HONORING TOOT — Friends and family members honored Carl “Toot” Giordono at the Beacon Elks Lodge on Feb. 11. At age 101, he is believed to be the last living World War II veteran in Beacon, where he grew up as the youngest of 12 children. He received his nickname from his mother, who took it from the 1922 flapper-era hit, “Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo’ Bye).” (Photo by Ross Corsair)
LOVE FOR THE VETS — Rep. Pat Ryan, whose district includes Beacon, delivered more than 9,000 cards on Tuesday (Feb. 14) to the Castle Point VA Medical Center in Wappingers Falls and Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie as part of his inaugural Valentines for Vets program. The cards, written by area schoolchildren, were also delivered to veterans service organizations. (Photo provided)
RETURN TO STAGE — For the first time since before the pandemic, the Beacon Rising Choir performed live, under the direction of Gina Samardge, singing to a full house on Sunday (Feb. 12) at the Towne Crier. The group is one of the “resistance choirs” formed after the 2017 Women’s March. (Photo by Ross Corsair)
CAUGHT WITH THE CURRENT — Alexandra Juby, a second-grader at Haldane Elementary, reads the paper in the school library. “I like looking at the pictures,” she said. (Photo by Barry Goggin)
Meanwhile, 3-month-old Bridger Kiely, shown with his dad, Tim, catches up on the news at the Yankee Clipper. (Photo by Kat Merry)
MADE WITH LOVE — Emilia Costa, a native of Argentina who runs Heirloom Fresh Flowers in Putnam Valley with her father, led a flower arrangement workshop at the Ascend Center in Cold Spring on Sunday (Feb. 12). Each participant chose a vase and blooms to use. Participants then took their creations home for Valentine’s Day. (Photo by Ross Corsair)
