private Parties available. Call them for details. 845-743-6527 🍁 Instagram > Carter's is a Sponsor!
Eggbert’s Free Range Farm
Pick up your full dinner at the Cold Spring Farmers Market with Eggbert's every Saturday, and Beacon Farmer's Market every Sunday. Get a whole chicken from Eggbert’s, and produce from their vendor friends to make for soup later. Ask about which chicken pieces they have today, like bone-in or bone-out chicken breast.
FARMERS MARKETS: Wednesdays: Cornwall Farmer's Market: 11am-3pm Saturdays: Cold Spring Farmer's Market 10am-1pm Sundays:Beacon Farmer's Market 10am - 2pm SHOP ONLINE:Online ordering is available 24/7. DELIVERY: 🚚 Delivering to Cold Spring, Cornwall, New Windsor, Newburgh, Beacon, Fishkill, and Wappingers Falls. Website > Instagram > Eggbert's Free Range Farm is a Sponsor!
The Blushery 528 Main Street, Beacon NY
We love a good brow re-shape. Just look at those lines. The Blushery are perfectionists. Book Now through the their website or link in their Instagram Bio. Book Online >
Mountain Stream Budo 340 Main Street, Beacon NY
(door is on Eliza Street, near Citizens Bank)
It is time to channel your energy into the sai, which is a kobudo weapon that you can train in how to use at Mountain Stream Budo on Eliza Street across from the Mobile Gas Station. In this photo, owner and martial arts Instructor Noah Mitchell is training with a teenagd student, where they are practicing bo vs. sai application during kobudo class.
Kyoshi Noah Mitchell is a 7th dan Kyoshi in karate; 6th dan Renshi in kobudo, 6th dan Renshi in jujitsu, and 5th dan in iaido, making him a well-rounded and highly respected instructor. First class is free! Class Schedule & Signup >
Mountain Stream Budo 340 Main Street, Beacon NY
Catch them if you can: a disappearing foot from the Lil’ Dragon Karate classes for kids aged 4-6 Mountain Stream Budo on Main Street and Eliza Street.
This class is a “karate readiness” program in which basic martial arts skills are taught, as well as manners, respect, discipline, teamwork, memory, self-control, and cognition. Gross motor skills, including balance, strength; coordination, and flexibility, are also addressed. Emphasis is placed on “doing your best,” not being “better” than other students.
Free Breakfast Program Day: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays Time: 6:30am-8:30am Location: 12 Hanna Lane, Beacon, NY 12508
They have a Wish List of food items! If you're in the mood to donate, find the list here. Information >
FRIDAYS: Fareground's Free Community Dinner Day/Time: Fridays, 5:30pm-7:30pm Location: First Presbyterian, 50 Liberty Street, Beacon, NY 12508 Information > Volunteer > Donate >
The Holiday Season is here and so are Toy Drives! This opportunity to connect a child to a gift is fast, so here are the details you need to find a Toy Drive you want to support, and when to receive the gifts, if such an event is connected. A Little Beacon Blog has opened up ways to connect with this guide to reach our readers:
Announce if your organization is hosting a Toy Drive. Email editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com with the following: flyer; types of toys collecting; who the toys are benefiting, deadline you stop collecting toys; event date you are hosting for kids to pick up (not all Toy Drives have such event).
Toy Drives Around Beacon
Adam’s Junk Removal in Partnership with Lava Entertaining
TOy Drive from Adam’s Junk Removal in partnership with Lava Entertaining.
Toy Donation Drop-off
Help bring joy to children in our communities. Any type of toy is accepted.
Drop off a new toy at the following locations:
Wreck Room Hudson Valley (Poughkeepsie Galleria)
Beacon Police Department
Twins Barbershop (349 Main Street Beacon)
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services (892 Main Street, Fishkill)
The Following Beacon City Schools: South Avenue Elementary Sargent Elementary J. V. Forrestal Elementary School Glenham Elementary Rombout Middle School Beacon High School
Toy Giveaway
Day: December 13, 2025 Time: 1pm Location: Slater Chemical Fire co., 78 Old Glenham Road, Glenham, NY Come on down to the Slater Chemical Fire Co. Fire House, and your child will receive a gift, drink hot chocolate and have snacks. Photo Booth picture with their toy, and a special guest will be there. We have face painting, radio station K104, and the Beacon Police Department to interact with the community.
Feel Good Fitness
Toys for Tots collection box inside Feel Good Fitness.
We are thrilled to announce that we are an official drop-off location for Toys for Tots! 🎅🤶 Spread the joy this season with Feel Good Fitness NY! 🎉 We invite you to stop by and help brighten a child's holiday by donating an unwrapped toy. Every little gift makes a big difference, and together, we can bring smiles to those in need! Let's come together as a community and share the love. 🤝💖 Your generosity can truly make this season special for many children. Thank you for being a part of this wonderful cause!
Days: 🧸 From Thursday to Monday Location: 301 Main Street, Beacon, NY Benefiting: Toys for Tots
The reader feared that all Hanukkah candles would be perceived to be linked to Palestinian oppression and genocide, and preferred a different title, as well as recommendations on where to get Hanukkah candles that do not support genocide.
Understanding this concern, and the important distinction between the theory and lifestyle of Zionism versus the religion of Judaism, I will explain the thought behind the title, and why other candles were not recommended in the article.
But first, here’s Arvind telling us why he pitched the article to A Little Beacon Blog in the first place: “My partner, who is Jewish, previously purchased these candles without knowing anything about the Jewish National Fund, and we were horrified to learn we had unknowingly supported such an organization.”
The Thought and Decision Behind The Title
The title for this article went through 5 drafts. The author, Arvind Dilawar, proposed this original title with his article as this:
Keeping the local nature about the article is important, so I was fine with “Local Walmarts” leading the headline. However, after reading Arvind’s draft, I learned about the organization being specified - JNF (Jewish National Fund). I learned that JNF describe themselves as being involved with “water resource management, tree planting and the preservation of Israel’s green spaces.” A lot of those green spaces are desert, so not only did I learn more about this organization planting invasive trees into a desert to create green space, I learned that in 2019, JNF held 13% of all Israeli territory, making it the largest private landowner in the country.
With that knowledge, I needed a stronger headline that had to do with the land and land occupation. Palestinian land held by Israel.
Draft 2: ”Hanukkah Candles Sold At Walmart Benefit Anti-Palestinian Land Occupation Israeli Management Organization, JNF”
I told Arvind that this was not the title, but was a desired direction for the title. It is a big concept to fit into one line. Since mentioning “Hanukkah” is a lightening rod in anything having to do with Israel’s land occupation and now genocide to keep that land. The religious day of Hanukkah has nothing to do with the state and government of Israel or genocide, and is simply a part of Judaism. In this time, it is important to remember that and not generalize. However, these are candles for Hanukkah, so the act of donating proceeds from a product for Hanukkah unfortunately conflates the issue, and drags the religion into financial support, that the religion of Judaism did not consent to.
Arvind then suggested this new headline and shifted the focus to JNF's complicity in the Israeli occupation of Palestine (rather than its discrimination against Palestinians in Israel).
Meanwhile, I started reaching out to Jewish friends from the Beacon Ceasefire group who are vocal against Israeli’s genocide of and oppression of Palestinians to see if they had recommendations of “neutral” Hanukkah candles. I haven’t heard back yet, and that’s OK. They might not know, or might not have time to do the homework on where proceeds of Hanukkah candles end up.
As for myself researching this investment, I did not make the time. The state of Israel, and the Zionists supporting it, have weaponized Judaism so badly, I needed to keep my own focus on articles already in research mode. Even if I had heard back, I would have put the recommendations in a separate article. If those recommendations ever come in, at any time, I will put them into a separate article, linked to from the Rite Lite Ltd / JNF article.
As for the photo of the Hanukkah candles on the shelf; that other brands are in the photo: we need context. We need to see where these candles sit on the shelf. Thanks to the photos, we can read the marketing material on the Rite Lite candles, that describe and declare JNF’s own intentions.
This article very clearly was about Rite Lite and JNF specifically. Just like if you took a photo of a toy or doll on a shelf, like “American Doll” and are talking only about that doll, if other dolls are in the photo, like a “Barbie” or a generic doll, one doesn’t blanket the message of the article on “American Doll” to the other dolls on the shelf. Context is given to see where “American Doll” sits on the shelf.
In gathering a neutral photo of the Rite Lite candle, that was used as the main illustration for this article, I then noticed that a man is pictured on the box of candles. The man is holding an axe while looking back at a single tree, which I found odd, since JNF prides itself in planting forests. Why would their man be looking back at the forest with an axe to cut it down? One doesn’t usually prune with an axe. One cuts down trees with an axe. I made note of this in the caption of the main photo used.
Getting closer to publishing, I suggested the above headline to Arvind, asking if it was accurate in his opinion. He preferred “Illegal Israeli Occupation.” I still wanted more on land occupation.
But as I published the photo of the box of candles, I read the marketing material on the box as I transcribed it, so that it could be easily read. That is when I noticed that the word “Zionist” was in JNF’s description of itself on the box of Rite Lite Ltd Hanukkah candles.
I told him that the reason I wanted to include the word “Zionist” in the title was to get people who are new to criticizing the state of Israel to most importantly be aware of Zionist theory and support. Zionists and Jews are two different things. As Joe Biden told us, “You don’t need to be Jewish to be a Zionist.”
Expanded, Joe Biden said on October 9th, 2024: “You know, at my direction, last week, the United States military took unprecedented action again to actively assist the successful defense of Israel. You’ve — you’ve heard me say before that I got very badly criticized as a young senator for saying, ‘I’m a Zionist.’ You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist. It’s not necessary.”
Joe Biden went on to say something very dangerous, but is a theory presented as a defense against mass slaughter and murder otherwise known as “war” or “conflict” in Palestine. Joe said: “And the idea — I firmly believe — without an Israel, every Jew in the world’s security is less stable. I mean that. It doesn’t mean that Jewish leadership doesn’t have to be more progressive than it is, but it does mean it has to exist, and that’s what worries me most about what’s going on now.”
As people learn more about why the state of Israel is doing what it’s doing, and what it has been involved in all over the world, it is very important that they learn about Zionism. The distinction is the only way to preserve and defend Judaism, as Zionists have hurt Jews and endangered them in this sense.
It is in protection of my Jewish friends that I publish these pieces, and adopted Palestine into the mission of this Little Beacon Blog. Since much of America’s mainstream media is complicit in weaving these stories.
This December, Savage Wonder Art Center teams with Exit12 Dance Company to blow the doors off holiday tradition with Die Nutcracker Harder, a wild, genre-melting mash-up of A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker, and Die Hard — re-imagined as one gloriously chaotic holiday experience.
Conceived by writer Christopher Soucy and brought to life under the direction of Christopher Paul Meyer, Die Nutcracker Harder fuses A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker, and Die Hard into a singular theatrical/dance holiday experience done in Savage Wonder’s style - a fully choreographed and blocked performance with no props, no costumes, script-in-hand, live sound foley effects, all done in a living-room-style performance space.
Three Christmas classics walk into a bar… and blow it up.
Cast highlights include:
Kevin Gilmartin (Marvell Repertory Theatre) as The Narrator
John Hartzell (Hit House Creative) as Husband / John McClane
Ana Anderson (Savage Wonder regular) as Wife / Holly
Dean Linnard (Berkeley Rep, Portland Stage, Playwrights Horizons) as Ghosts / Marley
Topher Kage (Savage Wonder)
Each performance will be surrounded by holiday spectacle: pre- and post-show events, seasonal drinks at The Grape Rebellion, pop-up gallery activations, and spontaneous festive ambiance — making every performance a full Savage Wonder holiday experience.
When & Where
Savage Wonder Art Center 139 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508 (Entrance via Savage Wonderground / 141 Main Street)
Performance Dates & Times
Saturday, December 6 – 4:30 PM Sunday, December 7 – 3:30 PM Sunday, December 14 – 3:30 PM & 8:30 PM Saturday, December 20 – 7:00 PM Sunday, December 21 – 3:30 PM
Tickets for Die Nutcracker Harder are available via SavageWonder.org and through Eventbrite.
Ticket prices range from approximately $25–$55 depending on date and availability.
ABOUT SAVAGE WONDER ART CENTER
Savage Wonder is a 12,000-square-foot arts venue located in Beacon, NY. Housed in a former bank, the center includes multiple performance spaces, a wine & dessert bar (The Grape Rebellion), pop-up gallery areas, and flexible spaces such as The Parlor and Savage Wonderground. Savage Wonder presents theater, music, visual art, and culinary programming created by veterans, first responders, and their immediate family members. Our work is intimate, surprising, whimsical, and absurd — built to challenge convention and expand what community arts can be. Visit https://savagewonder.org for more.
ABOUT EXIT12 DANCE COMPANY
Exit12 Dance Company is a New York–based contemporary dance nonprofit, founded by a U.S. Marine Iraq War veteran, dedicated to exploring the impact of war, service, and homecoming through movement, storytelling, and dance. Through performances, workshops, and community engagement, Exit12 works to heal veteran and military-connected individuals, educate the public about the human cost of conflict, and advance empathy, understanding, and transformation. Their work spans immersive dance performances, movement workshops for veterans and civilians, and narrative-driven choreography rooted in lived experience. Learn more at https://exit12danceco.org.
The illustration on the JNF packaging for the candles features a man holding an axe with a single tree in the background, representing the forest the organization plants. If the organization plants forest in the dessert, which some environmentalists view as harmful, then it seems counterintuitive to feature a man with an axe to cut that tree down. The axe can therefore be interpreted to symbolize the illegal annexation of Palestinian land by the Israeli government.
by Arvind Dilawar Arvind Dilawar is an independent journalist. His articles, essays and interviews have appeared in The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Daily Beast and elsewhere. Find him online at: adilawar.com
Proceeds of Rite Lite Hanukkah candles donated to Jewish National Fund (JNF), which supports illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Update 12/13/2025: Following publication of this article, Jewish National Fund USA contacted A Little Beacon Blog, accusing it of defamation. While JNF-USA is the beneficiary of the Rite Lite Hanukkah candles being sold at Walmart, its Israeli counterpart — known by its Hebrew acronym, JNF-KKL — is technically the owner of the lands mentioned in Israel, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Nevertheless, JNF-USA is the largest financial contributor to JNF-KKL, meaning the former funds much of the latter's activity, as well as spearheading its own projects encroaching on Palestinian territory. JNF-USA has removed references to its relationship with JNF-KKL (read about that here at web.archive.org) and its projects in East Jerusalem and the West Bank from its website, but they are still accessible via the Internet Archive.
This year, Hanukkah will commence at sundown on December 14, the holiday traditionally observed by lighting candles atop a menorah. For Jews in the Hudson Valley, the selection of Hanukkah candles to choose from includes Rite Lite, which Walmart stocks at its locations in Fishkill, Newburgh, Middletown and elsewhere. The candles are advertised as benefiting the Jewish National Fund (JNF), whose work the packaging describes as including “water resource management, tree planting and the preservation of Israel’s green spaces.”
But JNF is not an environmental steward. It is a supporter of illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, both internationally recognized as Palestinian territory, and has been systematically discriminating against Palestinians in Israel also.
JNF was founded in 1901 as an openly Zionist — or Jewish ethno-nationalist — organization, collecting donations from around the world to purchase land for a Jewish state in what was then part of the Ottoman Empire. Following the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948, JNF became a quasi-governmental organization, with formerly Palestinian lands annexed by the Israeli government transferred to JNF to manage. In 2019, the Yale School of the Environment estimated that JNF held 13% of all Israeli territory, making it the largest private landowner in the country.
JNF’s activities are not confined to Israel’s internationally recognized borders either, as Haaretz reports. While JNF has for years used subsidiaries to operate unofficially in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which along with Gaza constitute the occupied Palestinian territories, the organization decided to openly start supporting the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank in 2021. Since then, JNF has allocated millions of dollars to purchase land “intended for Jewish settlement.”
JNF also openly discriminates against Palestinians in Israel as well. From 1960 to 2005, bidding on leases for the organization’s lands were restricted to “Jewish nationals,” as detailed in a report to the United Nations (February, 2006) by the Habitat International Coalition and the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. Palestinians, who make up 20 percent of Israel’s population, were thus systematically excluded — but rather than regretting, or even denying, such discrimination, JNF explicitly embraces it. According to a transcript from Adalah’s suit challenging JNF in Israel’s Supreme Court in 2004, JNF itself argued:
As a landowner, the JNF is not a public body which acts on behalf of all the citizens of the state. Its loyalty is to the Jewish people and its responsibility is to it alone. As the owner of JNF land, the JNF does not have to act with equality towards all citizens of the state.
As the report to the UN explains, the Israeli attorney general found that JNF’s leasing practices were indeed discriminatory and bidding had to be opened to non-Jewish Israeli citizens. However, the attorney general also ruled that any time a non-Jewish bidder wins a lease, the state will “compensate” JNF with an equal amount of public land. In other words, state transfers of land to JNF continue — even as JNF defends its “right” to discriminate.
Rite Lite, the Brooklyn-based manufacturer of the candles benefiting JNF, advertises itself as providing products to “thousands of retail locations throughout the U.S. and around the world” on its website. Besides Walmart, online retailers of Rite Lite products include Target, Amazon and JNF itself.
(Walmart, Rite Lite and JNF all failed to respond to requests for comment from A Little Beacon Blog.)
Editorial Update (12/5/2025): In response to a reader’s comment below, a Letter from the Editor has been publish that shows the reasoning behind the title choice and the photos used.
The City of Beacon issued its first reminder warning of the season for how to park during a snowstorm, and who needs to shovel sidewalks.
“In anticipation of upcoming winter weather, we’re writing with a reminder of the City's rules and regulations regarding parking and sidewalks after snowfall,” the City sent via robo call, which arrives by email, phone call, and text message. Sign up for that communication service here.
On-Street Parking Rules
From the City of Beacon: After 2” inches of snow, your vehicle cannot be parked on the street between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and must not obstruct City snowplows from clearing the streets. You’re welcome to move your vehicle into the City's public parking lots, but they must be moved 24 hours after the snow stops falling so that the parking lots can then be cleared after the streets are finished. We hope to avoid issuing any tickets.”
Public Parking Lots
The City of Beacon’s free municipal lots are located here. Cars parked there during a snow fall where the accumulation is 2” inches or greater, must move 24 hours after the snow stops falling. The City will not have cleared that parking lot, so you will need to dig yourself out. Once the cars have cleared the lot, the City of Beacon will plow it.
List of Free Municipal Parking Lots: 1 Municipal Plaza Cross Street and Main Street (behind Hudson Beacon Glass) Cliff Street (near Beacon Bread Company) Parking Lot near Butterhead Salad and Gas Station DMV Parking Lot Church Street and North Chestnut (behind the old Rite Aid) Henry Street (behind Yankee Clipper Diner) Henry Street (behind Sun River Health and Beacon Post Office) Van Nydeck (by The Station Dispensary and Brother's Trattoria) Churchill Street (by Hudson Valley Brewery and Fishkill Creek) Main Street and Verplanck (near Melzingah Tap House)
Snow Tossing Into The Street
Tempting as it may be to toss the snow from your sidewalk or driveway into the street, it is counterproductive, as the snowplow simply pushes it back onto your sidewalk, creating a giant wall. The City of Beacon said in their warning call: “Further, it is both unsafe and a violation of City code to throw snow into the road.”
Sidewalk Clearing: Property Owners Must Clear
The City of Beacon says that property owners must clear adjacent sidewalks within 24 hours of the snowfall ending. Seasoned snow shovelers know that once the temperature rises and the shoveled snow begins to melt, it gets heavy. Best to do while powdery.
The City of Beacon ended their message with a thanks to the Highway Department: “Thanks for helping our hardworking highway crews to get through the storm cleanup and ensuring our streets and sidewalks are safe for all to use.”
On this Giving Tuesday, you can donate to A Little Beacon Blog! On this day or any day. We remain an independent media outlet as a for-profit entity, which doesn’t allow us to apply for certain local news grants as a non-profit would, but we carry on and pursue other revenue models. Thank you to our business sponsors. Readers can contribute using this link. The smallest $5 helps! And tells us how much ALBB means to you. Thank you 🤲🏽🙏🏽
This article is a roundup of the video interviews we did with the Farmer’s Market and the City of Beacon. During that time, things were moving so fast, ALBB’s content only made it to Instagram. Below, please find those write-ups and accompanying videos.
How The Beacon Farmer’s Market Converts SNAP Money into Farmer’s Market Money Currency
Today we look at the SNAP program at the Beacon Farmer’s Market which is run by Common Ground Farm. Taking us through the process of converting SNAP (aka Food Stamp) dollars is Amy Bandolik, the Market Manager for the Beacon Farmer’s Market. Not only can SNAP dollars be spent here, but they are doubled with assistance from:
➕ Greens4Greens $5 cards program from funds raised from their Soup4Greens annual fundraiser, and right now during this federal government shutdown. Donations are being accepted right now for SNAP recipients - and anyone in need - at the Managers Tent in the market or online.
Amy walks us through what happens when the SNAP card is run for $10, and how it multiplies the money exchange The SNAP card gets filled up, so with it not getting filled up, the market continues to make it work by honoring those with cards - and those in need who might not have cards or never applied - with the base amount and these additional dollars.
Thank you for your support. The market is busy today and people are donating. Come in for assistance if you need it. Don’t be shy.
New York States Drops More Dollars For Anyone In Need - Available At The Beacon Farmer’s Market
📣 BREAKING NEWS: New York State has sent additional $2 Fresh Direct Coupons to those in need. Not just SNAP recipients, but those in need. Amy, the Market Manager for Beacon Farmer’s Market received these additional $2 Fresh Direct coupons 💸 to her mailbox yesterday.
Here’s How It Works:
If you are in need for your food situation, you can come to the Manager’s Table each week from November to December 2025 to pick up:
$20 in Fresh Connect coupons. This can buy you meat, produce, other qualifying foods from the vendors at the Beacon Farmer’s Market.
- plus -
$30 Greens4Greens from Beacon Farmers Market fundraiser. People have been donating, and this is what the money turns into. Emergency food money for those in need. You can even buy coffee beans and pastries with these at the market.
Both available each week November-December 2025. No verification required. There is an income qualifying table, but New York State has granted that if you state you are in need, you will be provided for.
How the City of Beacon Distributed Their $50,000 of Emergency SNAP Grocery GIft Cards
Here on this very windy Sunday at the Beacon Farmers Market with Heidi Harrison of Beacon Parks and Recreation Department, handing out their Emergency SNAP Grocery Card Distribution initiative to SNAP Receipts who are Beacon residents. The City’s offering to SNAP recipients living in Beacon is $50 for the Farmers Market or $60 Grocery Gift Card for Key Food Beacon. Bring Photo ID, piece of mail as proof of residency, and SNAP Card to pick up.
This is a one-time emergency distribution so far. One per name on the SNAP list for Beacon residents. Find Heidi next to the Beacon Farmer’s Market Managers Tent to pick up your Gift Card if you haven’t yet. One per household right now.
Here today for added convenience, but only today. Coupons or Cards are available for pickup during the weekdays at the Beacon Parks and Recreation Office at 23 West Center Street.
SNAP Recipients: Go pick up! They have your name already, so you’re all set. There are 80 people who still need to pick up their card. No re-application necessary.
This is a story of the hot meals - often with gluten free options - that are prepared by the rotating volunteer crew at Beacon’s Backyard Kitchen, an upstart of The Yard Beacon, after a soup kitchen closed on Main Street in January 2025. Since then, they have served over 6,000 meals to anyone in need.
THat little sign you see on the side of Fishkill Ave. is for Beacon’s Backyard Kitchen, who prepare free hot and delicious meals for those in need every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6:30-8:30am weekly. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
Thursday was their Thanksgiving Brunch, open to any and all who need it. Beacon’s Backyard Kitchen is open every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 6:30-8:30am each week at 12 Hanna Lane. When SNAP ended, the volunteer crew was there, with Chef Lewis cooking, and volunteers serving. Made possible by ongoing donations from all sources.
When they first opened, it was fair to wonder how the people in need would get to them. Since Beacon’s Backyard location is off the beaten path on Fishkill Avenue, which is a heavily trafficked road.
This day, however, ALBB saw that the people - many who are elderly - do come no matter what. By foot or wheelchair or wheeling walker, they come, assisting each other all the way down Rte. 52, and then down the long driveway of The Yard. If coming from the other direction, which is connected to Main Street by the Fishkill Creek, one can avoid the vehicular traffic above. But several elderly people come from the top.
Below is a photo series of the road journey to Beacon’s Backyard Kitchen at 12 Hanna Lane:
For the Thanksgiving Meal, the crew pulled out all the stops. The location switched buildings, from the one-story dark gray building to the Big Tent, warmed by powerful heaters and decorated in twinkling lights hanging brightly above rustic wooden family-style tables topped with pumpkins and condiments.
Normally, Beacon’s Backyard Kitchen serves out of this building on the property. But for Thanksgiving Brunch, they switched to the big white fancy tent with heaters. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
Offering to help a guest with their rolling walker may be futile, as they are just fine thank you very much, but appreciate the gesture with a smile. If they don’t know where the meal moved to, one guest stakes it out ahead of the group, and then retreats to get the others, motivating them to stand up again to keep moving to the final destination of the tables for the warm meal, this time served from fancy catering dishes.
This project was joyous to participate in. Read about how Carter’s initiated their free Turkey Meal Giveaway after learning about the SNAP crisis. While people who signed up to receive these meals described this time period one of the roughest in their lives, this small moment of providing them with the foundation for a Thanksgiving Meal meant a lot. This video series covers the pre-planning that Carter’s owner and chef Jon Lombardi undertook for the distribution, the unboxing of what he hunted and gathered, and the bike delivery from the Beacon Bicycle Coalition.
Tuesday was Turkey Distribution Day at Carter’s Restaurant. On Monday, Katie met up with Chef Jon and his Carter’s Crew to unbox the food he purchased for this Thanksgiving Meal. In coordinating this, we learned so many things. Mainly, that many people cannot travel and live with disabilities. People had 2 and 3 jobs and were also caring for aging parents and children (adult children and young children) at home. They were tired. They could not get out, so the bike deliveries were crucial.
We also learned that feeding people is Jon’s love language, yes, but we learned that it’s also in his DNA that he help people by feeding them. Jon is a quiet but generous person. This is the largest project he and ALBB have worked on together. This was an incredible experience. Learning everyone’s stories. We are so glad to have reached you.
Thank you so much to those who donated at the end to help reach people.
In this video, Jon tells us how to cook a 22lb turkey (lots of butter), not to sneak the bird in during the pre-heat, and his genealogy of feeding those in need.
The Carter’s Thanksgiving Meal Distribution was so organically expansive. ALBB readers reached out to see how they could assist. One such reader, Kelly Holiday volunteered herself and the Beacon Bicycle Coalition to deliver meals by bike to those who needed them.
Delivery accounted for roughly half of our signups. People were either disabled, had newborns at home, worked more than one job, or just could not get out. While the forecast called for rain, ALBB had faith in the cyclists (Yvonne Caruthers, Meg, Mark and August) that they enjoyed the ingenuity of securing and protecting the meals from the elements. They offered car driving as backup should it begin pouring. But they made their deliveries before the rain came!
Special thanks also to car driver Sam Lashlee who made deliveries to Poughkeepsie and Beacon just over the I-84 bridge possible.
Complex published a video of a group of New Yorkers who set up a Thanksgiving meal on a subway train and enjoyed themselves, fixing anyone a plate. Said Dupree Christopher in the Comments: “we doing this for nyc. every year. we just wanted to bring some hope love and celebration to our friends and our new friends. thanks complex”
You can even get a sweatshirt for it! Proceeds fundraise for food for next year’s Thanksgiving on The Train.
The Thanksgiving Meal bag that went with the turkey for “Turkey on Every Table.” Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
This year's request for turkey meals for the annual Turkey on Every Table initiative grew by 330%, said Reuben Simmons to A Little Beacon Blog. "Last year, we had 90 signups. This year, we had 395 signups." There were four distribution points and organizations involved in the city-wide effort, including I Am Beacon, Fareground, Key Food, Salem Tabernacle and Knights of Columbus #446. This year, LaStar Gorton, incoming Councilmember for Ward 1, also participated in the distribution.
Kenya Gadsden holding a donated turkey before she services people in the line to receive the meals. Kenya wore her I Am Beacon sweatshirt this day, but wears several other sweatshirts: - member of the Beacon Board of Education - Councilwoman for Fishkill Town Board - jointly oversees the Open Arms Christian Ministries International Food Pantry with distribution point here at Beacon Parks and Recreation Building - supports the “Class in a Bag” Initiative, which supplies backpacks filled with school supplies for children in the Beacon City School District - Ran for Dutchess County Clerk Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, registered people lined up to receive one turkey and a bag of food to prepare at home from one of the four distribution locations: Fareground at 37 Lamplight (the old Mary Kelly's building that is now the Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church), the Beacon Parks and Recreation Building at 23 West Center Street, Salem Tabernacle at 7 Delavan Ave., and St. Andrew & St. Luke Episcopal Church at 15 South Avenue.
Meals included a 14lb turkey, the infamous Kings Hawaiian dinner rolls, Stove Top stuffing, Key Food brand Urban Meadows apple pie, Kraft Mac and Cheese, Urban Meadows’s jelly, a bag of fresh apples, a bag of rice, and Green Giant mixed greens.
Families were in line to receive, some who walked there with metal push carts and strollers, and some who drove.
Knights of Columbus #446 members gathered around Junior Dabashi’s (Key Food) truck for another loading in of Thanksgiving Meals at 23 West Center Street, the Beacon Parks and Recreation Building. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
The total number of meals distributed from each location was 123 at Fareground, 127 Beacon Parks and Recreation, 61 at Salem Tabernacle, and at least 10 distributed directly by I Am Beacon to those who could not make the line. Reuben of I Am Beacon and Junior Dabashi of Key Food, with the assistance of Salem Tabernacle’s van of helpers which includes Ian, Frank and Pastor Bill, collect and distribute the food to each location, with the assistance of the Knights of Columbus offloading the food from the trucks.
ALBB visited the West Center Street location to talk to the group leaders to learn the origins of Turkey on Every Table - to get more from the story and see behind the flyer that asks for food donations each year.
How long has the program been going on?
Before this interview, the group leaders conferred among themselves to track back the origins, as this initiative is a collaborative effort with the groups.
This interview is with: Reuben Simmons of I Am Beacon; Ian Zrodlowski of Salam Tabernacle Church; Junior Dabashi of Key Food; and Bernard Gadson, married to Kenya Gadsden who was leading the distribution with families to get the turkey meals. A member of Knights of Columbus served as cameraman for this video.
LaStar Gorton, incoming City Councilmember for Ward 1 in Beacon, assisting in distributing the Thanksgiving Turkeys. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
Reuben Simmons greeting a Knights of Columbus #446 member before Distrobution begins. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
I Am Beacon started Turkey on Every Table in 2014 and continued it for 4 years. Reuben, a co-founder of I Am Beacon told ALBB: "We got away from it [Turkey on Every Table] in 2018/19 as we saw there were multiple organizations doing distributions. The impact we felt was already being met. As an organization, I Am Beacon stepped back from it...And then COVID hit, and there was more time for people to regroup. One of I Am Beacon's missions is to do things in a collaborative effort."
Ian Zrodlowski of Salam Tabernacle Church carrying bags of food from their van. PHoto Credit: Katie Hellmuth
Reuben went onto let the other explain. Ian told of how Salem Tabernacle Church has been in Beacon since the 1950s. "Every Thanksgiving, the women of the church would get together and put baskets together for people in need. Usually by word of mouth." He said that a dozen families would usually be reached. "It was not a formal thing, just something that we've always been doing."
More Salam Tabernacle Church members carrying Community-donated food from their van. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
Reuben explained that Junior Dabashi was a key part of why the initiative started back up again. Junior had met with Salem Tabernacle, Reuben said, and who learned that Salem Tabernacle wanted to get more involved with the Beacon community. Junior asked Reuben to bring back the Turkey on Every Table program. "The only way I said I'd do it is if it was on a collaborative effort." They met with Salem Tabernacle, as well as Kenya and Bernard Gadsden with Open Arms Ministry, who run the weekly food pantry out of the Beacon Parks and Recreation building every Saturday.
In 2021, the Turkey on Every Table program revived, and has been happening ever since.
Fried Turkeys and Home-Bound Senior Citizens
During the distribution, ALBB heard Bernard talking about his schedule this week for frying turkeys. We asked him to tell us more about the process, and who he was cooking for. Bernard is passionate about caring for the seniors to provide for them an experience that can easily pass them over.
Bernard works at a Senior Apartment Complex. "A lot of seniors don't get a chance to go out. So they stay home and probably make a cornish hen. On Thanksgiving. I just felt that's ludicrous," Bernard told ALBB. "So I said, I want to bring my equipment. I want to fry turkeys for them." His boss gave him the green light to fry the turkeys, and he's been doing it for the last 5 years. "I did 3 turkeys yesterday. One for my grandson's school in Poughkeepsie, and 2 for my job. There was nothing left. They love it every year. And I look forward to it." This year, he's doing two more turkeys on Tuesday for another senior apartment complex in Newburgh.
Bernard then describes how he likes to fry the turkey. He prefers a turkey that is 15lb or under. "Forty-five minutes to an hour, and they are done," Bernard stated.
Kids Coat Distribution From Knights Of Columbus
Coats for kids came through the Knights of Columbus, who have been doing the coat distribution for 40 years in Beacon from their building before they sold it, member Kevin Allison told ALBB. One year, a group from Peekskill was doing a toy drive distribution where Sue Serino arrived to help. "One of Sue’s office people was at the door. One kid came through the door with no coat. I said 'where is your coat?' He said he didn't have one. I made sure he had a brand new coat.”
Knights of Columbus, Trinity Council #446 logo on sweater swag Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
Knights of Columbus member Kevin Allison Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
Knights of Columbus Logo on Jacket Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
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.
