Hosting My Own Celebration at The Spark – and Why This Space Matters

In December, I hosted a Winter Solstice gathering on the Skydeck at The Spark. As the Executive Director, I spend a lot of time thinking about how The Spark Building can best serve our community – but on that night, it served as a place for something deeply personal: celebrating the longest night of the year with the people I love.

I brought in a chili bar. The kids made mason jar lanterns. We read poems about the Solstice, reflecting on the turning of the seasons, the return of the light. I set up an altar and invited people to bring photos of their loved ones, or artifacts that connected them to memory, to lineage.

There were about 25 of us – multiple families, multiple generations. My family alone spanned four generations, another family had three. The space held us all comfortably, and as the sun set over the Catskill mountains, we climbed the circular stair up to the catwalk. The sky burned orange as we hung lights and lanterns up top, taking in the beauty of the moment together.

That night, I experienced The Spark not as the place I work, but as the kind of space I hoped it would be when we first imagined it: a place where people can gather in ways that matter to them. A place for community and connection, for celebration and reflection.

Hosting my event here was a reminder of what makes The Spark different from other venues. Every dollar that comes into this building – whether through coworking memberships, event rentals, or programs – goes back into the work we do. There’s no profit extracted. Instead, the funds help us keep the space open for community use, support workforce training programs, and ensure that people in Hudson have an accessible, welcoming place to come together.

So if you’re planning to gether – whether it’s for a birthday, a corporate retreat, a wedding, or a milestone event – I hope you’ll consider hosting it here. Not just because it’s a stunning space (it really is!), but because your event directly supports something bigger: a community-driven, mission-focused place where gatherings – of all kinds – can thrive.

Interested in learning more? Check out our event inquiry form or reach out for a tour!