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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.

Greg Buzulencia is a backcountry skier and trail runner who has explored wild places around the world. He’s also a startup founder who runs a travel company called ViaHero. In this episode, Greg tells the story of an alpine skiing expedition outside Tehran and offers advice for those curious about the trail running experience in the Hudson Highlands. 

Steve Rossi is an interdisciplinary artist and the sculpture program head at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.  Among other topics, we talk about Steve’s time at the Tallix art foundry in Beacon, a fine art metal fabrication business that was one of this city’s last connections to its industrial past before it merged with Polich Art Works and moved away in 2006.   Steve established the scuplture program at St. Joseph's with the goal of building hooks into other departments. And Steve has brought digital fabrication technologies like 3D printing, laser cutting, and digital rendering into the curriculum there.  Listeners to this episode may want to follow along on steve’s website at steverossisculpture.com

Amber Grant is a two-term former city council person and an advocate for local sustainability initiatives. We talk about Beacon's trash and waste streams, and we learn more about a new citywide composting pilot program that's giving Beaconites access to subsidized compost bins and new dropoff sites that will accept things you probably don’t want to throw in your backyard - including bones, dairy and meat.

Zakiyah Maynard moved to Beacon in 2014 and lived here until last summer when she was forced to move and wound up living in a shelter. Nine months later, she's still in search of permanent housing. Special guest interviewer Kara Dean-Assael talks with Zakiyah about her often frustrating journey, including minimally useful Section 8 vouchers, social workers who sometimes have little to offer and harrowing stays at a series of temporary residences. 

In March, Beacon’s city council passed “good cause eviction” legislation, written to protect renters in an increasingly vicious housing market. Councilman Dan Aymar Blair, who authored the law, joins us this week to talk about what it does and doesn’t do and what may come next in the high stakes battle over housing affordability in this city. 

The Beacon Players are about to stage their spring show, Into The Woods, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Cast members Jonah Mensch and Shep Rodgers talk about what went into the production. 

Test your knowledge of our river's (ahem estuary's) natural and human history, and learn about upcoming community outreach programs at Clarkson University's campus at Dennings Point.  

Melissa McGill is an artist who creates large and collaborative site-specific artworks. Her Constellation project created a new LED constellation in the airspace over Bannerman’s Island from 2015-2017. And her Red Regatta project staged four regattas in the waters of Venice, featuring 52 boats with red-painted sails.

The pandemic washed a wave of refugees up the Hudson River. We hear from two people who moved to Beacon during Covid times. 

Laura Leigh and Sam Abby are co-owners of The Studio @ Beacon, a spinning and boxing fitness studio on Main St. They describe how they met and married after pledging the same sorority, and why they decided to start a gym in Beacon.

Vicki is a radio professional who co-founded a Beacon-focused internet radio station called The Ground, which aired from 2015 to 2020. She talks about that experience as well as her years making radio for WBAI, Air America and SiriusXM.

A new nonprofit that was founded during the dark days of the pandemic will direct funds toward innovative curriculum in the school district.  

Air Nonken Rhodes is wrapping up their time as Beacon’s city council person representing Ward 2. Ahead of a planned move to Maine, Air discusses the council’s role in Beacon’s affairs and key challenges facing the city in 2022.