Fairport Harbor Marine Museum and Lighthouse (OH) opens for 2021 season on May 29
For the first time in two years, the Fairport Harbor Marine Museum and Lighthouse is preparing to launch a full season of operation. The museum and lighthouse has slated tomorrow, May 29, as its opening day for 2021. Plans call for the tourist attraction, located at 129 Second Street in Fairport Harbor Village, to continue welcoming visitors through mid-September.
As the season gets underway, hours and days for public visits to the museum and lighthouse will be 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and all legal holidays.
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Art installation on Lighthouse Tender Lilac (NY) celebrates 88 years
On Wednesday, May 26, the Lighthouse Tender Lilac turned 88 years old. The Lilac, moored at Pier 25 at Hudson River Park, is a little gem with unique programming right in the heart of Manhattan’s waterfront. The latest activation, an art installation that melds historic photography and audio, is no exception. You can see the work, entitled “88 Lilac, from afar,” as the historic stack of the ship has been wheat pasted with black and white photos culled from the boat’s illustrious past.
Listen to an to an interview with Lilac director Mary Habstritt:
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Presque Isle Lighthouse (PA) opens for the season
Thursday marked opening day for the Presque Isle Lighthouse in Erie, Pennsylvania, after a long and gloomy offseason. The lighthouse, located in Presque Isle State Park, offers walking tours of the lighthouse tower and a fully stocked gift shop.
Website for Presque Isle Lighthouse
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New Jersey Shore lighthouse replicas: ‘Obsessed’ brick artist uses concrete to create his own
If you live at the Jersey Shore or visit frequently, chances are you’ve seen one of the majestic lighthouses that stand sentinel along the coastline, from Sandy Hook to Barnegat to Cape May. It’s doubtful, though, you’ve witnessed eight of them lined up in a row. Such is the scene in front of Bill “The Light House Guy” Riley’s home in Brick. Eight miniature, handcrafted lighthouse replicas line the driveway.
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Point Fermin Lighthouse (CA) tours begin on June 1
Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro, California, opened its grounds on Tuesday, May 18. On June 1, reservations for limited lighthouse tours will be open again for the first time since the pandemic, said Kristen Heather, historic site curator. Tours will be limited to single families until all indoor restrictions are lifted, she said. Reservations are available by calling 310-241-0684.
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Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower at Door County Maritime Museum (WI)
Rising on Door County’s Sturgeon Bay waterfront, the newly constructed Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower stands as a one-of-a-kind landmark that will leave a legacy of maritime history that will also educate and entertain generations to come. For more than five decades, the Door County Maritime Museum has been an educational and cultural resource, offering exhibits and programs that bring the area’s maritime heritage to life and preserve its history. Now the museum is taking a major leap forward by expanding its Sturgeon Bay facility with the Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower.
Christening Day Arrives for New Lighthouse Tower
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Marquette Maritime Museum (MI) opens with lighthouse tours back on schedule
The Marquette Maritime Museum is open ahead of summer, and now’s a good time to book its historic lighthouse tours before business heats up in June. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, hosting three guided tours a day at Marquette Harbor Lighthouse.
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Richmond businesses team to raise funds for East Brother Light Station (CA)
A group of Richmond businesses along the San Pablo Avenue corridor is revving up to launch a fundraiser to benefit the “East Brother Lighthouse Fund.” Starting Tuesday, June 1, The Factory Bar, Catahoula Coffee and Tacos El Tucan will be selling lighthouse-themed items onsite at their businesses and online, with all proceeds going to the fund. A GoFundMe campaign is underway for the East Brother Light Station to restore power to the 147-year-old island lighthouse and bed & breakfast following the devastating failure of its underwater power cable April 1, 2021.
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Cromwell Point (Valentia) Lighthouse Reopens with New Visitor Experience in County Kerry (Ireland)
Valentia Island Lighthouse has announced the launch of a new visitor experience, ‘Leading Lights at Cromwell Point’ and the re-opening for the 2021 season. ‘Leading Lights at Cromwell Point’ will deliver a whole new experience to the visitors, a journey through time and history, featuring the bronze age standing stone, the 17th century well preserved Cromwellian fort, the light keeper’s house with a 1920s feel, and the lighthouse tower with fantastic 360-degree views of the area and across the Atlantic Ocean.
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Signal Tower Museum: Popular Arbroath attraction reveals reopening date (Scotland)
The Signal Tower Museum, one of Arbroath’s most popular tourist attractions is reopening next week following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. Operated by Angus Alive, the museum, located near the town’s picturesque harbour, enables visitors to discover the story of the Bell Rock Lighthouse designed by the famous engineer, Robert Stevenson, as well as an insight into Arbroath’s fishing and maritime past.
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Reserve tickets early for Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse tours (DE)
Volunteers from the Delaware River and Bay Lighthouse Foundation have readied the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse for this summer’s tours. Tours will depart from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal at 9 and 10:15 a.m., Saturday, July 24. Additional tours are scheduled for 8:30 and 9:45 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 21, and 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 25.
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U.S. Lighthouse Society News is produced by the U.S. Lighthouse Society to support lighthouse preservation, history, education and research.
If you have items of interest to the lighthouse community and its supporters, please email them to Jeremy D’Entremont at Jeremy@uslhs.org
Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org