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Story and photo courtesy of Michael and Pam Bauchan

Houghton Lake, Michigan has had a winter ice festival named Tip-Up-Town USA for the past 52 years, having started in 1950. For many years ice sculptures have been a part of the fun, during third and fourth weekends each January. About 40,000 visitors come each weekend, during the festival, to this small community about 110 miles north of Lansing in the center of Michigan’s lower peninsula on Michigan’s largest inland lake.

Parker Seiler, a local semi-retired schoolteacher, has achieved national fame for his ice sculptures not only locally but also nationally. A couple of years ago NBC News featured him making a sculpture at the Law Offices of Michael Bauchan P.C., where this year’s lighthouse ice sculpture was made.

With the exception of one year, Parker has been making ice sculptures at Bauchan Law Offices, P.C. since 1984. This year he did the lighthouse shown in honor of Michael’s father, Louis Bauchan, one of the last surviving keepers of the United States Lighthouse Service. Parker used some poetic license, but based his design on Michigan’s Point Betsie Lighthouse where Louis Bauchan served from 1947 to 1952 as a keeper. However, as the sign shows to the right, the ice and snow lighthouse was named Point Bauchan in honor of Louis Bauchan.

At the bottom of the lighthouse you will notice the letters T.U.T., which is for the Tip-Up-Town USA Ice Festival. The letters inside the bulb outline in the lantern room say, “Jesus is the light of the world.”

The building in the background is the Bauchan Law Office P.C. at Houghton Lake, Michigan.

This story appeared in the March 2002 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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