Beaconites!

Håkan Mårtensson is a Sweden-born confectioner and pastry chef who opened his Beacon storefront Håkan in 2021. At age 15, Håkan (pronounced Ho-kan) enrolled in the Culinary Institute in Kristianstad, Sweden. At 22, he was recruited as a sculptor on the Swedish National Culinary Team. Despite competing against chefs with decades of experience, Håkan brought home gold medals from the World Cup in Luxembourg, and the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt. He moved to Beacon by way of New York City, where he was master chocolatier at FIKA NYC before that company went under.

In this interview Håkan talks about his culinary philosophy and what he's trying to accomplish with his Beacon storefront. Evident throughout the episode are his incredible work ethic and deep love of chocolate.

Håkan is interviewed by Alana Semuels, a journalist from Boston who spent more than a decade as a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and then The Atlantic. She is now senior economics correspondent at TIME magazine. She's done podcasting work for Marketplace and Planet Money, and has co-hosted NPR's The Indicator, sometimes recording audio from the closet of the Beacon house she is renting. She moved to Beacon with her husband and toddler in summer 2022 from San Francisco. Thank you to Alana for leading this interview!

Diane Lapis, former president and current trustee at the Beacon Historical Society, comes on the podcast to discuss the life of a notable native son of Beacon. In the process she offers a deep-dive on the importance of postcards to the study of Beacon's history.

Harry Van Tine grew up in Beacon, the son of Robert Van Tine, who founded and operated the Van Tine stationery store. His early photographs were printed on hundreds of souvenir postcards and sold by the thousands at the family business. Harry worked as a photojournalist for the Hearst Corporation and was sent to Washington, D.C. to open a field office in 1915. Joining forces with other news photographers to gain better access at the White House, Van Tine helped found the White House News Photographers Assocation in 1921.

Harry's work will be featured in an upcoming exhibition at the Beacon Historical Society. "The Eyes of History" will present a century of the WHNPA's White House and presidential photography. These displays will be complimented with highlights from BHA's collection showcasing images from Harry's remarkable career.

You can support BHS's mission to promote, preserve, and procure the history of Beacon by becoming a member. Members received a monthly informative newsletter full of interesting vignettes about Beacon's history. Visit www.beaconhistorical.org for more stories, photos, and upcoming events. The historical society is open to the public Thursdays.

Kk Naimool was born in Trinidad and Tobago and followed a winding path to Beacon. Kk, who uses all pronouns, has worked closely with Newburgh's LGBTQ Center and the Cornwall school district to support gay and trans people. She is also on Beacon's Human Rights Commission and helped found a consulting group called Collective Justice that works with mutual aid pods and other community nonprofits. "Wherever you start is a good place to start," Kk says in this surprisingly hilarious interview.

Mimi and Mike, two members of rock trio Barnaby!, talk about the band's formation, how its sound has evolved and what it means to live a life dedicated to music. Sadly missing from this interview is bassist Harrison Cannon, who was out of town on the day we recorded.

Follow and listen to Barnaby!: Instagram, Spotify and Bandcamp.

Live show: Catch Barbaby! at Boughton Place in New Paltz on Saturday, February 11. Tickets.

Thanks for listening. Please share this episode with someone who might enjoy it. And subscribe here to receive occasional email newsletters about Beacon and the people who live here.

Photo by Michael Isabell.

In this "state of the city" episode, Beacon's senior-most elected official offers a preview of key issues that are bubbling up this year.

The interview is broadly grouped into four areas: affordability, sustainability, infrastructure and community. Additionally, Lee discusses the house fire at George Washington's head; his interactions with a younger, more progressive city council; proposals to ban or restrict gas hook-ups; a major roads project that will replace Teller Ave and Route 52 all the way to the Fishkill border; prospects for a community center; the ghost bridge at Madam Brett Park and more.

And as a bonus for those who listen to the end, the mayor announces whether he'll run for re-election this year.

Thanks for listening. Please share this episode with someone who might enjoy it. And subscribe here to receive occasional email newsletters about Beacon and the people who live here.

Donna Minkowitz is a journalist, activist and memoirist who has written extensively about LGBTQ politics and culture. She covered gay issues and AIDS activism for The Village Voice from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. In her book "Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters With the Right Taught Me About Sex, God, and Fury," she describes how she went undercover as a 16 year old christian evangelical boy to investigate Focus on the Family and other anti-gay groups on the Christian Right and surprisingly found she had a lot in common with them. Donna was a lifelong resident of New York City before moving to Beacon a number of years ago.

Episode recorded at Beacon AV Lab. Photography by Michael Isabell.

Hear more interviews and sign up for our newsletter at Beaconites.com.

Eliza Woolsey Howland was a Civil War nurse, philanthropist and historical writer who was a member of the upper crust in Beacon during the middle of the 19th century. Among other contributions to the city, she co-founded the Howland Library, which celebrated its 150th anniversary this year.

In honor of that anniversary, historian Emily Murnane comes on the podcast to talk about Eliza's life and legacy in this community. Emily is a lifelong Beaconite who has worked as a teacher, gardener and historical reenactor, among other things. She portrayed Eliza in a recent presentation at the Howland Cultural Center. For that event she wore formal period garb and adorned the stage with historically significant props while guiding her audience through the life of this fascinating nurse and benefactor.

Episode recorded at Beacon AV Lab. Photography by Michael Isabell.

Hear more interviews and sign up for our newsletter at Beaconites.com.

The Beacon Bonfire music & arts festival is coming up on Friday Nov 4 & Saturday Nov 5. This is a citywide event featuring upwards of 100 performers at venues across the city.

This week's episode features Jeremy Schonfeld, one of the festival's organizers and an accomplished musician and composer. Jeremy grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, the child and grandchild of holocaust survivors, and made his way to NYC as a young man before moving to Beacon with his family.

To learn more and buy your pass, visit BeaconBonfire.com and follow the festival on Instagram. The handle is Beacon Bonfire.

Anne Alvergue's film The Martha Mitchell Effect, now streaming on Netflix, a funny and fascinating documentary centered on the wife of Nixon attorney general John Mitchell. In this episode Anne describes how she got into non-fiction TV and film and how Nixon-era politics connects to our current discourse. Plus: Craig House anecdotes, Beacon's filmmaking community.

Julie Shiroishi is running to represent New York's newly created 39th Senate District. Dismayed by the 2016 election outcome, Julie began attending meetings of the Beacon Democrats and quickly rose through the ranks in Dutchess County progressive politics, volunteering her time to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot. In this episode she tells her story and makes an appeal for more community involvement in the electoral process.