Berry treats, smoked fish, music and more at free event
Beacon’s annual Strawberry Festival, held this year on June 14 from noon to 5 p.m., offers residents and visitors the opportunity to share hot, buttery biscuits heaped with sweet local berries and topped with honey-spiked organic cream. Additional berry items include hand-dipped chocolate strawberries and smoothies. Proceeds benefit the free sailing programs of the Beacon Sloop Club and its main vessel, the Woody Guthrie.
This year’s festival will include an ancient tradition: a modern shad-bake tasting. For hundreds of years, Native Americans along the Hudson smoked fish on wooden platforms. Chris Bowser of the Hudson River Eel Project and sidekick Tom Lake will demonstrate the technique by smoking and planking local rainbow trout (as shad is an endangered species). Free samples will be given out to guests starting at 1 p.m.
Environmental displays will dot the park, educating visitors about marine life in the Hudson and how to both appreciate and preserve it. Various local food and craft vendors will also participate.
Activities and crafts for children of all ages will be provided by Miss Vickie’s Music in Beacon. The Children’s Stage will have its own musical lineup, including Rivertown Kids, the Apple Kickers and Young Kangaroo Republic.
The Main Stage, powered by a solar trailer, will be emceed by Danny Einbender, performing with the Arm of the Sea Players, followed by Driscoll & Smith, Howland Wolves, Jim Connor, Melissa Orquist and Friends, and the Apple Pickers.
The event is free to all and will be held rain or shine at the Pete and Toshi Seeger Memorial Park, 1 Red Flynn Drive in Beacon. For more information, visit beaconsloopclub.org.
