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Volunteer Opportunities Open

Volunteers get this year’s pink t-shirt! Only volunteers get this color at this time ;)

Email spiritofbeacon@gmail.com to claim these volunteer opportunities:

• FILLED! Bus Riders of the new Free Spirit Bus (5 volunteers):
  Dutchess County has given us a bus to bring people parking at the train station up to Main Street. We need a volunteer to ride the bus, a volunteer at the train station bus stop, a volunteer at the Forrestal Heights bus stop, and a volunteer at the Main Street/Fishkill Avenue stop at the Salvation Army driveway.
  Day: Sunday, October 1, 2023
  Time: 11am-4:30pm (with a break from 1-2pm)

• Parade Volunteers (5 volunteers):
  Volunteers to be walking up and down Wolcott Avenue helping parade participants know where to line up. This could work for people who are marching in the parade, but also want to volunteer, once you get yourself settled.
  Day: Sunday, October 1, 2023
  Time: 10am-1pm

• Table Sitter at Spirit of Beacon Table - Main Stage at Veterans Place (2 Volunteers)
  A volunteer to sit at the Spirit of Beacon table to sell t-shirts and hats.

  Day: Sunday, October 1, 2023
  Time: 10am-4pm

• Sign Spray Painter (2 or 3 Volunteers)
  Volunteers to spray paint and paint our old yard signs to be re-used as chalk board signs for bathrooms, etc.

  Day: NOW. Needed by Friday or Saturday

The Spirit of Beacon Committee presented the agenda to the City Council and the public tonight, September 11, 2023. Listen to it here.

Beacon's highly anticipated event, The Spirit of Beacon Day, takes place on Sunday, September 24th from 11am-4pm. This event was established in 1977 in response to racial tensions between Beacon's youth and the community. As a result, various community leaders from our local churches, library, police, City Council, and others came together to figure out what to do. A solution proposed was a community day. Said one of the original backbones of the Spirit of Beacon Day, Nan Whittingham, about the origin in the Beacon Evening News in 1986: "Everyone was in agreement that we, the community, should get to know one another better. It was agreed we should learn to know each other's likes and dislikes regarding conversation, feelings, entertainment, education and food."

Come to enjoy a variety of different foods from professionals, churches and organizations, as well as get to know services available at vendor tables. Music performances at 2 stages will be going all day at the Main Stage at Veterans Place, and the secondary stage at Cross Street. The big parade kicks off at 1pm and goes down Main Street.

The day starts at 11am, where Main Street is blocked off from South Brett Street (Key Food) to Teller Avenue (Yankee Clipper Diner). Both businesses are one of our sponsors this year, and we thank them very much. It is with sponsor support that this day can get produced. Sponsors this year include:

Beacon of Lights:

Key Food
The Roundhouse
The Station
Carter's Restaurant
For the second year in a row, Beacon Recreation Department where financing of Stage and Sound at Veterans Place Stage, and the Stage at Cross Street was provided.

Mountain Sponsors:
Remark Printing
Verplanck Auto
Faust Design Build

River Sponsors:
Hudson Valley Food Hall
Rabe and Co.
Yanarella Dance
Beacon Natural
Hudson Valley Credit Union
Dennis Vetrano Law
Bar Down Studio

Spirit Sponsors:

Last Outpost
The Pink Unicorn
Feeds R Us
JonCar Realty
Sara Mikulsky Wellness Physical Therapy
Supreme Pianos of NY
Kitchen Sink
District Social
M+T Bank
Beacon Digital + Main Office Co-Work Space

FOOD
We heard from the people, and the people wanted more street food. Last year, Beacon's restaurants were so happy because people ordered and filled the tables. This year, we dedicated more vendor tables to food choices, so come prepared to eat from:

St. Rocco's
Sons and Daughters of Italy
Beacon Boi hot dogs from Paul Yeaple formerly of Poppy's
I Am Beacon
BHS Class of 2025
Pat's Yard Vibes
St. Joachim - St. John the Evangelical
Coast 2 Coast
Beacon Light Tabernacle
The Mosque Masjid Ur Rashid
Tabernacle of Christ Church
Mama Mama La's Food for the Soul
Key Food grill
Key Food fresh Kettle Corn
Tommy Empanadas
Carter's Restaurant
Single and Hungry

MUSIC
Playing on the Main Stage at Veterans Place:
The Beacon Players
School of Rock Band
GG & the Shades
The parade will roll through, and then Bosco and the Storm will kick off followed by the Beacon Rising Choir and closing out with TonyE, returning all the way from NYC for us.

PARADE
Most importantly, who will we be seeing in the parade?
So many of you, and if you haven not registered yet, please do so now! Even if you march every year, please get into our spreadsheet.
The Rombout Middle School band will be marching and playing this year.
Yanarella School of Dance
Artists on the March
Passion The Adult Dance Studio
The incredible Marching Cobras are returning this year!
As are the Highlands Bag Pipe Band.
Slater Chemical Fire Company
Beacon National Honor Society
Ballet Arts
Beacon Girl Scouts
Beacon Light Hawks Pathfinders
And others.

For our Table Vendors, lots of awareness is coming to you, and we have saved tables specially for After School Clubs of the Beacon City School District.

We saved you a spot to come out of the school and onto the street so that everyone can meet you and see the effort you bring to the students in the district.

Students for Gender Equality have signed up, and we hope more do as well.

KIDS SECTION

The Kids Section this year will include activities from Compass Arts and Kumon.

PARKING
Please tell your friends to park in the free parking lots in Beacon. These include the DMV Parking Lot, the Police Station parking lot right here at Town Hall, and down at the Train Station. Dutchess County has agreed to consider running the free Beacon Loop to help bring people up from that parking lot.

VOLUNTEERS

As for volunteers:

We need a sign painter for 2 big wooden boards.
People to pass out flyers.
People to chalk yard signs with bathroom and parking lot signs.
Stay up to date at Spirit of Beacon's website: www.spiritofbeacon.org and follow at Instagram @spiritofbeacon and on Facebook @spiritofbeaconday

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!

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!

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.

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.

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 Committee

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

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.

Registration For Parade and Vendor Tables Is Open

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.

How Food Vendoring Will Work

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.

Volunteer Opportunities

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.

Sponsor Opportunities

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.

The Logo Color

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!

Original Color T-Shirts and Hats Still Available! Limited Supply

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.

Flyers! We need volunteers to pass flyers out to storefronts who will take them and lampposts! We left a few for you in Accuprint (next to Isamu and Ziatun and Maxs On Main.

Ask for the Spirit of Beacon flyer bags and take a few to the places you go to help spread the word.

Send us a picture and we will repost! Thank you!

The flyers are ready!

Sunday, September 25, 2022!!!

11-4 is Community Vendor Tables + Music at Veterans Place, Cross Street, and things to do at Salvation Army Lawn for Kids, and Howland Cultural Center.

1-2pm is Parade. Starts at Main Street and Wolcott and goes to Tioronda.

We need Spirit Volunteers to help pass out these flyers! To storefront windows who accept them, and lampposts.

Bags of flyers are in Accuprint intended for Beacon, Wappingers, Fishkill, Cold Spring, Poughkeepsie.

Go in and pick up (located next to Ziatun and Isamu.

Take what you need and you think you can distribute. Even if you work at Chuck E Cheese or something, post it there!

The Spirit of Beacon Day Committee during 2019.

Do you love the Spirit of Beacon Day?

Have you volunteered during it within the last 45 years?

Do you like bouncing around Beacon?

Do you like meeting with other Volunteers?

Do you like working with non-profits?

Do you like talking to local business owners and employees?

Do you like creating pop-up experiential events?

Or may be you like to do solo things on your own!

If this is you, please see our Volunteer Application page and the Volunteer Opportunity Page sign up for areas you are interested in.