At the beginning of June, a new U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast was launched, entitled Light Hearted. The podcast features conversations about all things related to lighthouses, particularly their history and preservation. The idea behind the title–coined by my wife, Charlotte, after much discussion–is that it signifies people who have lighthouses in their hearts. Of course, the word “lighthearted” also implies good natured conversation, and that’s something we’ve striven for as well.

To date, there have been forty “official” episodes released, along with a handful of “special editions.” It has been my privilege — and joy — to produce and host this podcast for the USLHS. With a film degree and a bit of radio background in my past, it has been truly fun combining my production experience with my love for lighthouses. The interviews I’ve conducted have taught me so much, and they have introduced me to so many new friends — and in some cases deepened my friendships with people I’ve known for decades.

I want to extend my sincere thanks to my regular co-hosts, Michelle Jewell Shaw and Cindy Johnson. I value their voices in every way. Their participation is essential and adds so much to these programs, and I hope we can keep expanding their roles. I also want to thank the brilliant young filmmaker Rob Apse, who co-hosted a couple of episodes ably.

Many thanks also to Joe Rivers for the musical interludes that bring so much, as well as the other musicians whose music I’ve used — including Roger McGuinn’s wonderful version of This Little Light of Mine.

Thanks to USLHS Executive Director Jeff Gales, and to Maria Cornelius, Tom Wheeler, Tom Tag, and Rich Gales and all the rest of the USLHS staff and volunteers for all their support. Also a big thank you to Kenya Allmond for her support and promotion of Light Hearted.

And of course, a huge thank you to the amazing people who have been interviewed. Light Hearted is nothing without them. I am consistently blown away by their passion, intelligence, and insights. What an incredible community we have working to preserve lighthouses and their history.

I hope Light Hearted can continue for years. There’s no end to the stories that lighthouses have to tell, and there’s certainly no limit to the challenges we face in the lighthouse preservation world, such as climate change, lack of funding, an aging volunteer base, and so on. I hope that the podcast can serve as a forum to explore these challenges.

I have ideas about occasional video versions of the podcast, and possible foreign language editions. And I’m hoping to get more participation from listeners. If you have ideas for segments, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at Jeremy@USLHS.org

You can see a list of all episodes of Light Hearted by clicking here.

As always, thanks for listening! Happy New Year, and keep a good light.

–Jeremy D’Entremont