News of the week January 27, 2023
The Lake Hefner Lighthouse Walk In Oklahoma That Offers Unforgettable Views
If you’re looking for a spot in Oklahoma City that’s got all the insta-worthy vibes, look no further than the Lake Hefner Lighthouse. This beauty is the most photographed lighthouse in the whole state, and for good reason – it’s a stunner!
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It all began in the late 1950s when the City of Oklahoma City wanted to develop Lake Hefner and attract visitors. They built the tower with a white beacon to light up the lake and draw people in. And boy, did it work!
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Storm sale and lens tours at Point Cabrillo (CA) Lighthouse
Come on down to Point Cabrillo Lighthouse this Saturday to see the progress that volunteers and staff have made after the massive waves took out the back doors and flooded the interior of the gift shop and museum on January 5, 2023.
Everything in the gift shop will be on sale, with discounts from 10% to 50% off and more for slightly damaged merchandise! Point Cabrillo docents will also be leading visitors on tours to the top of the lighthouse from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the chance to stand next to the historic Fresnel Lens and see the Mendocino Coastline from a new perspective. We are also in the midst of the southern migration of the grey whale, and the top of the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse is the perfect place to watch the whales pass by.
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Bike-mad dad raises money for late wife’s charity with ‘epic’ lighthouse trek across Britain
A bike-mad dad-of-two is peddling his way to every lighthouse in mainland Britain in a bid to raise thousands of pounds for his late wife’s charity after she died of cancer. Matthew Sturgeon, 55, has climbed 89,000ft (27,127m) and cycled 2349 miles while hunting down weird and wonderful coastal beacons across the country.
He is asking people to sponsor him 25p per lighthouse as he looks to bag all 185 in Britain. So far he has raised more than £6,200 for charity A Bit of a Break, set up by his late wife Angela to offer holidays to people living with a terminal illness.
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Jack Knox: How would you feel about becoming a Canadian lighthouse keeper?
“How would you feel,” I asked her, “about spending the rest of our lives together in a lighthouse?”
There must have been a draft in the room, because she shuddered.
“That depends,” she replied, “on whether ‘the rest of our lives together’ means ‘beyond next Thursday.’ ”
“Just the two of us, cut off from the world,” I continued. “Week after week, month after month, year after year, time stretching on as infinite as the ocean itself.”
“Maybe until Friday,” she told herself. “I could probably outlast the milk.”
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American woman sues Colchester County after fall from historic Five Islands lighthouse
A tourist from Pennsylvania is suing Colchester County, N.S., over a fall from a historic lighthouse nearly six years ago.
The woman was visiting the lighthouse, which sits on the shores of the Minas Basin in Five Islands, when she fell down the inside ladder that led from the light platform to the second floor.
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Private Newburyport Harbor (MA) Lighthouse Dining Ranked Massachusetts’ Best Once-In-A-Lifetime Meal
If you only had one final opportunity to eat a meal in Massachusetts, where would it be? There is a right answer to this question, according to Eat This Not That.
Their Massachusetts pick is the Newburyport Rear Range Lighthouse, a lighthouse-turned-restaurant with space for only four diners.
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Annual Lighthouse 5K, Fun Run, Night Fest set for Feb. 18 in St. Augustine, FL
The 39th annual Lighthouse 5k Run/Walk & Fun Run and Night Fest on Feb. 18 will be presented by The Junior Service League of St. Augustine at 81 Lighthouse Ave. in St. Augustine.
The inaugural race in 1983 was originally titled the “Bud Light Twilight Lighthouse Run.” The Lighthouse 5K is a chipped race that serves as a qualifier for the famed Gate River Run.
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Keepers’ Klippings
In the 1800s, when the ocean was the highway, the Boothbay region’s four lighthouses (Burnt Island, Hendricks Head, Ram Island, and Cuckolds) served as signposts guiding vessels safely in and out of port. At a time when the nation’s economy revolved around maritime trade, sea captains, sailors, and fishermen depended upon lighthouses for safe homecoming and harborage. Today, these same lights are primarily viewed by visitors on tour boats, who can only imagine what life was like for the lighthouse keepers and their families as they pass the stations.
Ram Island, ME – Jeremy D’Entremont
As the “new-age” keeper of the Burnt Island Light, I spent 24 years as its steward, participating in its transformation from a set of abandoned buildings to a fully restored station in time for its bicentennial in 2021. While repurposing the historic site into an outstanding educational and recreational facility for the public’s enjoyment, I located 14 of its former lighthouse keepers and the families of others dating back to 1849. Also, as an active member of the lighthouse community, I had the opportunity to meet others who served in the region. Thus, first-hand interviews, logbook accounts, newspaper clippings, and my own experiences as a keeper will become the basis of the “Keepers’ Klippings” series.
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South African Lighthouses lose their shine thanks to relentless load-shedding
The “perfect storm” that led to South Africa’s damaging energy crisis is affecting some of the country’s lighthouses, which warn ship captains of danger along the coastline and serve as a navigational aid.
Lighthouses have experienced multiple outages due to extended and more frequent load-shedding, according to Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA).
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Two New Brunswick heritage sites in the running for $50K national prize
The Swallowtail lighthouse on Grand Manan and Stone Church in Saint John have made the top 10 list for the Next Great Save competition.
Organized by the National Trust of Canada, the winner will receive $50,000 to help refurbish or improve a noteworthy conservation project.
The winner will be selected through online voting.
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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
Thank you for sharing these beautiful lighthouses
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