Beacon Dispatch

Save the Tioronda Bridge for Pedestrian Use

Letter to the Editor

The decision regarding one of Beacon's oldest treasures, the Tioronda Bridge requires more than just intellect. It requires common sense and historical appreciation.

For those unfamiliar with the bridge it was built during the Civil War period and is one of two remaining in the United States. It crosses the Fishkill Creek in the Southern part of Beacon and connects 9D near Craig House (Grandview Ave) to South Ave. The bridge has been closed for many years and requires extensive repair which the City Council is discussing.

The Tioronda Bridge located at the entrance to the Madam Brett Trail would best serve the city as a walking bridge to be enjoyed for the magnificent views it offers. When standing on the bridge you will experience unique natural beauty in all directions.  One can see a wooded shoreline up creek leading to rushing waterfalls, while to the other side the creek continues its fast run towards the Hudson. In addition the bridge would be a better 9D bike path than through busy Wolcott Ave. Most important of all the historic bow steel structure should be preserved (if possible) because it is a link to Beacon's past and a national treasure.

The City Council should not accept the position that the State should completely rebuild the bridge and widen it to accommodate two lanes of traffic. Nor should the bridge be used as a single lane route. To allow through traffic on our scenically designated South Ave will destroy a uniquely charming neighborhood, and neighborhood preservation is an important goal for the City Council to hold. Lastly, as an emergency by-pass route around Wolcott Ave it has value only between a relatively small half mile stretch, a safety measure that has not been important for the twenty years I have lived in Beacon.

As a past City Councilman interested in Beacon's scenic beauty I urge the City Council to preserve our history and our neighborhoods by making the Tioronda Bridge one for the people, not for the cars.

Steve Gold,
Candidate for Ward 4, Beacon City Council

Mountain Memories

Mount Beacon in the 50s and 60s

by Jack Sine

All great cities have unique settings that help define them. New   York has its skyline. San   Francisco has the Golden   Gate Bridge. Chicago has its lakeshore. And Beacon has its mountain. Granted, Beacon is a very small city, but its getting bigger everyday. And, at least from an arts and shops perspective, our small city is moving towards greatness.

Sitting between the Hudson River and the mountain, Beacon is blessed with great natural beauty. But it is the mountain that lives in the memories of many who grew up here and saw the mountain as their back yard.

Fiction: Young Again

by Tanya Merrill

“Oh to be young again,” the old man says looking at his watch, as if expecting time to go backwards, expecting the hands to reverse.

He sits alone at his aged, wooden table but keeps talking, he answers to himself.

“To be young again, that’s nothing, that’s not what you should want”.

“Of course it is,” he argues again. "To be young with life ahead of you, to be young with love still pure.”

“Come on old man, you have done that already, you have had your time. Many years of life have seeped through your bones and love has pumped your veins.”

“This is true.” He sighs. And he twists his old gnarled hands together. Every scar, vessel and discoloration seems to show. His wrinkled skin hangs loosely on his bones. But yet in his sunken eyes, life still swirls with frenzy. And Italy fills his mind.

Beacon Voices: Pete Seeger

by Michael Daecher

Last year, when I was fortunate enough to interview Pete Seeger for the first issue of the Beacon Dispatch, I had half an hour to sit with one of the most influential songwriters and political activists of the past hundred years. And all it took was a phone call. I explained that we were starting a newspaper for people who wanted to know a bit more about life in Beacon beyond the latest news. Without knowing much more about it, Pete agreed to talk to me. At the end of our interview, he said something that seemed like an important idea at the time, and has since come to define the Beacon Dispatch, at least for me. “If the human race is still around in 100 years,” he said, “I am convinced it will not be because of any one thing, but because of millions, maybe tens of millions, little things all over the world.”

I hope the Dispatch is one of those little things. Below is the full transcript of our interview, reprinted from the first edition of the Dispatch one year ago. And in the coming year, let’s honor Pete’s dedication to our community by re-naming Riverfront Park in his name.

Nightboat Books: Navigator of the Written Word

by Ellen Timmer

A little over one year ago a small group of concerned citizens sat down to discuss the possibility of a format for covering issues of interest to the people of Beacon.  This informal meeting ended with the formal doling out of responsibilities and a list of potential names for this (ad)venture.  Out of this conversation the Beacon Dispatch was born. 

Many entrepreneurs may be smiling to themselves as they read these words.  Often times the generation of a business idea comes from a simple conversation.  The beginnings of Nightboat Books, a non-profit press published by Kazim Ali, a Beacon resident, were very similar. 

BAU Wow!

Friday Night Jazz heats up the night at BAU in Beacon

by Jeffery Battersby

If the way a musician handles an interview is any indication of the musical ride you’re about to take, then Marvin Bugalu Smith promises to be something akin to a musical Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Within ten minutes of sitting down for a pre-gig meal of collard greens, fried chicken, and green beans at BJ’s on Main Street, Mr. Smith had already pursued a slapdash conversational journey that touched on at least ten separate subjects, from the quality of the proprietress’ new coif (very nice), the tools necessary for digital video editing (Bugalu has just finished editing and burning a DVD from a recent performance), to the perfection of BJ’s fried chicken and collard greens in comparison to… well let’s just say that Mr. Smith won’t be getting any advertising contracts with Kentucky Fried Chicken anytime soon.