Beacon Dispatch

Editorial: Thriving Business in Beacon

Jane Jacobs, a great urban planner and theorist, once said, “The point of cities is multiplicity of choice.”  Inside this end of the year issue, you will find a list, by no means exhaustive, but hopefully compelling enough to make you take to your feet and walk down Main Street to do your Christmas shopping.  If you have the time, see if you can walk the whole thing—you’d be amazed by the “multiplicity of choice” right here in Beacon.

Ms. Jacobs was a frequent foe of city politicians and the real estate developers who often dictated city policy.  For her part, Ms. Jacobs preferred to see growth that supported a thriving business and interpersonal community, rather than the anonymity of malls, highways and corporate interests.  Perhaps this sounds “old fashioned” or like going backwards.  But, as anyone who has lived in Beacon for 50, 30, 20 or even 10 years can tell you, when all of the business left town for the malls, there wasn’t much “town” left.  Luckily, the “town” feeling has returned to Beacon.

Of course, the debate will continue.  As we have seen over the last several years, population flux and demographic shifts can alter the needs of a city.  Whether the question is a new library, open space vs. development, police department leadership, school expansion, condominiums on Main Street, or parking levies on new businesses, we can always choose to weigh our decision against the thought, “Does this policy build community or detract from community?”

The Main Street life of Beacon’s community has come a long way in the last 15 years.  Despite the ups and downs, businesses that open and close, the balance has been in a very positive direction.  This year take a look at the street and see the festive decorations, hear the laughter and smell the sweet aromas.  Smile, and enjoy your community.  Then, “pay it forward”, spend some money on Main Street…you never know what your bit of community building can do to make Beacon a better place! 

Highland Wanderer: Walking in a Winter Wonderland

As I sit here writing it’s November 28th. Several days past the Thanksgiving feast but still a couple of days before the beginning of December. And a day that, like the ghost of my California Christmases past, I’m sitting in shirtsleeves in 60º weather. This, of course, does not keep me from dreaming of what bright hope the ghost of Christmas future might bring—namely, two feet of fresh powder and a pair of snowshoe’s strapped to the bottom of my feet.

Last year I had hoped to write here about snowshoeing locally but unfortunately there wasn’t more than a day or two worth of snow to tromp around in. This year, instead of waiting and wishing, I’m sending this month’s column out as a bright (white!) hope for the future.

Stand in the middle of Beacon, point your finger in any direction and you’ll find that you’re anywhere from two to twenty minutes from great snowshoeing country. Mount Beacon, Stony Kill Farm, and Fahnestock Memorial State Park all provide snowshoeing opportunities for everyone from hikers with the most basic of skills to hardcore snowshoeing enthusiasts.

Holiday Shopping in Beacon

by Karen Maserjian Shan

Had enough of the shopping malls? Catch a breath of fresh air on Beacon’s Main Street.

"Saturday nights…until Christmas the stores are going to be open for late night shopping," said Linda Hubbard, a member at large of the Beacon Arts Community Association and co-owner of the RiverWinds Gallery. The stores also will stay open late the two Friday nights before Christmas.
In addition to familiar retailers, like Hudson Beach Glass and Alps Sweet Shop, new-comers along Main Street include the Artisan Wine Shop, Paper Presence, Beacon Barkery and Homespun Foods. For antiques and collectibles, stop by Early Everything, Iron Fish or Finders Keepers and for an eclectic mix of furnishings and accessories check out Feel Design and Sanctuary Home Furnishings. There’s also World’s End Books, Jacqueline (for hats and bags), kids’ stuff at Echo and, for course, Kringles Christmas House.

And, if shopping the mile-plus stretch from Main Street’s east to west ends leaves you feeling fatigued, stop by Chthonic Clash Coffeehouse, Cup & Saucer Restaurant/Boutique, Muddy Cup Coffee House or any other of Beacon’s neighborhood eateries for a tasty treat that’ll have you rejuvenated in no time.

"We’re making a big effort to make it easier for people to find the gifts that aren’t standard issue – the ones that are more unusual and expressive of a more personal statement," said Carl Van Brunt, owner of the Van Brunt Gallery and vice president of BACA.

For a sampling of what’s available where, read on and for more information, visit BACA’s Web site at and the City of Beacon’s online guide. Happy shopping!

Beacon Rivers and Estuaries Institute Teaches As It Learns

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow – Our River Runs Through Them

"The river’s reflections of our lives and experiences are endless. The water calls up our own ambitions of flowing with ease, of navigating the unknown."

~ Tim Palmer, river conservationist

"We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon,
that flow in our rivers and streams, that fall upon our gardens
and fields, and we ask that they:
Teach us, and show us the way."

~ Chinook Indian blessing liturgy

No matter who you are or where you live, rivers have shaped your life. They are the most ancient of all highways and the shape of their banks of their bends and falls and the speed and power of their currents have dictated the locations of cities and fortifications, of roads and railways. Just a glimpse at the banks of the Hudson will tell you how this mighty river has influenced those of us who now live near it. And yet, as much as we understand about the impact of the Hudson on our lives, there still remains much we need to learn about it.

And that is one of the two tasks of The Beacon Institute of Rivers and Estuaries – to learn the secrets of the Hudson that have eluded us thus. The other task is to teach what they have already learned.
Progress and Teaching

Many look at the still deserted paper clip factory at the base of Dennings Point that is to be the heart of the Institute and think little or no progress has been made. Not so. Work on that building is not scheduled to begin until 2008. But much progress has been made on other fronts.

Beacon School Board Update

by Bill Zopf, Board President & Dr. Jean Parr, Superintendent

For this month’s column we thought we would touch on various subjects and respond to questions and comments which have been raised over the last couple of months.

•    Why has the school district set up various reserve funds?
The school district received additional public and private excess cost aid for the 2005/06 school year from New York State.  This aid was based on the prior year's costs paid by the district for out of district placements of our special education students.  Although this state aid was for the 2005/06 school year, it was not received by the district until August and September of 2006. The law limits what can be done with this money, but one of the allowable usages is to set up reserve funds with specific purposes.

The reason for reserve funds is to have money set aside which can be used to reduce specific costs in future years and lessen the burden to the taxpayer. Once the financial books for the 2005/06 school year were closed and reviewed by the auditors, the district had a clear understanding of how much money could be set aside. At one of the recent board meetings, two reserve funds were set up. An ‘Employee Benefit Accrued Liability Reserve Fund’ for $1,000,000 was created to help offset future expenses related to non-teaching staff benefits.  A Retirement Contribution Reserve Fund with $350,000 was created to help offset future expenses related to the state retirement system contributions.

Recipe: Traditional Christmas on a Worldwide Scale

by Bruce Beaty

Each December, when the holidays descend upon us, I'm intrigued by the ways people of different religious and ethnic backgrounds celebrate the social events of the season. One of the cool things about working in a restaurant and living in a diverse community is the opportunity to witness these divergent practices and see what makes us different and what makes us similar.  Over the years I've had the fortune to see the holidays through a very different lens than the one my Protestant, Southern upbringing provided.

I've learned about the Catholic tradition of a meatless Christmas Eve dinner called Cena della Vigilia , or dinner of the vigil, a multi-course dinner consisting mostly of fish and running anywhere from 7 to 13 courses. I've watched the Mexican and Ecuadorian cooks in my kitchen prepare Bacaloa, or salt cod for Christmas Eve, in a thin sauce of tomatoes, peppers and olives. I've also been served that same salt cod as a salad on Christmas morning at my in-law's house, reflecting their Trinidadian culture. A very good Chef friend of mine makes the best potato latkes I've ever tasted, like the ones his mother would serve from Hanukkah right through New Years, manifesting his Eastern European Jewish heritage. I've also been in Austria during the holidays and tasted the most delightful selection of pastries, strudels, and cakes imaginable. 

Despite the fact that December is probably the busiest month of the year for most of us, we always seem to make time for, and look forward to the times spent around the table with family and friends. Breaking bread and communing together are among the strongest ties that bind us together.

The following recipes represent conventions and customs I've discovered while traveling and living abroad, and working with a truly amazing mosaic of people from around the world. These recipes are not meant to represent a single menu. But each could be a very strong contribution to any pot-luck you might find yourself at this holiday season.