They seemed to be having a great time.
Taken with a Sony A77II and Tamron A18 AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3.
A Day in Beacon – Strawberry Festival. Musicians.
A Day in Beacon – Strawberry Festival
Above one of the first things I noticed. I don’t know what it’s got to do with strawberries, but I guess the Empire isn’t what it used to be.
As we disembarked in Beacon we saw and heard signs of activity a little farther along the waterfront. We decided to “check it out” and it turned out that it was the annual Strawberry Festival described by Dutchess County Tourism as follows:
Once again it’s strawberry time in the Hudson Valley. The Beacon Sloop Club’s legendary annual Strawberry Festival happens on Sunday, June 10th at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park from 12-5pm, rain or shine. All guests will hear live music and enjoy the best shortcake you’ve ever imagined — fresh strawberries made with home-made biscuits topped with real whipped cream — while surrounded on three sides by the glorious Hudson River. There will be many treats, such as strawberry smoothies, freshly made chocolate covered strawberries, and other great foods to enjoy. Many vendors will be on hand selling food and crafts.
The Woody Guthrie will take guests on free sails from the Beacon harbor. ANYONE may sign up for a free afternoon sail to experience the beauty, power and grandeur of the Hudson. Guests may sign up for one of the free sails starting at noon at the Beacon Sloop Club booth.
The music will be sublime, as usual! Here’s the bands that will play on the Main Stage: Dan Einbender (MC), Driscoll & Smith, Judith Tullock Band, Lost River Boys, Mel and Vinnie, Pat Lamanna, The Dirty Stay Out Skifflers, and The Trouble Sisters.
Musical performances and entertainment for children will be on the Children’s Stage: Susan Reid Bozso (MC), Bindlestick Bill, G Rockwell and The Still River Ramblers, Peter Siegel, Solar Sound, and Vaguely Shuffled (Beacon High School Band).
Many other free activities for children including Hoops by Judy. Tanks of live fish and other river life will be on exhibit, along with displays of local river history, and environmental education and issues.
Seeger Riverfront Park is located at 1 Flynn Dr., Beacon, riverside of the Beacon train station. Free admission to the festival, and all are welcome to join in the fun!
Taken with a Sony A77II and Tamron A18 AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3.
A Day in Beacon – Bannerman’s Island. A view from the Residence
These kayaks organized themselves nicely for a group shot.
Wider view looking south down the Hudson.
Taken with a Sony A77II and Tamron A18 AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3.
A Day in Beacon – Bannerman’s Island. The Residence.
According to the Poughkeepsie Journal:
Newly opened to the public, the residence that was once the summer home of Frank Bannerman and his family on Pollepel, or Bannerman Island, is now a visitors center.
For the first time, visitors are now permitted to go inside the Bannerman home and explore the island’s history through an exhibition of photographs, artifacts and newly created display panels of documented information. The professional interpretive panels were made possible through a grant from the Hudson Valley Greenway Conservancy.
…
Neil Caplan, executive director Bannerman Castle Trust Inc., the not-for-profit group which manages the island, said it took nearly six years to stabilize and clean up the former residence.
“There was nothing in there, trees and poison ivy were growing in there; all kinds of junk; we stabilized it by putting in a roof and a floor,” he said, noting that the sunporch was also cleaned up and is in need of a new roof. “It all takes time and lots of money.”
Caplan said some 65-70 percent of income generated from the tours goes toward repairing and maintaining the site.
Tours of the island are offered through October with access either by passenger tour boat or as part of a guided kayak excursion. Tours depart from Beacon (kayak or passenger boat), Cold Spring (kayak), Cornwall (kayak) and Newburgh (passenger boat). Reservations are required for all tours. Special events are also held during the season, including dinners, theater and films.
Netting around the outside of the residence, presumably to stop crumbling stone from falling on the heads of the unsuspecting tourists.
A nearby board describes this as follows: “Foundation stone from a house of the massacred Macdonalds. Glencoe Scotland 1692. Erected by a descendant of the clan 1914. Franck Bannerman VI.”
The way to the dock. From the residence you follow this path back down to the dock, board the boat and return to Beacon.
Taken with a Sony A77II and Tamron A18 AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3.
A Day in Beacon – The Bannerman’s Island Tour
The tour group listens.
This was the second time I’d gone on this tour. Shortly before the first time I’d been to a presentation on Bannerman’s Island at our local library. So I was fairly well steeped in Bannerman lore and history. And that’s where a problem arises.
The full tour takes about two and a half hours, but of course about an our of that is spent on the boat leaving about an hour and a half on the island.
Unfortunately the island isn’t all that large. The larger buildings are unsafe and you can’t go inside and, until recently, the residence was not open. Now it is, but it’s still rather small and it doesn’t take much time to see it. So inevitably you spend a lot of time sitting/standing around listening to the guide. He was informative enough and had a good delivery, but I already knew just about everything that he mentioned.
The tour guide.
A member of the group. Is it me or does he already look a little bored?
Taken with a Sony A77II and Tamron A18 AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3.