It’s Tuesday! Volunteer Meeting Night! At the Howland Public Library. 7pm in the Community Room. The Spirit of Beacon Day is Sunday, September 24, 2023 from 11am-4pm.
We need volunteers for:
- Parade and Vendor Table shepherds
- Kids Event Section! We need 4 providers of kids entertainment in front of Salvation Army.
- Yard Sign and Flyer Distributors
Register to be a Volunteer here, and to get the Zoom link if you can’t attend in person.
Thanks!
Verplanck Auto! Thank you for your sponsorship of the Spirit of Beacon! You have been there for many community events before, and you did it again. Located on 133 Verplanck Avenue, the little auto shop is a powerhouse for vehicle repair. Thank you!
The Roundhouse returns as a sponsor of Spirit of Beacon Day 2023 as a Beacon of Light, and we are so thankful for their support! The Roundhouse has a long history of supporting the Spirit of Beacon Day. As history marches on, and players change hands, so has Spirit’s involvement with The Roundhouse. We welcome the new alignment with the daughter of the family business of The Roundhouse, Katie Guerra, who carries the torch for her family’s involvement. Thank you!
Beaconites Rusty Stahl and Sara B. From responded to their kids being inspired by the new Spirit of Beacon logo that originated in 2022 from designer Kim Dei Dolori with creative guidance with Katie James Inc. by letting their kids design Halloween Yard Art. Halloween is a big deal in Beacon, and this sign went over well with the trick-or-treaters.
Thanks Rusty and Sarah for sharing!
Rabe & Co, the national branding agency based in Beacon, NY, has returned as a Spirit of Beacon Sponsor for the 2023 season. They came on board last year when we had our revitalization year to be back in person, and we are so grateful for their support!
Founding Partner Liz Birch’s son represented last year in the middle of Main Street with his face painted from A Little Beacon Blog’s stand :)
Katie James Inc. has returned as the volunteer-based branding studio for Spirit of Beacon. “Last year, we started by having a logo contest to seek out lesser-known talent in Beacon,” says Katie Hellmuth, owner of Katie James Inc. and President of Spirit of Beacon. “We received excellent submissions, and the Committee selected Kim Dei Dolori. This year, we get to play with the logo and colors a bit for new t-shirts, signage and other ways to use the essence that the logo has created for the Spirit of Beacon Day.
Katie James Inc. is responsible for enhancing the website design, which is a continuation of the detailed job the previous Committee headed by Gwenno James, who first started a website at all for Spirit of Beacon.
The studio is also running the Instagram and Facebook pages for the Spirit of Beacon, as well as the newsletter announcements and press releases, creating the art and writing and publishing the posts to promote parade participants, vendor table signups and sponsors.
Key Food Beacon returns as a Beacon of Light Sponsor for Spirit of Beacon Day, giving the Committee confidence to move forward on logistical plans for producing the day. “Thank God,” said Spirit of Beacon’s President, Katie Hellmuth. “Now we can book the porta-potties and make sure we have enough accessible-sized units for everyone at convenient locations!”
Thank you, Key Food Beacon!
The Beacon Free Press has featured the Spirit of Beacon’s preparations for 2023. We are grateful for the coverage!
Sponsorships for the Spirit of Beacon Day 2023 are open! Beacon businesses are so supportive of this community, so always make the extra effort to give them your patronage, recommendations and good reviews.
There 4 sponsor levels for different amounts of promotion:
Logo on Banner Hung In Key Food Parking Lot
(as of late, the City of Beacon has decided to stop hanging banners across Main Street)
Logo on Parade Banner carried by Spirit of Beacon Day Committee representatives
Logo on Lawn Signs placed throughout Beacon and surrounding areas
Logo on Flyer going on storefront windows in Beacon
Logo on Tent at main stage at Veterans Place
Logo on T-Shirt (plus 10 free shirts)
Logo included in Program
Logo on Bathroom and Parking Signs
Logo displayed Homepage of Website
Logo displayed prominently on Website
Social Media Mentions
Acknowledgement given during speeches on main stage
Logo on Parade Banner carried by Spirit of Beacon Day Committee Representatives
Logo on T-Shirt (plus 5 free shirts)
Logo included in Program
Logo on Bathroom and Parking Signs
Logo displayed on Website
Social Media Mentions
Logo on T-Shirt (plus 1 free shirt)
Logo displayed on Website
Social Media Shout-out
Business or Name listed on Website
Business or Name listed in Program
Social Media Shout-out
1 free shirt
The Spirit of Beacon Committee has opened the 2023 Volunteers round for those who want to help make this day happen. Jobs include:
Parade Duty: Helping parade participants get to where they need to be.
Vendor Table Duty: Helping vendors get to their tables.
Social Media: Someone to run the Instagram and Facebook channels.
Table Sitters: A few people to represent the Spirit of Beacon at events where the table and tent are set up.
And more.
Please see the Volunteer Page to sign up and get onto the Volunteer Email List.
As we get ready for another year - the 46th year - of the Spirit of Beacon Day - we are reflecting on how we only could have done this with the help of our 2022 sponsors who so quickly leveled up to invest in the day to make this possible. We are booking the bagpipe band, the Cobra Performing Arts performers who you all loved so much. We are booking the tent for another year of music, and the porta-potties to help our businesses not have to traffic all those potty breaks with their private bathrooms.
The Spirit of Beacon Day had a come-back year in 2022, and it could not have been possible without our 2022 Sponsors who helped us in our time of need.
To produce this highly anticipated event, which is layered with music, performances, school spirit, and community involvement, we needed investment from the community. Beacon businesses and groups who serve this area came through. Thank you so much, 2022 Sponsors, from all of us.
Sponsorship for 2023 is opening soon.
Last Outpost
314 Main Street
Really cool boutique with a handsome and rugged style. Shirts, hats, sunglasses, custom Beacon mugs and merch, etc.
Beahive
291 Main Street
A co-work community and space where entrepreneurs, creatives and techies mix with nonprofit leaders, activists and community organizers.
Highlands Current
A reader-funded, nonprofit media organization that serves the communities of Beacon and Philipstown (Cold Spring, Nelsonville, Garrison, North Highlands and Continental Village) in the Hudson Highlands of New York.
Daria Gates - Speech Pathology
Holistic, collaborative, play-based speech-language therapy that involves both the child and their family. “Every child is their own individual, unique person with something to communicate in this world.”
Witch Hazel
176 Main Street
Witch Hazel is a modern-day apothecary that taps into the calming beauty of nature. Find carefully curated makeup, skincare, mystery balms, vases, and so much more. Beyond delightful.
Raven Rose
474 Main Street
Raven Rose is a modern take on your traditional flower and gift shop. With an open and airy storefront they are always evolving to embrace seasonal trends in both home decor and flower arrangements. You must stop in.
Heating up like the summer are table registrations for the Spirit of Beacon Day 2023. Early Birds have been flying in, securing their tables. As registrations come in, we cannot promise the “same spot” and such, but we will try very hard to accommodate! Please be mindful that if you’re not in your same spot, sometimes change is good, and you might love your new spot, where you will meet new table neighbors.
Spirit of Beacon Day is saving at least 10 spots for After School Clubs. We really want to showcase them so that the community - not just students - can see what these teachers are offering to the students of the Beacon City School District. Please sign up and commit the day! Registration Fee is waved for After School Clubs. We are working on getting prizes from the community for those who work your table. We know what an extra effort it is for teachers to organize and host these After School Clubs.
Before we introduce the tables who have signed up so far, we want to share who is in this picture: Don Raskopf. A dedicated community member and lover of the Hudson Valley River who served as a Board Member of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater who did pass away in 2023. He attended last year’s Spirit of Beacon Day, and was a friend of many. He could be seen often on his bike with his little dog. Don is missed in Beacon, but his spirit lives on.
Conservation Advisory Committee
Spirit of Beacon Table
Beacon Tree Advisory Committee
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
Family Transformation Church (formerly Faith Temple Church) - we had the booth at the end of N. Cedar Street
Fidelis Care
Astor Services
Beacon Lady Bulldogs Booster Club
Tioronda Garden Club
Salem Tabernacle
Fishkill Rotary Club
Beacon Climate Action Now
SOUTHERN DUTCHESS COALITION
Growing and Empowering Myself and My Sisters Inc.
The ARC Community League New York
Christ Church, United Methodist
Howland Public Library
Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF)
Patriot Swim Team and M2O swim
Beacon Sons and Daughters of Italy, St. Francis of Assisi Lodge #2629
Beacon City Council
Beacon Prison Rides
A Little Beacon Blog
Each year, the Spirit of Beacon Day has had a theme. Last year, it was The Origin Story. To remind people what the Spirit of Beacon Day is, and why it exists. It is not just a day to celebrate Beacon with a street fair. This is a day dedicated to connecting the youth to the community. Born in 1977 out of racial tensions between kids and the community. And those days are not over. They never will be. We have to connect to each other each and every day to ensure that we are understood and heard by each other.
This year, the theme of the Spirit of Beacon Day is “Level Up” (no, we don’t mean 4 story buildings, so don’t go there).
“Level Up” can mean many things, and we want to know how you perceive it. What does Leveling Up mean to you?
The Spirit of Beacon’s Secretary, Jeana Pearl Fletcher, had been thinking about this term a lot. She recently moved to Beacon, found a job in NYC that has her commuting. She joined the Spirit committee in order to get her hands into Beacon to get to know the community. “Level Up is a pump-up message to challenge myself with something new, like a goal or event, and embrace lessons learned. It can be a collective practice too!”
The Spirit of Beacon’s Treasurer, Jennifer Garfield Abrams, felt this: “Love Jeana’s meaning. It really resonates with me! I also think about it in terms of what it would mean for Beacon to ‘Level Up.’ There are so may people in the community who work on different projects to ensure that it’s the best Beacon it can be. Sometimes our visions for Beacon’s ‘leveling up’ are different, but the important thing is that we come together across that difference to work towards an even more thriving community.”
Said the Spirit of Beacon’s Chair, Katie Hellmuth: “In Beacon, ‘Leveling Up’ means to me to learn about new things, that may be old and normal to somebody else, and work to understand its place here in Beacon. Leveling Up in Beacon to me means speaking out about it in order to preserve it. Not to preserve something in stone. But to share what is going on so that people know about it, in case unfairness is persevering by leveling something flat.”
Spirit of Beacon Board Member, Junior Zayed Dabashi conveyed that “Level Up” means to him: “Elevate our everyday efforts to better our present and strengthen the future for our youth.”
What does Level Up mean to you in Beacon? Bring this spirit with you to the Spirit of Beacon Day on Sunday, September 24, 2023.
HELLO BEACONITES!!!
It’s the Spirit of Beacon Day Committee writing. We are BACK. We are back for Spirit of Beacon Day 2023, the 46th year of this day all because you made it happen last year. Yes you.
The City of Beacon has granted us the permit to once again celebrate this spirit on Sunday, September 24, 2023. That gives us the summer to reach out to you, hear from you, and plan for what you want to bring to the day.
The returning Spirit of Beacon Committee members: Katie Hellmuth (Chair), Jeana Pearl Fletcher (Secretary), Zayed Junior Dabashi (Board Member), and Ali T. Muhammad (Board Member) and our new treasurer Jennifer Garfield-Abrams!
Nickeya Allen-Smith is now Spirit of Beacon’s contract bookkeeper, training our committee for passing the torch for future management. We are so thankful for her and the wealth of knowledge shared from past leadership to guide us into the future.
Last year we worked with volunteer Spirit Coordinators to produce the music and entertainment portion of the day. So far, we know that Goldee Green, Bosco Michael Faison, Kimberly Dei Dolori and Melissa Shae will be returning. We are looking for other volunteers and coordinators as programming opportunities open up. Please see how to get involved below!
The mission of the Spirit of Beacon is to connect the youth with the community. There are ample opportunities for kids of all ages in Beacon. Our mission is to make sure they know about them and have more ways to connect with them. Read about the origins of this day. All parade and vendor table applications are weighed against our mission.
This year, we are especially looking for After School Groups at all of the schools to represent at their own table. Last year, we reserved a block for this. This year, with more time to get the word out, we hope these leaders of those After School Clubs are willing and able to make the time to set up a table, so that the parents, caregivers and kids can see and touch what goes on inside of the schools.
You can now register for a spot in the Parade and for a Vendor Table. No fee. A few things to remember:
Parade:
Is for Beacon organizations and those who serve in Beacon.
No politicking. Politicians are not allowed to sign up to walk as an individual.
All parade registrations must be accepted after registration application is submitted.
Businesses in Beacon can apply for and participate in the parade.
Vendor Tables:
This is a time for connecting kids and adults with services that enrich their lives. Tables are prioritized for non-profit organizations after school programs If you or your business do not fall in this category, there may be space for your table. Please consider donating and centering your proceedings to a Beacon organization.
We want your bellies to be full. We are opening food vendoring in a tiered system with deadlines in order to give our non-profits and Beacon businesses priority:
Fees:
$30 Dutchess County Department of Health Food Permit
$35 Spirit of Beacon Table Non-Profit and Beacon Business Rate for Food
$100 Spirit of Beacon Table Food Vendor Rate for Businesses Outside of Beacon.
Deadlines:
First come, first serve based on tier schedule. By the time your tier comes, there might not be space available. No guarantees.
1st Priority Tier: Non-Profits and Churches
Selling food on Spirit of Beacon Day has been a fundraising opportunity for the non-profits, organizations and churches.
Fee: $35 Table Fee
Deadline: July 1 - July 31. Don’t wait.
2nd Priority Tier: Beacon Businesses
Our restaurant business friends in Beacon also really need your business. Say all you want about the tourists who come in on the weekends, but very few establishments can survive on weekend traffic alone. With local Beacon not coming out every night of the week, our local restaurants do struggle. We do want you to order from the restaurants.
This year, Beacon restaurants and businesses can apply for a table. If you are a business (like a barber) who wants to sell food outside your establishment, you can apply.
Fee: $35 Table Fee
Deadline: August 1 - August 16. Don’t wait. If space is available by then.
3rd Priority Tier:
If we don’t fill up on food vendors with the first two priority tiers, then food vendors who are businesses and not on Beacon’s Main Street can apply.
Fee: $100 Table Fee
Deadline: August 17 - August 31.
Throughout the summer, we will post different volunteer opportunities. Most of these will happen in September, as we get closer to The Day. This Committee operates mainly by text. We have lots of group text meetings. We have families and jobs and commitments that make meeting in person very difficult for us.
Right now, we are looking for a Spirit Coordinator for Social Media (in Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok). This person can be well versed in one of these platforms, or all. We can work with volunteers who are good in different platforms.
Register to be a Volunteer here.
OMG. We had very little in the bank for 2022, and our business sponsors revived us. THANK YOU. Sponsorship for 2023 will open shortly. We need to do a big Thank You celebration post and social media celebration for our 2022 sponsors first.
New year, new colors! Continuing with the Tradition. Kim Dei Dolori designed such a cool logo that you all loved and will be available for sale. Volunteers get their own shirts for FREE. Show up and show off Beaconites!
We are looking forward to seeing you on Sunday, September 24, 2023 for the 46th year of this day. We will be in touch with some of you sooner if you sign up for volunteer opportunities.
Look for more updates here at the Spirit of Beacon Day website!
Yes, the OG t-shirts are still for sale! Limited supply. Hats also. Click here to shop our store. Free local pickup available.
YES. Spirit of Beacon Day 2023 is happening!! We ducked under the water after completing the comeback 2022 for the first time, and we are opening 2023. Same Committee. Same Energy.
There will be new volunteer opportunities. New table opportunities. New food opportunities. And new colors of the logo!
Those who volunteer will have a new opportunity to get this exclusive Volunteer shirt. Thank you SO MUCH to our 2022 sponsors who made this possible. We could not have done it without you.
Kid size t-shirts are available! On the website now for sale. Clearly we need a photo of your child wearing this t-shirt! Buy today and send us a pic. Free Pickup or Shipping are available.
The Spirit of Beacon Day t-shirts and hats are on sale now on the Spirit of Beacon website!
You’ve seen the t-shirts around town, or in your house because someone wears them to bed. Now you can have your own, and give away as a gift! And those hats - those stunning black hats. You need one for your collection. Sizes range from Kids to XXL
Shipping is available. But so is free local pickup. We are using A Little Beacon Blog’s Co-Work Desk at the Beacon Digital/Main Office location of 234 Main Street (next door to Homespun).
Hours for pickup are varied and not consistent. Generally range from 12-2pm on the weekday, and sometimes on the weekend.
For Free Pickup, please email spiritofbeacon@gmail.com after you order to see when Katie (Spirit of Beacon Committee President) is at the co-work desk to give you your order. Alternatively, she will email you. Or find your place of residence to put it in your mailbox. And then disappear.
This is your last chance on the first time this t-shirt was designed and printed. This was the first print run, supported by the following sponsors who sponsored at the t-shirt level:
Key Food Beacon
The Roundhouse
Sara Mikulsky Wellness Physical Therapy, PLLC
Hudson Valley Goldsmith
PlaymakerU - Basketball Program in the Old Beacon High School
Hudson Valley Food Hall
Verplanck Auto
Beacon Bread Company
Ziatun
Beacon Music Factory
Rabe & Co.
Melanin Unchained
Beacon Natural Market
Hudson Valley Credit Union
Remark Printing
The Pink Unicorn
Katie James, Inc.
A Little Beacon Blog
Please click here to see all of our sponsors for 2022. Thank you!
Both the Beacon Farmers Market and the Beacon Flea have graciously closed for this weekend in order to open up their parking lots to people coming in for the Spirit of Beacon Day. Both the DMV lot and the Henry Street Lot will be open.
All of the other lots around town are also open and usual, and are marked with blue Parking signs. Find pictures of them below. See more detail at A Little Beacon Blog’s Free Parking Guide.
Hello Vendor Table People!
If you got this email from us, it is because you registered and were accepted to have a table in the Spirit of Beacon Day festivities on Sunday, September 25, 2022. In case if went into people’s spam folder, we have republished it here.
A few highlight notes:
Tables: Bring your own table, tent and chairs.
Helpers: We will have some Spirit Volunteers to help you set up your tent if you need it.
Power: We are working on getting a few extension cords for you for emergency charging if you need it. Please don't count on it, but we are hoping for a few phone/computer charging stations.
Parking: Both free public parking lots on Henry Street are available for you to park in. The Beacon Flea has graciously closed this weekend to allow for more parking. The free parking lot at DMV is also available, but further down the road for vendors. The Beacon Farmers Market has graciously closed this weekend to allow for parking.
Table Location + Police: Chief Frost has asked us to tell you that should you need the help of Police on the day, to please tell them what business you are in front of. Use the address of the business and/or the business name. Don't use your table number, because the Police won't know it.
Spirit Table: We will have a Spirit of Beacon table near the Main Music Stage (Veterans Place) should you need to give us anything or need to find a representative right away. Volunteers Carman Johnson and Jeana Pearl Fletcher will be at that table.
Rain: If there is rain, we have been advised by so many people to push through and carry on. If it is really bad, we do have a rain date of the following Sunday. But let’s hope.
SETUP TIME:
10am: Setup. That is when the Beacon Police are closing the side streets and our part of Main Street, from Brett Street (Amacord) to Teller Avenue (Yankee Clipper Diner).
4pm: Breakdown. If you need to go early, that is quite alright. All of us will break down at 4pm, and the Beacon Highway Department will help get rid of the trash. Please do you part and pick up any trash you see, even if it isn't yours.
***
1pm Heads Up: At 1pm, the parade starts. Your table will be on the sidewalk, so the parade will pass right by you. But interaction with your table will slow from 1-2pm.
Bring water. You'll get thirsty.
BATHROOMS
There will be a porta-potty for you in both of the far corners of the Rite Aid parking lot, and across from St. Rocco’s. So, North and South Chestnut Street, and Eliza Street/Church Street.
PARKING
Both free public parking lots on Henry Street are available for you to park in. These are the lots behind the Towne Crier and Yankee Clipper, as well as the lot behind the Post Office and Mobil Gas Station. Both the Beacon Flea and the Beacon Farmers Market have graciously taken the hit for you by closing on this day. Thank you Markets! Everyone please buy from them next weekend.
CONTACT PERSON:Your point person of contact will be Katie Hellmuth. She is the Spirit of Beacon Chair, and is at-the-ready for your calls. Text or call her at 917-822-5391. If texting, tell her who you are.
BRING YOUR OWN TABLE: Bring your own table, tent and chairs.
TABLE ETIQUETTE: Your table will be in front of a business, but not blocking the business front door. We need to make the businesses as accessible as possible. Beacon businesses will be open on this day. Encourage your visitors to browse the business behind you.
DON'T BLOCK A BUSINESS' DOOR
Set up to the right or left of the business you are in front of. Leave a clear path to their door so that the public can get in. Please do not pile up your stuff in front of their storefront. The public still needs to walk behind you on the sidewalk to get to stores. Use the space under your table for that. Thank you!
FOOD
Thanks to you, the Spirit of Beacon Day has gotten so big, that Dutchess County wants to know about your food, to make sure it's safe. You might need a temporary food permit, but might not. If you are selling or giving away any food of any kind, you'll want to run it by the Inspector Shannon Fatum. Call Shannon at 845-838-4801 and leave her a message, or email her at sfatum@dutchessny.gov. She is waiting to hear from you, and knows about the Spirit of Beacon Day. If you need a temporary permit, which is $30, she will email you the application.
Don't be afraid. Call her. She wants to make it work for you. She has talked to several of you already!
LOCATION OF YOUR TABLE:
Here it is. The announcement you've been waiting for. Please email us with any questions or concerns to spiritofbeacon@gmail.com
1 Common Ground Farm
2 Sargent Downing Garden
3 Beacon Compost
4 Tree Committee
5 Community Voices Heard
6 St. James AME Zion Church
7 Beacon Democratic Committee
8
9 Spirit of Beacon
10 Sara Mikulsky Wellness Physical Therapy
11 A Little Beacon Blog
12 Beacon Volunteer Ambulance
13 Christ Church United Methodist
14 BeaconArts
15 Beacon Climate Action Now
16 Beacon Girl Scouts
17 Twins Barbershop Beacon NY
18 Custom Socks
19 Beacon High School Sophomore Class Officers
20 School Clubs
21 School Clubs
22 School Clubs
23 School Clubs
24 BCSD ESports
25 School Clubs
26 School Clubs
27 St Rocco Society
28 Beacon Wellness Pharmacy INC
29 Beacon Historical Society
30 Sargent-Downing Gardens
31 Conservation Advisory Committee
32 Bomba Beacon
33 Beacon Performing Arts
34 St Joachim-St John Women’s Parish Club
35
36 Stony Killl Foundation
37
38 Howland Public Library
39 Friends of Howland Public Library
40 Beacon Prison Rides
41
42 Southern Dutchess Coalition
43 Kids Area
44 Astor-Head Start
45 Little Water Preparatory Charter School
46 Tioronda Garden Club
47 River Pool at Beacon
48 New Covenant Learning Center
49 Masjid Ar-Rashid
50 I Am Beacon
51 Highlands Current
52 Melanin Unchained
53 Fire Dept
54 Goodwill Church
55
56 Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights
57 New York Army National Guard
58 Beacon Cub Scout Pack 3001
59 Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot
60 Fishkill Rotary Club
61 Hudson Valley Credit Union
62 Beacon Players
63 BHS Lady Bulldog girls soccer booster club
64 Dia Beacon
65 Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America Lodge #2629 St. Francis of Assisi
66 Arf
67 Yanarella school of Dance
68
69
70 Beacon Elks Lodge #1493
71
72
73 Beacon's St Patrick"s Day Parade Of Green
74
75 Hudson Food Hall
76
77 Fidelis care
78 Dutchess County Sheriff's Office Jail Division
79 Beacon PBA
80 Howland Chamber Music Circle
81
82 City of Beacon Recreation
83
RAIN PLAN:
If it rains, we are encouraging rain coats. Only for monsoons and microbursts are we going to a rain date of the following Sunday.
Please let us know of any questions,
The Spirit Of Beacon Day Committee
