Beaconites!

Kalene and Dan have spawned many art happenings in Beacon, including the Electric Windows street art project, the "Welcome to Beacon" sign, Club Draw and the (late, great) Open Space gallery. During Covid19 they are working on a project called WearTogether which pairs artists with local businesses to create t-shirt designs. They talk about life, family and making stuff.

Josh is the director of The Randolph School, a pre-K to 5th grade school on Route 9D in Wappingers Falls. The school has a strong focus on outdoor education and nature experience, and it has commissioned lean-to structures to facilitate safe learning in the coming school year. 

“From the beginning I’ve called WeWork the Starbucks of coworking, and I’m like the Big Mouth or Bank Square of coworking. There’s always going to be the corporatized coworking spaces, just as there’s always Starbucks, and there’s always going to be the local Independent. “

Beacon Hebrew Alliance is a Jewish synagogue and community that dates back to the 1920s. Rabbi Brent has brought new energy, creativity and congregants since he joined the BHA family 10 years ago. 

As a girl Lucky Longo wanted short hair, but she was rebuffed by a men’s barbershop. This inspired her to provide a more inclusive and non-gendered approach to cutting hair. Like all barbers and stylists, Lucky has been shut down since March, but now she’s scheduling appointments again with phase 2 and phase 3 reopening. 

Ciarda Hall and Justice McCray are two of the youth leaders of the Beacon 4 Black Lives team that has organized a series of marches for racial justice. Their next rally takes place this Friday June 19th – Juneteenth – at 6:30pm.

Melanie is a writer and editor of books about ceramics, woodworking, knitting, metal smithing and other kinds of "handwork." She talks about the importance of making things in a post-industrial society and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Aisha Benson is the senior executive at TruFund Financial Services. TruFund is a non-profit financial organization that facilitates loans and economic development in underserved communities, including minority-owned businesses. Along with her husband Pastor Edward Benson, Aisha has six kids and two grandkids. She talks about family life and her work on behalf of disadvantaged people. 

Jeff is the Beacon beat editor at The Current, covering issues like education, development, business, land use and the impact of Covid-19.

Matt Montleon owns the Honorable Ink tattoo shop on Main Street. He had to move into a motel after storm winds damaged his building. He talks about the one-two punch of closing his business during Covid and losing the roof over his head, as well as the evils of gentrification.