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Vermont lighthouses being rebuilt
It’s often been said that we need to save what lighthouses we have left because the government isn’t building them anymore. Well, thanks to Vermont’ s Senator Patrick Leahay that statement has changed dramatically. The Senator was able to secure the necessary federal funds to build replicas of the two Burlington, Vermont, lighthouses on Lake Champlain that were destroyed many years ago. Atlantic Mechanical, a construction company out of Maine, a state known for its historic lighthouses, is building the lighthouses under contract. The lighthouses are being built on shore and will then be moved to the sites where the former original 1857 lighthouses once stood. A ceremony honoring the completion of the new lighthouses is scheduled for Sept. 10
Lighthouse Depot Road Rally
The 8th Annual Lighthouse Depot Road Rally will be held on September 13. You do not have to be an expert to join this annual event. If you are a first timer, there is a training class the night before the rally. All you need is a vehicle, (any kind will do), and one person to do the driving and the other person to do the navigating. It is a time trial event and you are not allowed to speed or anything like that. This year’s 130-mile rally will end at Maine’s Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, where participants will be allowed to climb the tower. The lighthouse, located on one of the most beautiful spots on the Maine coast, is featured on the new Maine Statehood Quarter and is the first lighthouse in history to be featured on United States money. There are awards for the many different categories, door prizes, a raffle, goodies, and a chance to meet some new people. The Lighthouse Depot Road Rally is a sanctioned event by the New England Region of the Sports Car Club of America and the Cumberland Motor Club and is a benefit fundraiser for the American Lighthouse Foundation. Registration is $40 per car. To register or for more information you can call Rallymaster Paul Gregory at 207-549-3072 in the evenings or e-mail him at .
Lighthouse author reaches milestone
Elinor DeWire, one of our nation’s foremost lighthouse authors will be turning 50 this August 3rd. If you’d like to send her a birthday card you can send it to Elinor DeWire, P.O. Box 1022, Seabeck, WA 98380. You don’t have to even know her to send her a birthday greeting. Perhaps you have enjoyed one of her many lighthouse stories or books, or read with you children her "Kid’s on the Beam," which appears every other month in Lighthouse Digest Magazine. Elinor has written hundreds of stories and numerous books on lighthouses and is a widely respected lighthouse historian. Some of her books that are available through Lighthouse Depot include, Guide to Florida Lighthouses www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=91209#91209; Guardians of the Lights www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=91277#91277; Lighthouses of the Mid Atlantic www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=91282#91282 or her newest book, Lighthouses, Sentinels of the American Coast www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=91331#91331. If you don’t have these lighthouse books in your collection, now would be a great time to order one or several for yourself or as gifts.
Lighthouse Charity Balloon Race
This July 30th will be the first ever Eddystone Lighthouse Balloon Race from England’s isolated Eddystone Lighthouse, which is located 13 miles southwest of Plymouth, England. Caroline Hatton and Cathy Kitcher, who both work at Trinity House Lighthouse Depot in Penzance, are seeking sponsors for balloons with the money being divided up among various charities. Sponsorship is about $8.00 per balloon in U.S. currency. The girls will fly by helicopter to the lighthouse where they will release the balloons. The sponsor of the balloon that travels the furthest will receive a special prize. Anyone wishing to sponsor a balloon can e-mail Caroline at or Cathy at .
Volunteer Days at Maine’s Little River Lighthouse
If you’ve always wanted to work on restoring a lighthouse, here’s your chance. But, it won’t be easy. Volunteers will be needed to do the following projects . . . Cut brush, trees and weeds, paint, scrape, clean, sweep, wash, haul debris on island to boat ramp, transport debris/trash by boat to the mainland and then by vehicle to the dump, cook hot dogs and burgers, bring supplies and equipment to the island and more. Especially needed are volunteers with boats who can ferry people back and help haul debris off the island. For those of you who have never been to the island or area before, you must be in good physical shape as landing (depending on the tide) and departing can be dangerous. Work will be done no matter what the tide is. It is recommend that you bring boots, work gloves, safety glasses, bug repellent, rain gear, sunscreen, hat and camera. Little River Lighthouse is located on a 15-acre wooded island a short distance (10-15 minutes by boat ride) off Cutler, Maine. The American Lighthouse Foundation will supply the food at lunchtime, soft drinks and water. There are no toilet facilities on the island - you will need to use the great outdoors in the woods. There are no restaurants or gas stations in town and no place to use a bathroom in town, unless someone hopefully agrees to open their house for this purpose. The nearest motels and restaurants are in Machias, Maine, which is a good 30 minutes away. The restaurants in Machias all serve great meals at very reasonable prices. Motels are: Margaretta Motel, Rt. 1, Machias (a member of Friends of Little River) Ph # 207-255-6500 -email- Bluebird Motel, Rt. 1, Machias Ph # 207-255-3332 Machias Motor Inn, Rt. 1, Machias Ph # 207-255-4861 Campgrounds: Southbay Campground, Lubec, Maine # 207-733-1037 If you can volunteer or help with a boat please let ALF know by calling 207-646-0245 or emailing . ALF will need to know you are coming to make arrangements for food and transportation to and from the island, so be sure to let them know.
New Home for Shore Village Museum
Maine’s Shore Village Museum, located in mid coast Rockland will be moving next year to a much larger beautiful building on the city’s waterfront. At the time of the move the museum will change its name to Maine’s Lighthouse Museum. This story and many other great stories will be in the September issue of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can subscribe on line at www.LighthouseDigest.comwww.LighthouseDigest.com or by calling 1-800-758-1444. A subscription for yourself or a gift subscription makes a wonderful gift. Published monthly, it’s only $28.00 per year.
Travel Channel Cape Cod program
Race Point Lighthouse on Cape Cod, MA will be featured on the Travel Channel ’s program, "Cape Cod Review." The program will air August 1 at 10pm EST and August 3 at 3pm EST. However, it is recommended that you check your local listings for time and date. Race Point Lighthouse, once abandoned and scheduled for demolition was saved and restored by the American Lighthouse Foundation and is now run by their Cape Cod Chapter as an overnight hostel. To learn more about the lighthouse go to www.LighthouseFoundation.orgwww.LighthouseFoundation.org.
Plan a Maine vacation
Maine, known around the world as, "The Lighthouse State," is a great state to plan a family vacation. From its rocky coastline, to sandy beaches, great lobster, picturesque lighthouses and quaint fishing villages, it’s a vacation you’ll never forget. With autumn just around the corner, this would be the time to plan a lighthouse color tour to Maine. When you visit, be sure to stop at Lighthouse Depot and say hello. People from all over the world make it a destination stop. With lots of great lighthouse items, many not featured in the catalog or the web site, you’re bound to have a great time. And right next door to Lighthouse Depot is the Museum of Lighthouse History with free admission. Located on historic U.S. Route 1 in Wells, between Kennebunkport and Ogunquit, its easy to get to, just minutes off the Maine Turnpike.
Trivia Winner
Congratulations to Judy Castlebury of Midlothian, Virginia, who was last month’s trivia question winner. The question was, "For many years I played a significant role in United States Lighthouse history. What did I personally save, that would have otherwise been lost forever?" The correct answer was Stephen Pleasanton, Fifth Auditor of the U.S. Treasury who took charge of our nation’s lighthouses in 1820 and was the "General Superintendent of Lighthouses" for an amazing 32 years. During the War of 1812, he personally saved, among other historical documents, The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, which would otherwise have been destroyed when the British burned the Capitol.
Squirrel Point sold?
A contract has been signed and the sale is pending of Maine’s Squirrel Point Lighthouse. Despite public outcry, pending federal legislation, involvement from the Maine Attorney General, Maine State Historic Preservation Office and the U.S. Coast Guard, it appears that the Squirrel Point Lighthouse, which was given away free by the federal government to a non-profit, will be sold for a gigantic profit. Watch for the full story in an upcoming issue of Lighthouse Digest Magazine.
This month’s trivia question
I preached and ministered to the lighthouse keepers and their families. I was known as the "Sky Pilot to Lighthousemen." What was my name? Send your answer to . We will randomly draw one name from the winners for a special prize from Lighthouse Depot. Be sure to visit www.lhdepot.com/clearance.cfmLighthouse Depot's Clearance Central where great deals can be found on discontinued merchandise. 
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