Nominees for the Collaboration Award of Distinction are businesses in Dutchess County that have worked together with other local businesses and/or community partners to significantly drive tourism to the area and strengthen their businesses.
Join Destination Dutchess in celebrating all the honorees at the 12th annual Destination Dutchess Awards of Distinction on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2026, at The Henry A. Wallace Center at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Home in Hyde Park. Read more about the event and purchase tickets here.
Read on to learn more about each Collaboration Award of Distinction finalist.
• Shelby Lind, Director of Marketing at Eastdale Village Town Center
• Elizabeth Barrett, REV250 Committee Co-Chair (alongside John MacEnroe)
• Andrea Rhodes, co-director Tivoli Merchants + Artists
• Shelby Lind, Eastdale Village: Eastdale Village is a mixed-use development in Poughkeepsie that brings together local businesses, residents, and visitors in a walkable, community-focused environment. What makes Eastdale unique is the relationship we have with the businesses that call our village home. We don’t simply provide a place for businesses to operate; we work together to create experiences that bring people to Eastdale and give them a reason to stay, explore, and come back.
Community programming is a huge part of that. Throughout the year, we host markets, festivals, live music, family activities, and seasonal events that create opportunities for the community and our businesses to engage with one another in meaningful and creative ways.
• Elizabeth Barrett, Rev250 Committee Co-Chair: The Beacon REV250 Committee brings together community service groups, businesses and City staff with the shared mission to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and to celebrate our local region’s history in shaping our Nation during the American Revolution (1775-1783).
• Andrea Rhodes, Tivoli Merchants + Artists: Tivoli Merchants + Artists is a collective of businesses, artists and creatives who make the Village of Tivoli so special. TM+A was established in 2015 as a way to present a united collaboration of these entities working together, and to promote its many diverse talents. With world-class restaurants, shops and arts organizations, along with independent galleries, musicians and entrepreneurs, Tivoli is an eclectic mix of unexpected discovery. TM+A works to put a spotlight on Tivoli as an exciting place to live, work and play. The signature motto is ILOVIT— it’s Tivoli spelled backwards. Of course we love it! Our elegant and useful website (and social media presence) is a great resource for anyone interested in getting to know this gem of a village.
• Shelby Lind, Eastdale Village: A great example of collaboration at Eastdale is our annual Harvest & Haunt, a community-wide fall and Halloween celebration that brings together our businesses, local partners, vendors, and families for a full day of activities throughout the village. The event has grown into one of our signature fall traditions, featuring live music, trick-or-treating at Eastdale businesses, kids’ activities, contests, local vendors, seasonal experiences, and plenty of opportunities for our businesses to get creative and involved.
What makes Harvest & Haunt especially meaningful is that it is truly a collaborative effort. Like many of our events at Eastdale, we use our Eastdale Business Association as an opportunity to hear ideas directly from our businesses and find ways to bring them to life. For Harvest & Haunt, we formed a committee of Eastdale business owners who have taken an active role in shaping the event, from brainstorming activities and entertainment to developing partnerships and creating experiences for attendees.
• Elizabeth Barrett, Rev250 Committee Co-Chair: More than 30 committee members from over 20 organizations met regularly starting in February to plan REV250 events spanning May through October. Member organizations include the Veterans Memorial Building, the Beacon Historical Society, Beacon BonfireWORKS, the Melzingah Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Tioronda Garden Club, Bannerman Castle Trust, Beacon Tree Committee, Beacon Elks, the City of Beacon and the Beacon Recreational Department and Highway Department, along with support from Destination Dutchess, the Beacon Beacon, and numerous local businesses. We developed a Beacon REV250 logo, created an online events calendar and newsletter, and presented a variety of events around the city, including building illuminations, historical talks, concerts, historical exhibits, readings of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, a patriotic garden contest and Main Street floral and flag decorations, and a Hamilton selfie station. More than 50 Main Street businesses displayed our window clings and Beacon History story posters with QR codes to learn more about aspects Beacon’s Revolutionary history. This was a community-wide labor of love with virtually no budget and a mostly volunteer workers, with support from the City of Beacon Mayor’s office, and Beacon Recreation and Highway Departments. Veterans and first responders were also honored and involved. Local media and businesses also pitched in. Ruth Danon, the poet laureate of Beacon and Dutchess County, composed a special poem for the occasion, and West Point history professor and Beacon resident COL Seanegan Sculley, gave regular talks on the Revolutionary history of our region (these will continue through 2027). The Beacon Historical Society mounted an exhibit on Beacon’s Role in the American Revolution, accompanied by a historic map and a Hamilton “selfie station” for photo opportunities to put visitors into the historical picture. The historical society also unveiled 3 new historic markers in the City. The Beacon Bonfire Festival created customized REV250 digital illuminations for three City buildings, including our Veterans Memorial Building and the City of Beacon Fire Department. The Tioronda Garden held a city-wide patriotic garden contest and decorated Main Street. Veterans’ organizations in our Veterans Memorial Building marched in historical 1776 uniforms in the Parade of Green and also hosted our committee meetings and provided an honor guard in colonial uniform at our July 4 celebration. The Beacon Tree committee planted 250 trees to commemorate the 250th and also planted a Liberty Tree. In short, the community came together in many different and uplifting ways.
• Andrea Rhodes, Tivoli Merchants + Artists: A recent collaboration includes Tivoli’s newly instituted First Friday series - created by the owners of the Available Items gallery & shop, where there are specials, later hours and general enticement to experience Tivoli on the first Fridays from May—October. Red heart balloons adorn doorways and entrances, in-keeping with the charming and welcoming ILOVIT theme.
We work to align the businesses and artists together, and cherry pick promotional initiatives the best fit our style. Brightly designed rack cards, PR that highlights special news and events, select ad placements and support of Tivoli’s beloved pop-up events (such as the legendary Street Painting Festival and Winterfest celebration), by way of creating stylish posters and spreading the word, make for a cohesive effort that brings the community together and keeps visitors in the know. Village leadership is greatly involved in supporting all we do, especially Mayor Emily Majer
• Shelby Lind, Eastdale Village: We’ve learned that the best community events are truly collaborative. When businesses have a voice and a sense of ownership of the event, they become much more than participants. They become partners in creating the experience. Every business brings something different to the table, whether it’s a creative idea, a community connection, a particular skill set, or simply a different perspective. Bringing all of those voices together allows us to create events that feel authentic to Eastdale rather than something that was simply planned for our businesses. It has also reinforced how important communication, flexibility, and relationships are. We want our businesses to see one another as partners and neighbors who have a vested interest in one another’s success. When we share ideas, cross-promote, collaborate, and work toward a common goal, we strengthen not only our individual businesses but Eastdale as a whole.
• Elizabeth Barrett, Rev250 Committee Co-Chair: We learned how great it is to collaborate across the community — nonprofits, businesses, community clubs and organizations, and City departments. We are proud of how the citizens of Beacon really came together to celebrate our community and its history as well as its current revitalization as a magnet for arts and tourism. Everyone from longstanding community organizations to businesses and arts festivals rolled up their sleeves and worked together. It was a place for meeting new people and coming up with new ideas. And we had so much fun in the process!
Many thanks to Destination Dutchess for your support and encouragement.
• Andrea Rhodes, Tivoli Merchants + Artists: We’re all in this together. While we all have different models and needs, we have one thing in common: we call Tivoli home. Personally, I don’t have a storefront in Tivoli, but I do have a theater company that presents pop-up shows and an independent marketing consultancy. Since our theater company supports the various businesses (and likewise), we understand firsthand how being a unified group means we’re all helping each other grow. We love sharing what we love about Tivoli. The arts vibe in Tivoli is palatable. With Tivoli Artists Gallery, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and my own Tangent Theatre Company - along with local artists and creative makers — the synergy between arts & cultural and celebrated businesses (such as Hotel Tivoli, Santa Fe and Traghaven Pub) means the scene here is desirable, welcoming and real. A favorite media quote we love: “Charming and unpretentious,” courtesy of Chronogram Magazine. Agreed!
