Beaconites!

American roots music is a living tradition and shouldn't be sealed in a jar.
This is a core tenet for grammy-nominated fiddler Bruce Molksy, whose playing is inflected with Scandinavian overtones and other styles that he has picked up over the years and passed on to his own students. 
In our latest interview, Bruce shares stories from a life dedicated to traditional music forms. His cross-cultural collaborations—with Swedish composer Ale Möller, international supergroup Mozaik and others—instilled a belief in the ever-changing nature of music. He has embraced that ethos in his teaching at the Berklee College of Music, where he is a scholar in the American Roots program.
Also in this interview: Why Bruce and his wife Audrey chose Beacon as home in 2002, changes to the city over time, and his love of baking.  
Bruce will perform on November 6th at the Town Crier, alongside Celtic guitarist Tony McManus. Tickets

Andrea Barrow-Williams is one of the founders of Rise Up, a social justice and community ministry based out of St. Andrew & St. Luke Episcopal Church. Andrea was the driving force behind the 2023 documentary "Lines of Demarcation," which captures the history of Beacon's Black community from the 1950s through the '70s. Among other facets of Black life in Beacon during those decades, the film recounts the devastating impact of Urban Renewal, which saw the demolition of more than 200 homes in the city's mostly Black West End. 
Andrea grew up in Jamaica, Queens and moved to Beacon in 1998 in pursuit of a home her family could afford. She found the city charmingly close-knit, if a bit rough around the edges. She was amazed to be recognized in the post office. 
In our interview she talks about the experience of raising a daughter in Beacon, how Rise Up has fought racist ideas since its founding in 2020, and the small but mighty congregation at St. Andrew & St. Luke, among other topics.

Is there still room for art that changes minds, rather than merely validating our entrenched worldviews? This week's guest, Jenny Tibbels, has dedicated her career to staging experimental works for the stage and screen that bridge the personal and political while morally challenging their audiences. 
Jenny grew up in Baltimore, the child of locally famous activists, and moved to New York City where she worked in experimental theater and eventually founded her own company. After moving to Beacon she helped to revive the Beacon Film Society, alongside filmmaker Lucas Millard.
In our interview she talks about BFS's fall program, including two upcoming documentary screenings: 
Steal This Story Please! highlights the work of Democracy Now! Journalist Amy Goodman. (Screening on September 18 at 7pm)
Down by the Riverside follows Pete Seeger, his wife Toshi, and the grassroots community that sprung up in Beacon around the Sloop Clearwater as a symbol of environmental stewardship. (Screening on October 16 at 7pm)
Find tickets and more info about both films at Howlandculturalcenter.org

There's a growing movement to bring more outdoor learning to public schools. This month, we profile Land to Learn, a non-profit organization that provides hands-on, garden-based learning to elementary students and teens throughout the Hudson Valley. 
Executive Director Nicole Porto previously worked as a farmer and has dedicated her career to building sustainable and just food systems. In our interview, Nicole describes how Land to Learn's gardener-teachers work with kids of varying ages to instill knowledge of where their food comes from and advance values of caring for the Earth. There's also the unexpected thrill of watching the seeds they planted — strawberries, tomatoes, arugula — grow before their eyes. 
"One of my favorite things to watch people get excited about is when a little yellow flower starts to grow a tiny, baby, spiky cucumber," Nicole says. 
This episode focuses on Land to Learn's SproutEd program for elementary schools in Beacon, Newburgh and Kingston. Through SproutEd, gardener-teachers build school food gardens and teach monthly lessons that combine knowledge of plants, nutrition, cooking, and environmental stewardship. Separately, Land to Learn also offers employment and internship opportunities for teens and college-aged kids. 
Find more information on Land to Learn at Landtolearn.org.

Lastar Gorton, Beacon's new Ward 1 city council rep, is tired of watching families be forced out of the city because their paychecks can't cover the rent or a mortgage down payment.  
Lastar grew up in Beacon, and she has watched waves of lifelong Beaconites leave as the cost of housing rises, while developers have erected dozens of mostly luxury condo buildings. That includes her uncle, who was forced to leave his longtime apartment and move away from Beacon after his wife passed, despite expressing interest in buying the building he lived in. His offer, which would have easily bought the place just a few years ago, was slightly under the highest bid.  
In this interview, she makes the case that Beacon hasn't done enough to resist real estate market forces that have already forced many longtime community members to move to Poughkeepsie, Newburgh and other nearby cities and towns. And she outlines what she believes it will take to create a wave of truly affordable construction in Beacon — as opposed to the "below market rate" units that are sometimes passed off as affordable. 
There's plenty of other great stuff in this episode too, including on traffic, a community center, the TOD development and more. 
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