Seven Foot Knoll Shopping Bags

Lighthouse Digest subscribers Paula and Lauren Liebrecht gave us a shopping bag from Giant Food Stores in Maryland that feature that state’s Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse. Congratulations to Giant Food Stores for putting a lighthouse on their reusable grocery bags. We wonder how many other food stores across the country, if any, have put a lighthouse on reusable grocery bags.  

Changes at Monhegan

Last year, Edward L. Deci, who served for the past 36 years as the Director and President of Maine’s Monhegan Museum of Art and History, announced that he was retiring as Director, but will remain as President of the of the Board of Trustees. The museum’s Chief Curator, Jennifer Pye, and Robert Stahl, Associated Director and Director of the James Fitzgerald Legacy, will take over as co-Directors of the museum. The Museum owns the Monhegan Island Lighthouse.

Lake Ontario Central New York Lighthouse Challenge to be Held August 1-2

Oswego New York’s H. Lee White Maritime Museum and Oswego Expeditions are collaborating to offer the 6th annual Lake Ontario Central New York Lighthouse Challenge on Saturday and Sunday, August 1st and 2nd, 2020.

With the help of a luxury motor coach, the Challenge consists of visiting eight unique New York lighthouses within two days. The lighthouses are located along the southern end of Lake Ontario and follow along the Seaway Trail, a National Scenic Byway. The tour will be led by renowned pharologist, Ted Panayotoff. The official route runs east from Rock Island Light, then west to 30 Mile Point Light outside of Rochester, New York.

With your registration, the trip includes two days of travel, challenge materials for each site, local tourist information with special perks and discounts, and a final keepsake for your commitment to exploring America’s beacons of light and supporting the preservation of Lake Ontario Lighthouses. In addition to transportation, the full package also includes admission to all sites, lunch both days, boat tour fees to both the Rock Island Lighthouse in Clayton and the West Pierhead Lighthouse (pictured) in Oswego. Saturday evening refreshments will be provided at the Maritime Museum.

During the trip, door prizes will be awarded, attendees can participate in unique activities, and each person will receive an autographed “Lighthouses and Life Saving at Oswego” book.

Registration deadline is June 1, 2020 at $375 per person. Registration after June 2nd is $395 per person. The cut-off date is July 8th.

Contact the maritime museum at 315-342-0480 or visit www.hlwmm.org or through social media at facebook.com/hlwmm and facebook.com/oswegolh.

Saving Breaksea Light

Restoration started this past February at Australia’s 1894 Breaksea Lighthouse, which is about 7½ miles off the coast of Western Australia. The work is being done under the efforts of the Australia Maritime Safety Authority. The safest way to now access the island is by helicopter. The project is expected to take 21 weeks and rotating work crews will stay in the former keeper’s quarters while they perform their work on the island.

Point Sur Reopens

After being closed for 14 months, California’s Point Sur Lighthouse is again open for volunteer-led lengthy public tours. For more information, you can visit www.pointsur.com.

Family Fun Days at the Cape May Lighthouse

The 1859 Cape May Lighthouse, located in Cape May Point State Park, Lower Township, New Jersey, will become a beacon of fun every Wednesday this summer from July 1 to August 19. Every Wednesday there will be kid-friendly activities, performers, entertainment, and craft vendors at the base of the lighthouse from 9 am to 2 pm. Admission is free to activities on the grounds. The activities are presented by Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or you can visit www.capemaymac.org. (Photo by Karen Carlomano)

Name Change

Alaska’s Juneau Lighthouse Association is now the Five Finger Lighthouse Society. The group is now based in Petersburg, Alaska. The name change better reflects the group that owns the 1935 Five Finger Lighthouse.

Visits All Indian Lighthouses

News reports from India state that Hemachandra Rao, known as “The Lighthouse Man of India,” is perhaps the only person to date to have visited all the lighthouses of India. At the age of 76, after his wife died in 2015, he started on his three-year quest to visit all the lighthouses in India. In doing so, he put thousands of miles on his Ford Eco Sport. Now 81, he has turned his home into maritime heritage lighthouse museum and was honored with

a special citation from the Indian Department of Lighthouses.  

New Dungeness Leader Lost

We are saddened to report on the passing of Tom Sinton, President of the New Dungeness Light Station Association in Sequim, Washington.

Tom and his wife, Carol (married in 1972), retired to Port Angeles, Washington to build their home and enjoy the scenery and beauty of the Peninsula area.

In 2008, Tom joined the New Dungeness Light Station Association Board and later became the Chairman of the Maintenance and Renovation Committee. Tom was elected President of the Association in 2016. He especially enjoyed the experience, the people and the privilege of working at the Lighthouse and saving history for others to enjoy.

Our condolences go out to his wife Carol, his entire family, and many friends.

Crossed the Bar - Joseph P. Dudek

We are saddened to report on the passing on April 2, 2020 of Joseph P. Dudek, 86, who served as the president of New York’s Tibbetts Point Lighthouse Historical Society from 2001 to 2013.

The society’s visitors center is filled with gifts, artifacts, photos, historical records, references, audio and video equipment, and other valuables too numerous to mention, most of which Mr. Dudek had a hand in. Through his diligent research, a bronze plaque was placed at the historic site honoring the keepers who once served there.

Joe, as most people called him, was passionate about his love of Tibbetts Point Lighthouse. During his tenure as president, major progress was made on restoration and maintenance of the lighthouse and fog signal building. For many, if not most, Joe Dudek was, and will always remain, Mr. Tibbetts Point Lighthouse to those who understood and appreciated his efforts to restore a facility that was on the brink of ruins to what it is now.

Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends.

This story appeared in the May/Jun 2020 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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