5 years. 100 posts. 21,684 page views. 16 followers who joined the site. Top traffic source beaconcitizen.com. Most viewed post "Are You a Friend?" (4/13/14). Average number of posts per year - 20; less than 2 per month. Community-oriented content. Nonprofit organizations. Women-owned businesses. Newcomers to Beacon. Moments to celebrate. Wine and cheese. Sweets and treats. Seasonal musings. Local CSA farms. Signature dishes and personal recipes. Music and art. Shared insights. That's what Beacon Bits is all about.
Top 10 things to celebrate about Beacon in the last 5 years:
1. The energy of BeaconArts and its annual events.
2. Fewer empty storefronts.
3. Establishment of Long Dock Beacon.
4. The new facade for Rite Aid.
5. The improved selection and store design in Key Food.
6. Green Teens of Common Ground Farm.
7. The arrival of Towne Crier Cafe.
8. Bakeries, bakeries and more bakeries.
9. People moving up to Beacon from Brooklyn (even if they weren't born there)
10. A better view of Beacon Falls.
Top 10 Items on My Wish list for Beacon in the next 5 years:
1. Fewer new establishments that focus on alcohol; drinking and driving is a public health issue in communities that are car dependent.
2. An integrated community calendar to see an overview of all events, especially
fundraisers, to facilitate awareness and collaboration across nonprofits.
3. Continued access to free parking with signage that assists drivers to find municipal lots.
4. An Indian restaurant added to the multi-ethnic food scene.
5. A state of the art movie theater for independent and foreign films like Jacob Burns Theater (Pleasantville.)
6. Moderation and finding the middle way when considering new housing developments.
7. Additional stores that serve Beacon's households (fish store, hardware/variety store.)
8. The return of Fovea photojournalism gallery on Main.
9. Improved monitoring of speeding on Main Street.
10. Global connections such as making Beacon-Bergen (Norway) Sister Cities.
Food for thought: The slogan 'life is good' captures the energy of Beacon's community as it has grown into its current vibrant state. It appears that an additional slogan, 'less is more', may also be in order so that future growth does not outpace realistic planning. Beacon has the potential to be a model community that showcases diversity, exemplary race relations and tolerance for religious expression. Realizing this potential is a strong possibility; the odds are in its favor. I will bet on it!
A special thanks to all the new friends that I've met at Artisan Wine Shop, Beacon Sloop Club, BeaconArts, Beacon Reads, Friends of the Howland Library, Flora, Gallery 508 (now closed), Gwenno James, Howland Chamber Music Circle, Hudson Beach Glass, Theo Ganz, the Yanarella Dance Studio and Zora Dora who are all a very important part of my Beacon community.
And a thumbs up for Ben Royce of Beacon Citizen
who put a link on their website to feature Beacon Bits.
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