Can You Spot the Change to the Beacon Dummy Light?
Some Hudson Valley prankster made their mark on the Beacon Dummy Light. And while the evidence is hiding in plain sight, I'm betting you missed it.
I walk past said iconic Beacon landmark on a near-daily basis, and I'll confess I didn't even notice its new flair until this week.
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The addition to the Beacon Dummy Light is a nice touch after the rollercoaster couple of years it's had. In April of 2022, the light was struck by a city vehicle while Main Street was undergoing repaving. Residents collectively freaked out on the Beacon Facebook groups, prompting City Administrator Chris White to urge the public to calm down: "Please take a deep breathe, everyone. This was an accident, and our driver feels terribly about it."
A sad-looking orange traffic cone played substitute for the dummy light for a few months until it was repaired and returned to its former glory with a fresh coat of paint.
WATCH: Over and Under the Beacon Dummy Light
Why Is It Called the Beacon Dummy Light?
According to News12 Westchester, the Beacon Dummy Light earned its name after it replaced a police officer who used stand on the platform directing traffic.
The Beacon Dummy Light is supposed to be one of only three left in the United States, RoadsideAmerica.com reports.
A mystery merrymaker decided to spruce up the stand that holds up the dummy light recently. Take a close look at the picture below and see if you can spot the difference
Did you catch it?
Yes, somebody slapped a pair of googly eyes on the reflective sticker on the Beacon Dummy Light's stand.
Who Put the Googly Eyes on the Dummy Light?
I tried to do some detective work to find out who was responsible for the Beacon Dummy Light defacement. (And by detective work I mean I scrolled through the Facebook groups for five minutes until I got distracted by the escaped pony, the return of the coyote with mange and the random terrible acts of Photoshop abuse inflicted on Matt Damon).
I'm fresh out of leads, but I wanted to publicly thank whoever the whimsical weirdo was who put the eyes on the Beacon Dummy Light traffic. You brought a lighthearted touch to my day and I imagine to anyone else's who may have caught this harmless bit of mischief.
And despite being applied to the reflective sticker, the googly eyes aren't likely to have an impact on out-of-town drivers making the left on East Main too early. But we can hope, Beacon. We can hope.
