Beacon Dispatch

Over the hills and through the woods (or, what I learned over the Thanksgiving holiday)

I hope all of you had a warm and festive Thanksgiving. I know, it's unlikely that 100% of you did, but it's a nice thought. In case any of you are planning a holiday trip to South Jersey or Central Pennsylvania this year, I thought I'd offer you the benefit of my hard-earned experience:

• Avoid the New Jersey Turnpike at all costs, unless you're driving at 3am or left home several days before you plan to arrive.
• In New Jersey gas prices are up to $.30 cheaper than in New York. And, by law, you can't pump it yourself.
• The Wyndham Hotel in Mount Laurel, NJ is a dump and should be avoided (there are many alternatives in the immediate area.) The rooms were filthy, the elevators didn't serve our floor, there were no towels at the pool, and our room keys didn't work. You can do better for $125 a night.
• Drive defensively -- the deer bolting across the highway are even more unpredictable than the guy in the mini-van.
• There's a really good family restaurant called Kreider's outside Lancaster (in the town of Mountville, I think) that serves the most delicious tuna melt I've ever tasted.
• Despite the tourist traps and tour buses, there are still many Amish working the land on well maintained farms in Lancaster and Berks counties. At any given time you can see teams of horses plowing the fields, horse and buggies holding up traffic on two-lane roads, and two-tone laundry hanging out to dry in the breeze.
• There's simply nothing better than a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal -- even if the gravy is from a can.

Hell Freezes Over: 9D Has Been Re-Paved

In a matter of days, one of the worst roads in Beacon, the stretch of 9D from Wolcott Bridge to the South edge of town, is now freshly paved. They even added reflectors on the center stripe as a garnish. Take a drive, and let your shocks enjoy the smooth ride...

Lions, and Oddfellows, and Elks, oh my!

Ever see a sign for an Elks Club or Oddfellows Meeting Hall and wonder just what the heck these are? Well, I have. And the Wikipedia has a great page outlining the basic definitions of each club:

Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks

"The Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks had modest beginnings in 1868 as a drinking club (then called the "Jolly Corks") established as a private club to elude New York City laws governing the opening hours of public taverns. It has since evolved into a major American fraternal, charitable, and service club with over a million members throughout the nation.

An interesting physical artifact of the order is the number of communal cemetery plots once favored by the group. Often these are marked with impressive statuary."

Independent Order of Odd Fellows

"The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is an ancient fraternal organization thought to have been established in the mid-1700s.

Its lady's auxiliary is known as the Rebekah Degree. Its uniformed degree, the Patriarch's Militant are sometimes seen marching in parades in the United States."

Lion's Club International

Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organisation with 46,000 clubs and 1.4 million members in 193 countries around the world. The international headquarters is situated in Oak Brook, Illinois.

It was founded in the U.S.A. in 1917 by Melvin Jones and became truly International on March 12, 1920 when the first club was established in Canada. Membership is by invitation and attendance at meetings is expected on a monthly or fortnightly basis. Politics, religion or other contentious subjects are generally forbidden at club meetings. Lions are a truly community based organisation with a hierarchy that can take a member from a club to office at zone, district, national and international level. An interesting aspect of the operation of Lions Clubs is that all funds raised from the general public are used for charitable purposes with the administration costs of a Club kept strictly separate and paid for by its members.

Shriners

The Shriners, or Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, are an Order appendant to Freemasonry. Until 2000, one had to complete the Scottish Rite or York Rite degrees of Masonry to be eligible for Shrine membership, but now any Master Mason can join.

The Shrine was established in New York City in the 1920s as the fun part of the Masonic movement. The group adopted a theme of the Middle East and soon established "Temples" meeting in "Mosques" across the continent. An earlier Masonic group, the Mysterious Order of the Veiled Prophet of the Enchanted Realm (known colloquially as the "Grotto") had adopted a similar theme in 1890.

It must be emphasized that this decorative theme, now perceived as "politically incorrect", was adopted in an earlier time. The Shrine is not Islamic, nor is it in opposition to Islam.

The Shriners often participate in local parades riding comedy versions of cars and motorcycles. They are recognizable by their elaborate red fezzes.

Cold Spring Alliance fights development

"Concerned citizens dedicated to keeping Cold Spring the place we love and not a heartless hamlet of condos."

Check it out

Best of Beacon: Thanks for your input!

What's your favorite retaurant in town? Favorite hike? Best place to play with the kids? The Beacon Dispatch wants to hear from you! Send us an email with your choices in the categories below, or make up one of your own. The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 19. Vote early (but only once please ;-) and let us know what you love about Beacon! The results will be published in our year-end issue out on December 1.

Editorial: Let's find a home for the Beacon Historical Society

A Home for History

For 28 years—since 1976—the Beacon Historical Society has collected, catalogued, and pieced together a history of the City of Beacon, capturing personal histories, gathering photographs, and saving artifacts from E-Bay or physical decay. Their mission began well before the City’s current renaissance, but it was their vision that allowed the City to be restored to its present state. Ask anyone who has restored a building in town and you’ll be quick to discover that the Beacon Historical Society played an integral part in the process of bringing that building back to its former glory.

At present, the Historical Society is housed at the Howland Cultural Center, a space that was adequate in the past, but which presently doesn’t suit the purposes of the Society or serve the community to the extent that it should. To be truly useful the Historical Society should provide the privacy of a library for those who need to do research, access to archival film without having to travel to an alternative location, safe storage and display cases for fragile artifacts, and an educational facility for school children, where they can touch, feel, and see the City’s past while they dream about its future.

The most fitting home for the Beacon Historical Society would be a building of architectural or historical significance. But what’s more important is that the Historical Society has a place to call its permanent home. A home that is inviting to those with an interest in the City’s history, that allows easy access to historical archives, and that will allow it to grow, as the City’s future becomes its history.

The City of Beacon owes much of its current renaissance to the Society that cared enough to maintain its history. It’s time for the community to give the Beacon Historical Society a home and the presence it deserves.

NY Times looks into ribbon magnets

In a recent post, I asked why the "Support Our Troops" magnets are spreading like wildfire. I was humbled by responses from a number of veterans and families of soldiers serving in Iraq.

Today, the New York Times magazine asks the same question, in a piece called "The Magnet Magnet":

"The idea for the car-friendly, two-dimensional riff on the ribbon symbol was to make bulk sales to schools, churches, veterans groups and others who could resell them as a fund-raising gimmick to benefit, in particular, the families of soldiers. His company, Magnet America, sells the magnets for between 59 cents and $2 each, depending on the size of the order, and suggests a markup to $5; it has now sold well over a million of them. It has also attracted a flock of imitators who sell similar magnets, and Gullion figures that this summer only about half the ones on the road were from his company."

Jaunts Along the Hudson: Little Stony Point

by D. Adamsons

Little Stony Point
Hudson Highland State Park
The Loop and The Cliff
Unmarked Trail
Difficulty Level 1.5
45 minutes

Hudson River Conservation Society and Jackson Hole Preserve, Inc. are among two of the groups we can thank for the approximately 3800 acres of land within Hudson Highlands State Park. It took 30 years, beginning with the Society persuading landowners to donate property to the State, then continuing with other conservation groups working towards preserving the beauty and fragility of the Hudson Highlands through donation and acquisition.

Little Stony Point was originally an island, but The Hudson River Stone Company filled in the channel during the early 1900’s as they quarried the rock. Hudson River Valley Commission, the State Council of Parks and its supporters saved Little Stony Point from industrial development in1967, when the Georgia Pacific Company purchased Little Stony Point as the site for a wallboard factory. Governor Rockefeller intervened and helped relocate the factory to Verplanck. In 1970 Little Stony Point became part of Hudson Highlands State Park.

Thousands have enjoyed the aptly named Sandy Beach, one of the finest beaches on the Hudson. All that is special in the Hudson Highlands, can be seen and experienced right here, on Little Stony Point; wildlife habitats, many species of trees, shrubs and grasses, spectacular views, glorious light that inspired an American art movement, woods, mountains, big sky(for the east coast, that is!) and of course, the river. In 1994 the park was closed due to construction of the bridge over the railroad tracks. It reopened in July of 1996 with a celebration led by Pete Seeger, singing “This Land is Your Land”.

Walk to the center of the railroad bridge and check out beautiful Breakneck to the north. Continue on until you come to a split, then go to the left. At the next split, the path to the left circumvents the island, while the path to the right, goes up to the cliff. I like doing the cliff first. This will give you an idea of what you’re going to see when you do the loop. Walk through the woods, and go up the little hill. In the winter, after a snowfall, this hill is slippery and fun! At the rise, go left. We get a view to the south almost immediately. On the small path to the left, through the grasses, continue right.
Here we are, at the top! There are a few spots to choose from, to hunker down and enjoy the view. Most times, I opt for the highest spot, as there’s a place on one of those rocks that fits me perfectly, and I can sit quite comfortably watching the sunset. If that spot has been claimed already, there are a few others along the ledge. Look down and see the entire rock breakdown from the quarrying days. I love the fall colors of this tortured rock; the rusts, browns and grays. When you go down to the shoreline, look up to see the geological lines of time written in stone.

The other day the sun was tucking behind Crow’s Nest, with its rays licking the tops of the trees on the mountain and spilling right into the Hudson. It was incredible. From this angle, in fall and winter, the sun bids goodnight right between Crow’s Nest and Storm King.

This is truly an amazing vantage point for taking in the Northern Highlands. See Breakneck and Bannerman’s to the North. Look behind you to the east and see where Bull Hill was quarried. That’s a hike we can look forward to in the near future. To the south is Constitution Island, with West Point across the river. Let’s take the path back and do the loop now.

When you get back to the fork, at the bottom of the little hill, go right. This path takes you along the shoreline. The autumnal smell of leaves is everywhere. After a short ways, on the right, look up to see the rock formation that makes up the cliff you were just on. Trees growing right out of a slab of rock never cease to amaze me. As you wind your way around the bend, look to the right for the mine shaft. The opening is about 5 feet wide by 4.4 feet high. It goes back about 20 feet, if I recall. I haven’t been in it for a few years, but it’s pretty cool.

This loop around the island is a great walk for young children, as there is very little elevation and lots to look at. Up ahead there are a few piles of gravel, not more than a few feet high, which are great fun to safely run up and down on! The terrain changes a few times, keeping children from getting bored.
Along the shoreline there are countless rocks to sit on, fish from or just enjoy the peace and quiet. When you come to the open grassy area, take the path to the left. Here is where those gravel piles are. Look behind you and see the cliff! Continuing on, we see Bull Hill to the right with Breakneck up north. Walk straight down to the point.

Feel that wind!? That famous Highland wind, so feared by sailors long ago, as it comes whipping down The Clove; the valley between Storm King and Crow’s Nest. Brace yourself, for in the winter it’s got a kick. When I was here last, there were white caps in the water from the high winds. How frightening and exciting, sailing this river must have been back then.

Continue around and see a small footpath, traveling northeast past a kiosk under construction. There are many little paths that bring you down to the water’s edge. Don’t worry about getting lost on this walk, as all paths lead back to the main path. This is a walk I do all winter long; it’s gorgeous in the snow. When you come back to the clearing, go left, heading back into the woods. There are many birds on Little Stony Point and countless species of trees, among them, maple, birch, hickory, cedar, oak, tulip, locusts and cherry. See the young birch groove to your right, at the fork?

At the T, go left for Sandy Beach. Enjoyed by hikers, boaters, swimmers, birders and other outdoor and nature lovers, it’s one of my favorite summer spots. It’s a great place to pull in with your kayak, and stretch your legs for a bit. When it’s warm, it’s a wonderful way to spend the day.

Backtrack and go left at the fork. It is unadvisable to take the path leading past the little outhouse, as it brings you onto the railroad tracks. Instead, take the one directly in front of the structure, heading back into the woods. At the next T, go left and continue taking lefts until you reach the bridge. Take another peek over the bridge at the spectacular view. It is worrisome to think what the Highlands would have looked like today, if it were not for the handful of dedicated people who sought to work towards the conservation and protection of open space. Thanks to them, we have this special place to share and enjoy.

Please take out what you carry in. The park is open dawn to dusk. For more information, the Little Stony Point Citizens Association can be reached at 265.7815.

Dutchess County election results

Click Here for all results

Bush won in Dutchess County by about 6,000 votes, Republican Sue Kelly handily defeated Michael Jaliman, Howard Mills did very well against Democratic victor Chuck Shumer, and other local results.

Get out and vote. Democracy starts at home.

Today is the day. Living in a "blue state" it often feels like our votes don't count. But we still have the opportunity to give the winner a clear mandate, with votes from safe states and swing states counting the same. If there's a clear winner maybe we avoid annointment by litigation. Here's what you need to know:

- Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- If you're not sure where to vote, click here
- Election results will be posted on the Duchess County Board of Elections site starting at 9:30 tonight