Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens for People in Need in Beacon

One of the first meals served in the new Soup Kitchen at the
Tabernacle of Christ Church A/G at 483 Main Street.
Photo Credit: Tabernacle Church of Christ.

The Salvation Army's restructuring of its soup kitchen prompted a fresh look at food pantries and soup kitchens in the area, and the opening of a new one. While these sources are on the radar for many, including the Sloop Club who hosts an annual event in December to raise money for pantries, donating to food pantries and soup kitchens may not be at the top of the list for others. Furthermore, food pantries can go underused, according to Deaconess D. Williams of Springfield Baptist Church, who says: "Many miss out because they simply don't know that help is available."

This Thanksgiving, we have organized a list of sources for people to donate to and eat from.

If you organize a food pantry or soup kitchen, or provide free meals in another way, please email this information to editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com to be considered for this list.

Whether you are looking for a warm meal, canned goods, or friendly community, or you’re in a position to help by donating food or time, the following organizations in and near Beacon would love to see you. Contact organizers for information about the most up-to-date ways to participate.

Soup Kitchens & Feeding Programs

Soup Kitchen

Tabernacle of Christ A/G Church

Organized rapidly this November and already served its first meal, this soup kitchen is open to all and serves a hot meal. Several organizations pitched in, including Common Ground Farm, My Bread Is Your Bread, Dutchess Outreach, Tabernacle of Christ Church A/G, and In Care of.

Tabernacle of Christ A/G Church 
481 Main Street

Beacon, NY
DAYS/TIMES - Free Meals

11am-12pm Monday - Thursday

Coordinators for eating or donating:
Candi Rivera and Kundi Glasson: (845) 728-8196 incareof.beacon@gmail.com 
Currently seeking donations for commercial-grade stove and refrigerator. For the interim, Ella's Bellas has donated a household refrigerator until the commercial-grade version is secured.
Donations: https://www.gofundme.com/kjb4buzw 
To Volunteer: http://vols.pt/Bd35tD 



Welcome Table Soup Kitchen

Photo Credit: First Presbyterian Church.

First Presbyterian Church 
50 Liberty Street 
Beacon, NY
DAYS/TIMES Free Meals

10-12pm Fridays and Saturdays. In the summer, you may spot the Green Teens' green bus selling very affordable produce from the parking lot.

Coordinator for eating or for donating: 
Rose Quirk: (845) 600-5389

Seniors Feeding Seniors Ministry
Free meals and baked goods for seniors

Springfield Baptist Church 
8 Mattie Cooper Square
Beacon, NY

DAYS/TIMES - Free Meals

The last Saturday of each month at 12pm. 

DAYS/TIMES - Baked Goods

Every Wednesday (845) 813-4093

Coordinator for eating or for donating: 
Penny Jackson: pjackson6@hvc.rr.com

Senior Program
Salvation Army, Beacon Corps

Salvation Army Beacon Corps

372 Main Street
Beacon, NY
DAYS/TIMES Free Meals for Seniors
Tuesday & Thursday, 11-1:30pm
DAYS/TIMES for Donation of Food
Tuesday - Thursday by using the back door by the parking lot. Not the side door by the bank's parking lot, but the very back door directly behind the church. Walk straight back and step over the chain that blocks cars from short-cutting through to avoid the light, or if by car, use the Fishkill Ave. / Rt. 52 entrance.

The Salvation Army in the church at 372 Main Street, which is in the middle of town across the street from the Yankee Clipper Diner, recently restructured its soup kitchen to be open to senior citizens only.

Pastor Kisser studied the people walking into the church, and noticed that in Beacon's current renaissance, the fastest-growing demographic using the service was seniors. Pastor Kisser explains: "Due to budget constraints, the cook for the soup kitchen was let go, and the program director and the seniors stepped in to volunteer to help feed each other. The program continues to feed 20-25 seniors per session on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11-1:30pm." Earlier this week, the kitchen served its Thanksgiving meal to seniors, who enjoy the community time with each other.

Important to the Salvation Army is helping people eat in groups for social interaction. While the soup kitchen program is dedicated to seniors, during the Thanksgiving season, the Salvation Army does offer food vouchers to all people. Says Pastor Kisser: "In an effort to preserve the family, we give out vouchers to enable families to buy food at their own grocery stores and prepare it at home so that the family can sit down together in their own environment."
Coordinator for eating or for donating: Rhode: (845) 831-1253
Seniors should call or walk in to sign up for the program.
Donations of food can be made Tuesdays - Thursdays by using the back door off the parking lot.
Financial donations can be made online and designated to Beacon, as well as answering the seasonal mail that comes. When you designate Beacon, the location at 372 Main Street is the recipient. And of course, when you see the bright red kettles at supermarkets, money goes to your local Salvation Army. You could also drop off a check at any time to the building.

Food Pantries Open To All In Need

St. Andrew’s Food Pantry

St. Andrew’s Church
17 South Avenue, Beacon
DAYS/TIMES - Pickups

10am-11am Saturdays

Contact for eating or for donating: 
Pat Lassiter: (845) 831-4711

St. Luke's and St. Andrews Food Pantry

Contact for eating or for donating: 
Rev. John F. Williams: (845) 831-2643

Salvation Army, Beacon Corps
372 Main Street
Beacon, NY
The emergency food pantry is open to all.
DAYS/TIMES - Pickups
Starting at 9am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Appointments are required.
Call to make an appointment, or stop in:
(845) 831-1253
DAYS/TIMES - Donations of Food 

Can be made Tuesdays - Thursdays by using the back door off the parking lot.

Springfield Baptist Church
Food pantry

Springfield Baptist Church 
8 Mattie Cooper Square
Beacon, NY

Coordinator for eating or for donating: 
Deaconess Joan Cook: cjoanochorios@aol.com

Food Pantry

New Vision Church of Deliverance 
831 Route 52
Fishkill, NY
This food pantry serves fresh produce from Common Ground Farm. Says Common Ground: "Fresh produce is tough to find at food pantries because it is perishable, so it doesn't store as long as canned foods or dry goods. But of course, it is much healthier (and tastier). That's why we harvest that same day and deliver directly to our pantry partners." This pantry is in Fishkill, NY, and is a few doors from the diner, on Beacon's side of I-84.

11am Thursdays

Fishkill Food Pantry

First Reformed Church
1153 Main Street
Fishkill, NY (just before Route 9)
DAYS/TIMES - Pickups

Monday - Thursday 9am to 12pm 
Tuesdays: open until 2pm

Contact for eating or for donating: To access the pantry, make an appointment by calling (845) 896-4546. Call the same number to donate or volunteer. 


I Am Beacon

While not a food pantry, it is a source that delivers food to people in need during Thanksgiving. Key Food is a major partner in this drive, by way of collecting donations and storing turkeys until they are delivered.

A very special thanks for the rapid responses of organizers on the eve of Thanksgiving to compile this article:

• Catherine Sweet of A Little Beacon Blog for pounding the keyboard and making phone calls to find programs.
• Joyce Hanson with the Beacon Sloop Club for delivering information on food pantries in the area. Beacon Sloop Club is hosting a Cajun Holiday Party fundraiser with proceeds going to the Beacon Food Pantry and Beacon Sloop Club. Read about this and other upcoming events in A Little Beacon Blog's Annual Events Guide.
• Deaconess D. Williams of Springfield Baptist Church for clarifying and providing contact information.
• Kundi Glasson for helping to rapidly organize the Soup Kitchen at Tabernacle of Christ Church A/G and providing its newest details as they develop. 

 

3 Pop-Up Shops Open Post-Thanksgiving - Don’t Miss Them!

Looking to pick up some one-of-a-kind gifts for your Holiday shopping list?  After Thanksgiving, there will be some great opportunities to do just that right here in Beacon and nearby!  We have a few Pop-Up shops opening this weekend from the East end of Main Street down to the West.  

This Saturday, check out Work:Shop Holiday Artisan Market at the Wickham Solid Wood Studio at 578 Main St. in Beacon. This annual market brings out some of the best artisanal crafters of jewelry, knits, glassware, ceramics, and beauty products, from Beacon and beyond. Also, of course, the renowned woodworking of Wickham Studio owner Jessica Wickham. Last year’s event included food, as well as raffles of many coveted designs.

Saturday is also the opening reception of Small Works Show at Catalyst Gallery (137 Main Street) featuring featuring paintings, drawings, photography, prints, mixed media and sculpture by more than 50 artists.  This Pop-Up will be here until January 3, 2016.

Nearby in Hopewell Junction at Arbor Ridge (17 Rt 376 - intersecting with Rt 52) on Sunday December 6 from 10 am to 4 pm will be the Rock & Shop Decemberfest Extravaganza.  This craft fair is a fundraiser for two Wounded Warriors living in the Hudson Valley.  Santa will be there with small gifts for the kids and the event will also include live music, food, and raffles.

Want more? Come back to Beacon for Second Saturday on December 12 and check out Makers-on-Hudson's 7th Annual Holiday Craft Fair at The Howland Cultural Center at 477 Main Street from 10 am to 5 pm.  This fair will feature members of the Hudson Valley Etsy Team and local makers and artisans from the Hudson Valley. 

Plan ahead and check out our full Pop-Up Shopping Guide.

Thanksgiving Menu Roundup for 2015 - Turkey, Desserts, Soups, Sides to Order

The weather is so unseasonably nice, that it is really hard to imagine that next week we'll be slowing down to a few days off from school and work, in order to help us unplug and enjoy our families. And if the rumors from folks in Chicago and Ohio are true, this region may actually get snow for Thanksgiving! Which would be a classic case of terrible weather for those who drive or fly to Grandma's - something always comes up.

For this year's Thanksgiving Menu Roundup, I had to plant myself at Ella's Bellas - one of the delicious sources of what may be several dishes served on your table this year - for my own pre-Thanksgiving slice of pumpkin cake and pumpkin fondue (which is not on their official Thanksgiving menu). It was a nice treat to have pumpkin and spice on the tip of the tongue - literally.

Pick and choose your Thanksgiving treats and serve a bounty of dishes collected from all over Beacon. Let us begin...(and order RIGHT NOW because some of these makers have ordering deadlines of Monday, or Tuesday, or maybe yesterday, but they might still accept last-minute orders).

HINT: Call ahead to see if the pie or bread of your dreams is still available to pre-order... While pounding the pavement for these menus, we saw several spots had order deadlines that had been scratched off and extended. So take a chance and call just in case... Websites can be a little trickier to update than good ol' pen to paper. Several sources list Sunday or Monday as the drop-dead day.

APPETIZERS

Cheeses...you are in luck because cheese platters are Beacon Pantry's specialty! These cheese plates are serious business, and include delightful bite-sized goat cheese tarts, stilton and cranberry tarts (stilton is a type of blue cheese), and a hand-selected array of artisanal cheese.

Because you cannot snack on cheese alone, dips and spreads are also on the Thanksgiving menu at Beacon Pantry. Select from hummus, dolmas, tomato bruschetta, mushroom bruschetta and olives. Beacon Natural Market has a tasty menu with a lot of options for various courses of your dinner. Select from tapenade (a dip made from black olives, capers and anchovies) or artichoke hummus, or surprise your guests with a seasonal pumpkin hummus!

What will you decide?

SALAD

Pumpkin Pie Spice vinegar from Scarborough Fare.

Stay light and healthy with an arugula/mesclun salad with goat gouda, toasted pepitas, butternut seed oil and maple vinegar dressing from Beacon Natural Market, or an Autumn quinoa salad.

ROLLS & BREAD

Time to get really fancy with the bread you'll serve to guests. And by fancy, I mean tasty. First, start with really salty, smooth butter from Kate's Homemade Butter from Maine or the Amish Roll Butter (a tad onion-y from the cows' diet of regional chives and such), which is easy to find at Key Food.

As for the bread, All You Knead Bakery has the largest selection of breads, from Sourdough to Challah to Olive to an Autumn Harvest - a sweet and chewy loaf chock full of cranberries, raisins and pecans. Baguettes are easy to find at other cafe restaurants like Beacon Pantry, where you may also be ordering cheeses or soups, while plain or rosemary dinner rolls dinner are warming in the oven at Ella's Bellas.

Special to Beacon Pantry this year are sweet breads, including include petite muffins in a variety of flavors, orange gingerbread, banana bread, pumpkin cranberry bread and apple raisin, brought in from the famed Cafe Le Perche up in Hudson.

SOUPS

Now come the toughest choices. There are a lot of good soups on these Thanksgiving menus. But here is the good news: Soups can totally transform leftovers into fresh, savory dishes when you make a sandwich and dip it into soup. So feel free to over-order here. While you may find frozen soups at your favorite source like Homespun, you need to think about these seasonal soups being offered special for Thanksgiving. Beacon Natural Market is offering a pumpkin soup with curry leaves. Ella's Bellas has a butternut apple soup, and Beacon Pantry also has a butternut squash soup.

THE TURKEY & WHAT GOES WITH TURKEY

Russell Samuel and Shivana Weathers
donate turkeys as part of the
I Am Beacon here in Key Food Beacon.

Beacon Natural Market and Key Food are your easiest sources to find turkey. Barb's Butchery cut their turkey ordering off a week ago. Key Food is also carrying out the annual turkey and food drive in partnership with I Am Beacon, and have so far reserved 95 turkeys, donated by various people, for families in need. If you usually pick up Murray's chicken from Beacon Natural Market, you can order their turkeys as well in 20lb or 22lbs range. There is a larger selection from Snowdance Farms, where you can buy a turkey from 11-24lbs. But order now, because they are accepting orders until the turkeys are gone.

A cranberry sauce with orange and spices can be found at Beacon Natural Market, and Beacon Pantry does have a cranberry chutney as well as your turkey gravy, sausage bread stuffing, and traditional bread stuffing. But if stuffed acorn squash is your thing, then Beacon Natural Market has a stuffed acorn squash stuffed with tofu, nuts, fruits and quinoa. If you're making your own stuffing but want a little help from Ella's Bellas, they are selling stuffing cubes in 10oz bags.

SIDES

Rosemary infused oil from Scarborough Fare.

Mashed potatoes get creative twists this season with a sage mashed potato or a sweet potato puree with toasted pepitas at Beacon Natural Market, and Yukon gold mashed potatoes or a mashed maple sweet potato at Beacon Pantry.

Veggies!! We must be healthy, right? Good luck with that, when we can order roasted brussels sprouts cooked in duck fat and bacon from Beacon Pantry. Regular roasted veggies are available at Ella's Bellas, and consider an order of string beans with sesame garlic seasoning from Beacon Natural Market.

If you are roasting your own potatoes or vegetables, infused oil from Scarborough Fare can put your dish over the top. A top recommendation for the Thanksgiving fixings is the rosemary oil. 

DESSERT

Pumpkin molasses turnovers with cheesecake filling
at All You Knead.

This is the moment when you need to get a cup of coffee and really think about your options. This is serious.

Among light and fruity options are tarts, like frangipane tarts in many flavors including apple, blueberry, raspberry, chocolate caramel pecan and mixed berry at Beacon Pantry. Stuffed apples with pecans, currents, brown sugar, butter and maple syrup are being baked at Homespun. Cranberry sour cherry pie, and a vegan apple or apple pie or a cranberry upside down cake can be found at Ella's Bellas.

Pretty much all of your usual bakeries are selling pumpkin pie and apple pies. You are covered here. You just need to get your order in.

Where you want to get dangerously delicious are in these other pies, special for Thanksgiving. Ella's Bellas is baking up a fudge pie, and a pecan bourbon version with Hudson Valley Bourbon. There is a chocolate malt pie at Beacon Natural Market. Homespun has outdone themselves with a caramel pecan tart pie, pumpkin cheesecake bars, almond dacquoise with pumpkin buttercream (gluten-free), and vanilla cranberry jam cake with pumpkin-spiced buttercream. You may also find pie ideas from Get Frosted Cupcakery, but call for options!

Traveling? 

The Pie Box, to travel with your pie, at Utensil.

For those of you traveling, pies are always the easiest contribution to bring to a gathering. The key will be in how sturdy the pie box is. Thankfully, Utensil is one step ahead of you with The Pie Box. This is a lucky find, as The Pie Box actually sold out last year around holiday time. For pie bakers, it's a great holiday gift because it makes pie delivery so much more secure.

Frozen soups are also easy to travel with, especially if you have a luggage rack on your roof, as it's usually cold in November. Well, hopefully it's cold in November.

This is all assuming you are driving, of course.

Please share your pictures of Thanksgiving meals with us at A Little Beacon Blog by tagging us on Instagram at @alittlebeacon! Looking forward to see how your dinner turned out.

Menus Used For This Article Include:

Beacon Natural Market

Beacon Pantry

Ella's Bellas (all gluten-free)

Homespun

PS: If you are a food source who wants to be included in next year's Thanksgiving Menu Roundup, be sure you sign up for our Advance Notice email by clicking here where we send out opportunities to businesses so that they can submit to articles we are working on.

Beacon Reads Bookstore Makes Magic Happen for Howland Public Library

Quietly tucked away next to the Howland Public Library is Beacon Reads, a bookstore managed by Friends of the Howland Public Library. For a long time, it has been Beacon's only bookstore (and now has a new neighbor). Beacon Reads is a bookstore that you may have browsed through primarily on the sidewalk, where they put free books out on their rolling cart. But inside are a wealth of books of all kinds, from cookbooks, to finance books, to graphic design books, and many more.

What's more, however, are the contributions that Beacon Reads bookstore makes to the Howland Public Library, by way of Friends of the Howland Public Library. The bookstore exists to fund the library, and their efforts have yielded new public computers for the library by matching funds from the Gates Foundation. Beacon Reads is also a big supporter of the Beacon Bees in the Battle of the Books event, a regional teen literature competition in which Beacon has been very successful, taking first place in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Friends of the Howland Public Library pays for the bus to the main regional event, which has been held all over the Hudson Valley, including in Carmel and Hudson. And that's not all: Friends of the Howland Public Library raises funds for the physical state of the library, too. Their accomplishments include matching construction grant funds to improve the library facade, and ongoing work to complete that project. (One famous friend of the library especially liked the whimsical mural: Tyra Banks gave it a shout out on Twitter!)

Best yet? Beacon Reads is open 7 days! Except when they aren't, if a personal matter comes up for the volunteer staff. Stop by on dry days, and you can take a goofy picture as a wise old owl!

Binnacle Books - A New Bookstore on Main Street!

In what used to be a hair salon, the three owners of Beacon's newest bookshop, Binnacle Books, did more sweeping of finished haircuts than they ever thought possible in order to clean up for the grand opening of Binnacle Books during November's Second Saturday. And it was a good thing too, because Second Saturday on a sunny November day drew a plethora of bookworms to investigate the new bookstore.

Adding entrepreneurship to their list of pursuits, the three partners invested in Binnacle Books have collectively been writers, editors, musicians, producers, organizers, filmmakers, and organizers. The bookstore specializes in used and new literature, poetry, literary nonfiction, political history, art, drama, philosophy, graphic novels, and children's books. They profess to offer some of the best prices around to buy your best books. And if the title in this picture, Save Me The Waltz, by Zelda Fitzgerald, is any indication, we are all in for many treats to come.

The children's nook is filled with surprises, both new and old. We picked up a new set of yoga cards and there were many books available for all ages. Initially, Binnacle Books is open 7 days! So no need to wonder which day you're going to walk through their red door. Happily, we at A Little Beacon Blog have ordered a new logo from The Things To Do In Beacon Guides designer, Allie Bopp, for a new Bookstores category in the Shopping Guide!


PS: This blogger was mildly obsessed with Zelda Fitzgerald in college during an American Literature course, when I picked Save Me The Waltz as the subject of an academic paper. However, the writing style of my paper was accidentally influenced by Zelda's tumultuous life (including some time spent at the Craig House in Beacon) and dreamy writing (and I don't mean dreamy as in sweet, I mean dreamy as in ... like how in a dream you switch scenes and emotions a lot), so the report was filled with research but was an #epicfail in terms of being on par with how research papers are written. I redeemed myself by directing Tennessee Williams' play about Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Clothes for a Summer Hotel," which was equally dreamy (Williams called it "a ghost play" in the title). So you can imagine my surprise when I saw this old friend of a book on the shelf, which is not a common title to see in bookstores. And I don't feel so bad about my paper, because the play was dubbed a "critical and commercial failure" for Williams. I'm telling you - once those Fitzgeralds get in your head, things get confusing!

The Wreaths Are Going Up! Holidays Are Coming!

The warmest season of all is coming! Warmth inside our hearts, that is. Canned food drives have started, along with year-end donation planning and winter coat collections for those in need. Finally, the first visual signal that winter is really coming to Beacon: the Highway Department's annual job of hanging the wreaths when they aren't in their trucks collecting residents' raked leaves. Streets throughout Beacon are going to sparkle with storefront decorations and twinkling house lights. Toast with hot chocolate to this highly creative time of year!

A Bookhouse Grows In Beacon - Little Free Library at Polhill Park

In the true spirit that warms Beacon on the windiest of days, a new community offering has popped up at Polhill Park, the triangular park located at the intersection of Main Street, Wolcott (9D), and South Avenue. While at first glance, the structure looks like a giant birdhouse, it is actually a shared reading experience for little people by way of a little bookhouse.

Beacon's most well-known library opened in 1862, and at the time was called the Howland Circulating Library. (Offering only private membership at the start, it was later made public, at the behest of a donor.) The genesis of a Little Free Library is rooted in Lisa Marie Martinez, a professional spatial organizer for her business Space Therapy by Lisa Marie. She recirculates a lot of physical possessions for clients who have emotional attachments to the objects and, rather than sending the objects to the dump, would prefer to see them used by someone else. The catalyst for the project happened after Lisa returned from studying in Havana, Cuba, where books were scarce: "Books were sacred, they were shared, they were community property, and everyone had access to them."

When Lisa moved to Mexico, her local library had few children's books. She wished for a shared box of books like she had seen at a natural foods store during her college years at Plattsburgh State University, where people would anonymously place and take items from this box that they needed or wanted to give. The universal-mind took over, and as Lisa did her research to figure out how to bring this concept to Beacon, she discovered Little Free Library, an international project started after one man built a tiny model of a one-room school house to hold books as a tribute to his mother, a former school teacher who loved reading. He put the structure in his front yard, and the concept took off (there is much more to this story here). Little Free Library has been recognized by the Library of Congress, and is on its way to reaching its goal of 2,510 little free libraries to promote literacy in children and adults, and in libraries all over the world. If you haven't noticed one of these little libraries before, maybe you will now. Certainly others will know about this first one in Beacon, as it is officially registered with Little Free Library, putting Beacon on that map with a lot of other heroic locations.

While most books are for children, you will find some for adults. Lisa hung a Community Log, a journal for visitors to capture thoughts or expressions of love for a good read.

The bookhouse was designed and built by Keith Decent, and the materials donated by Hudson Valley Maker & Artisan Cooperative.

Every library needs an architect to design and build it, and this one was taken on by Keith Decent and the group he is affiliated with, Hudson Valley Maker & Artisan Cooperative, who donated the materials and extra sets of hands. Lisa's directions to Keith were simple: Make the structure accessible to readers of all sizes, including those who use wheelchairs, so that as many people as possible would be able to use it. Lisa spent the summer meeting with members of the City Council, Mayor Randy Casale, the City Administrator, the Building Department and other groups to get permission to install the structure on City of Beacon property. "Once the word got around that this was just a small box with books, people who were unfamiliar with the concept really encouraged this and the City approved of the installation," recalls Lisa.

Lisa's project has led to more initiatives, including requests for more Little Free Libraries around Beacon, and volunteers from the Beacon Police Department to get involved with the "Kids, Community and Cops Program," an initiative also affiliated with Little Free Library to build healthier communities through police involvement in literacy.

Hats off to everyone involved in this project, and be sure to share what special books you find - in the little journal, and in social media! Tag #littlefreelibrarybeacon and @littlefreelibrary in your literary pursuits! Make sure to tag #alittlebeaconblog, too, because we want to see what moved you!

November's Second Saturday Walking Guide for Art Showings

 Second Saturday Happenings on November 14, 2015!

The BeaconArts Logo for
Second Saturday.

"Second Saturday" is a lively day into night in Beacon, and is a celebration of Beacon's galleries, restaurants and other businesses arts on the second Saturday of every month. According to Dan Rigney, current president of BeaconArts, the organization who encouraged this movement to happen over a decade ago and heavily promotes the events, says: "Back then, Beacon was one of the last places people outside of town thought to go on a Saturday night. Now Second Saturday has become a part of the fabric of Beacon. It's such a part of it, many galleries have their opening events on other Saturdays, so that they get two big crowds each month." Second Saturday is a great reason to "walk" Main Street and beyond and explore the events going on around town. It's always a pleasure eating and drinking your way through Beacon, so this guide will help you know where to eat and drink as you explore special exhibits and happenings.

What to Know About This Guide:

• This Guide includes gallery and art showings that may be hosted in a gallery or in a shop or restaurant. 
• Many of these shows run through the current month, so check back often if you are on an art hunt.
• Closing times posted here are for Second Saturdays only, and may not reflect regular Saturdays. Always call an establishment directly for current hours, offerings, or any other questions.
• Parking can be found on side streets, on Main Street, and in municipal lots.  
• Live-tweet your way through Second Saturday by using the hashtag created by BeaconArts: #2SAT and tack on #beaconny or #SecondSaturday if you have room in your tweets or Instagram postings.
• If you are a gallery or business owner and have something special to add, please email editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com. 
• For Galleries: You may submit one photo of artwork or something representing your show for Second Saturday. Otherwise, your storefront will be shown. Please email this to editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com
• Advertising Opportunities: If you would like to reach readers who refer to this Guide monthly, click here for advertising opportunities.

Late-Night (After 9pm) Spots to Eat and Drink: 
After you walk the galleries, you'll be hungry and need (another) drink!
See our full list of restaurants who are open prior to 9pm in our Restaurant Guide. 
Bank Square 129 Main St.
Chill Wine Bar 173 Main St.
Max's On Main 246 Main St.
Baja 328 328 Main St.
Quinn's 330 Main St.
The Towne Crier (bar only) 379 Main St.
Oak Vino Wine Bar 389 Main St.
(call first to see if cheese plates + dessert still being served)
Draught Industries 394 Main St. 
The Vault 446 Main St.
Joe's Irish Pub 455 Main St.
The Hop 554 Main St.
(reservations usually needed for food)
Roundhouse 2 East Main St.
Dogwood 47 East Main St.

****************************************

NEAR THE TRAIN, BEFORE MAIN STREET

Dia:Beacon

Dia:Beacon
3 Beekman St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-0100

Special for Second Saturday: Gallery Talk: Helga Christofferson on Agnes Martin. Christofferson, assistant curator at the New Museum in Manhattan, will discuss Martin’s abstract expressionist painting. Gallery Talks at Dia:Beacon take place the second Saturday of every month at 2 pm. Focusing on the work of a single artist on view at Dia:Beacon, these one-hour walk-throughs are led by curators, art historians, and writers. Free with admission to the museum. (Beacon residents get in free on weekends!)

More details at Dia:Beacon.
Hours: 11 am to 4 pm

Music in the Sanctuary at St. Andrew's

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
15 South Ave.
Beacon, NY
Special for Second Saturday: Music in the Sanctuary, presented by Howland Chamber Music Circle. The Heaton Sasaki Duo is Sara Heaton and Akiko Sasaki, two musicians recently transplanted to Beacon. Their musical tour includes stops in Germany, Japan, Brazil and the U.S. Heaton and Sasaki have performed at Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera. In addition to performing, they teach privately in the Hudson Valley, based here in Beacon, and in New York City.
Hours: 4 pm to 6 pm

****************************************

THE WEST END

(Close to the train station)

Catalyst Gallery

Catalyst Gallery 

137 Main St.
Beacon, NY

(845) 204-3844

An artist-run rental space in Beacon. The intention of this artist-run space is to create an opportunity for individual artists or groups to show and sell work in a vibrant community that supports the arts.

Special for Second Saturday: Recent Works: Paintings and drawings by Sara-Jane Lee explore the relationship between thought patterns and resulting facial expressions. "I hope to inspire a greater understanding and appreciation for the subtlety of emotions, as well as emphasizing the contrast between the feelings one gets while thinking alone, and how they differ greatly from any outward emotion presented to others," Lee says.

Hours: Noon to 9pm

The Gift Party at Colorant

Colorant
145 Main St.
Beacon, NY
Special for Second Saturday: The bubbles will be flowing, the playlist blasting and artist Alex Anastas will be creating watercolor portraits live during this holiday shopping party. Find plant-dyed wool, cashmere, and silk from Colorant's signature label, as well as gift sets, soap, scarves, and jewelry, with up to 40 percent off storewide. Colorant carries an array of unique gifts for baby, toddler and modern womenswear. Gift-wrapping is available!
Hours: All day; watercolor portraits and wine from 5 pm to 8 pm

Bannerman Island Gallery

Bannerman Island Gallery
150 Main St. 
Beacon, NY
Special for Second Saturday: The Bannerman Castle Trust presents photographer/artist Thom Johnson. He has used photographs taken years ago of the tower on Pollepel Island to create mirror images that present this Hudson River landmark from a different view. A portion of the proceeds from the photos' sales will go to the Bannerman Castle Trust's preservation efforts for the Castle.
Hours: Noon to 8:30 pm

At Theo Ganz Studio

Theo Ganz Studio

149 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(917) 318-2239
Theo Ganz Studio, the little gallery with the big windows in Beacon's west end, was founded by artist Eleni Smolen as a venue for contemporary artists working in all media. Recognizing the importance of exhibitions in an artist's career, Smolen concentrates on presenting actively engaged emerging and mid-career professionals in either solo or group exhibitions.
Second Saturday: "The Wind Will Carry Us," opening reception from 6 pm to 8 pm. With an emphasis on painting, printmaking and sculpture and taking our title from Abbas Kiarostami’s poetic film, this exhibition is dedicated to refugees, an ode to the present and to all who make a journey, metaphorically or literally, in search of deeper awareness and a better world for themselves and other sentient beings. With work by: Kenojuak Ashevak, Joseph Ayers, Samantha Beste, Sunok Chun, Elana Goren, Mialia Jaw, Lori Merhige, Eleni Smolen and Kenneth Wright.
Hours: Noon to 5 pm; opening reception 6 to 8 pm

Russell Cusick at
Hudson Beach Glass

Hudson Beach Glass

162 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-0068
A glass studio casting functional and sculptural objects for over 20 years. A truly special establishment to have in Beacon. Stop in to find blown glass objects of all kinds, from lights to bowls to wind chimes. Sometimes on Second Saturday you can watch them blow glass.
Special for Second Saturday: Russell Cusick's acrylics, in which the mixed-medium process combines photography and painting. Works are a variety of sizes. An opening reception will be held from 6 pm to 9 pm.
Hours: 10 am to 6 pm
 

RiverWinds Gallery

RiverWinds Gallery

172 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 838-2880
RiverWinds Gallery features Hudson Valley artists. Work includes fine art paintings and photography, plus contemporary crafts including ceramics, jewelry, fiber arts and more.
Special for Second Saturday: “Buone Feste” 12th annual holiday show includes a huge variety of holiday-themed and gift items made by Hudson Valley artisans. There's art of all kinds: paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, ornaments, jewelry and hand-made scarves and shawls. You'll also find kitchen items such as cutting boards, cookbooks, and mugs. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 8 pm.
Hours: Noon to 9 pm; reception 5 pm to 8 pm
 

Artisan Wine Shop
180 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-6923
Special for Second Saturday: Try some new bottlings from around the world, just for fun or with an eye toward holiday meal pairings. Four wines - two white, two red - will be poured for tasting from 3 pm to 6 pm.
Hours: 10 am to 7 pm; tasting 3 pm to 6 pm
   

Flora

Flora Garden and Home
197 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 764-1886
Special for Second Saturday: The recently-opened gardening and home decor shop offers such staples as plants, watering cans and indoor bulbs, but is branching out this month with an art showing of Ondine Crispin's classic botanical prints of plants from New York's High Line.
Hours: 11 am to 5:30 pm


Beacon Institute for Rivers & Estuaries 

Beacon Institute

199 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 838-1600

This historic brick storefront houses the Institute’s gallery, Hudson River bookstore and gift shop, and its administrative headquarters. The gallery showcases river and environmentally themed art and educational exhibits. Events feature talks by artists and regional Hudson Valley authors.

Special for Second Saturday: The historic Mount Beacon Incline Railway gets a spotlight in this exhibit, which features large-format photography, digital renderings, animations, and infographics, all exploring the Incline Railway’s early origins in shaping Beacon. The exhibition explores the initiative to bring back the Incline Railway, through the lenses of a historic narrative and an eye towards the future.
Click here for more event details.
Hours: 11 am to 3 pm

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THE MIDDLE & "MARKET SQUARE"

The start of The Middle, aka "Market Square"

Howland Public Library

Howland Public Library
313 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 831-1134

Each month, the library features the work of Hudson Valley photographers and artists. (Please note, the gallery may not be accessible during some library programs.)

Special for Second Saturday: The Howland Public Library is pleased to present “Between the Lines," a semi-annual exhibition of student artwork from the Beacon City School District. This exhibit, organized by Claudine Farley, District Art Department Coordinator, features work from Beacon High School’s Studio Art Classes and is the first of what the library hopes will be many exhibits of student artwork at the library. A reception will be held from 2 pm to 4 pm.
In the Community Room, "Beacon Inspired" features paintings from Jan Dolan and photography by Jean Noack, both Beacon residents. The exhibit is a dialogue between two friends about the city they love. A reception for this exhibit will be from 5 pm to 7 pm.

Hours: 10 am to 4 pm (library hours); 5 pm to 7 pm

Binnacle Books
321 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 838-6191
Grand opening! Binnacle Books, Beacon's "new used (and new!) bookstore" opens its doors! All used books and gift cards are 10 percent off during the opening weekend. Browse the selection as you sip wine from Benmarl Winery.
Hours: Noon to 7 pm
   

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THE EAST END & BEYOND

(Close to the mountain)

The start of the East End of Main Street and Beyond.

Morphicism Gallery

Morphicism
444 Main Street
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-3092
Moveable art in frames. An art you must see and experience.
Hours: Call first

 






3B Gallery

3B Gallery

458 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-6782
Special for Second Saturday: "Blossom of a face, portrait of a flower" is a solo exhibition of Bob Sproul. His paintings in oil represent a body of work through the eyes of an artist who, for reasons of age, diverse life experience and an ever-increasing introspection, has been drawn to capturing the more intimate experiences of people and nature. An opening reception will be held from 6 pm to 8 pm.
Hours: 11 am to 8 pm

 

Matteawan Gallery

463 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-7901
Matteawan Gallery specializes in contemporary art with an emphasis on works on paper by emerging and mid-career artists.

Second Saturday: "Myths and Legends of the Hudson Valley" brings together the work of six artists who are interested in exploring history, art history, and literature in a variety of mediums. The exhibition includes paintings by Scott Daniel Ellison and
Deborah Brown, photographs by Wendy Small, drawings by Deborah Davidovits and Valerie Hegarty, and sculpture by Jackie Mock. An opening reception will be held from 6 to 9 pm.
Hours: 6 pm to 9 pm

 

Back Room Gallery

Back Room Gallery
475 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 838-1838
Find 30 artists showing here, from large paintings to small collectibles. Also find art supplies such as sketch pads and charcoal pencils. And if you're with a man who wants to skip the art but loves anything to do with the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, send him to the actual "back room" of this gallery for a viewing of a very valuable collection of War art on crepe fabric.
Special for Second Saturday: Stop in and find out!
Hours: LATE

Howland Cultural Center

Howland Cultural Center
477 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 831-4988
Beacon's Howland Cultural Center is not just another arts organization. Its beautiful home is a Victorian building that was born specifically to serve the community as a cultural resource
Special for Second Saturday: "you are my blue / i am your red" is a collaborative exhibition in words, photos, and textiles, with work by photographer Bibiana Huang Matheis and poet Bettina Wilkerson, aka Poet Gold, and a project between multimedia and installation artist Mimi Czajka Graminski and poet Sarah Stern. 
Hours: 1 pm to 5 pm

Maria Lago Studio 502

Maria Lago Studio 502
502 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 765-8421
Hours: Call first

BAU Gallery

BAU Gallery
506 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-7584

bau (Beacon Artist Union) is a platform for members/artists to grow, present and market their work and collaborative curatorial projects, while hosting events of related disciplines: performances, talks, film and music. BAU builds a vital link between the activities at bau and the community.
Special for Second Saturday:  BAU Gallery's 131st consecutive monthly gallery opening will feature “In the Hands of God…wtf?” - a bronze, sculpture self-portrait - by Gary Jacketti in Gallery One, new photographs by Grey Zeien in Gallery Two, and in the Beacon Room, “The Pursuit of Perfection” installation: video projection, hand-painted animation, mixed media elements, sound and scent by Chuck Glicksman and Ginger Andro. A reception will be held from 6 to 9 pm. 
Hours: Noon to 6 pm; reception from 6 pm to 9 pm

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BEACON near RT. 52

(Beacon's part of Rt. 52 that heads into or out of town.)

The Lofts at Beacon Gallery
18 Front St.
Beacon, NY
The Lofts at Beacon brought back to life a 19th-century brick mill that once made textiles in the Hudson Valley, located by the Fishkill Creek and situated near the Hudson River in the artists' haven town of Beacon. The Lofts have been completely remodeled into beautiful lofts, providing excellent loft rental units for the working artist.
Second Saturday: Prime Time - A Group Show
Featuring the work of Peg Borcherdt (sculpture), Dennis Connors (sculpture), Jack Murphy (photography), Robert Paschal (painting/collage), Matthew Pleva (drawing), and Michael Ulrich (gyotaku prints). Open 9 am to 4 pm.
Hours: 9 am to 4 pm; closing reception 3 pm to 6 pm