On November 1st,
I went to a lovely BeaconArts Awards event, sponsored by "BACA" and held in the
Waterfall Room at The Roundhouse. It was the opportunity to look at Beacon
Falls from the other side.
I felt a bit like Alice peering through the looking
glass as I looked across the room into the twinkling street lights and
back lighting against the rushing falls. The event space is grand in stature; as
I entered and walked down the industrial staircase into the depth of what was
once a factory with its remnant beams and bricks, it felt magical as
transformed space from its humble working class beginnings into a chic,
upscale, visually appealing party space. My only hope is that the acoustics are
improved so that the banter of the gathered crowd doesn’t reverberate off the
sleek glass and steel design; despite the protestation of the owner-general
contractor, it appears that the signal to noise ratio needs tweaking for those
who suffer from auditory distractions. It would be an easy fix. (Feeling inspired by my first taste of the Roundhouse, I went back to the restaurant Swift a week later, and found the quiet ambiance and food to be comforting and very appealing.)
Back to the
purpose of the early November-evening event: to celebrate 10 years of BeaconArts (formerly known as
BACA) by honoring Susan Sayre Batton, representing the Dia Beacon Museum; Margery
Groten, representing the Long Dock Beacon project for Scenic Hudson; and Thom
Joyce, local musician/entrepreneur and one of the founders of Second Saturday Beacon. The
actual awards that were gifted to the honorees were blown glass masterpieces from our local Hudson Beach Glass and were
presented by John Gilvey, Katy & Buddy Behney (owners of Mountain Tops, another Beacon ‘power
couple’) and Jennifer Mackiewicz, respectively.
Welcoming
remarks by Linda T. Hubbard, President of BeaconArts and owner of Riverwinds,
highlighted the history of the 10 year old organization whose membership
include those invested in the cultural and economic viability of Beacon –
artists, shops, restaurants, galleries, and individuals who support the arts.
The crowd attested to the heterogeneity of its membership. There were even
three mayors present – two from the past (Clara Lou Gould and Steve Gold) – and
our current mayor, Randy Casale, who made the announcement that a trolley would
begin a route from the Dia and train station up to Main Street on a part-time
basis; an announcement that was well-received by attendees. Bob McAlpine, owner
of The Roundhouse, also spoke about the renaissance and forward movement of continued
construction of a transformed Beacon that many have envisioned for more than
the last 10 years and acknowledged the support of Rhinebeck Savings Bank.
This was a
celebration that marked progress and heralded further positive change on the
horizon. Everyone in attendance seemed pleased with being a part of the
community, in small or big ways, with or without awards. After all, that is how
the work really gets done. People keep showing up and little by little, like
the incessant drip of water on the stone, all the rough edges get smoothed
away. Awards or not, Beacon’s diamond in the rough appeal to so many
individuals who keep moving into the community has all the evidence of multiple
facets that are emerging and shining ever so brightly.
At the end of
the evening, two baskets of donated gifts from Beacon’s brightest and best were
raffled off; I had a winning number and won the second basket to my delight!
It’s the second time I’ve won a raffle at a Beacon fundraiser in less than a
year. Seems like my luck is changing and it’s a good time to take a chance on
Beacon; the odds are in favor of more good things to come.
Some food for thought:
I once heard a
Yiddish saying, which translated says, ‘change your location, change your
luck.’ It seems like this has been true for me. Beacon has been good luck for me. I was also reminded after the event when thinking of this good fortune that I was told by my mother
that she would 'win something big' for me before she died. Amazing at it seems, I think she delivered;
thanks mom.....rest in peace.
List of Vendor
Donations for My Best of Beacon Basket #2
Thanks
to everyone for your generosity!
Dia Beacon
Riverwinds Gallery
Gourmetibles
Mtn. Tops
Tas Kafe
Theo Ganz Studio
Artisan Wine Shop
Dream in Plastic
Fabrication
reclaimed
Brother’s Trattoria
M Shanghai Band
