40 Mile Point Lighthouse hosts special Friday night event

by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor

There is one tradition that members of the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse Society hope doesn?t continue in 2007. Four of the last five years, ?Night at the Lighthouse,? the Society?s unique contribution to the Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival, has been greeted by foul weather. Last year was the worst. There was snow, slush, and gale force winds, which in t

urn kept people away and attendance totals on the low side. The only time the event has had good weather was five years ago for the first one. Society board member Barb Stone remembers the first event taking place under a ?beautiful harvest moon.? The good news is that this year?s weather is supposed to be much better. ?Night at the Lighthouse? features a jam session between 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., luminaries, as well as cider, coffee, and snacks. The jam session is open to any musician who likes to play an instrument and wants to tap his or her toe and just join in.

THE LIGHTHO– USE will be open for tours, plus there are

some new, old furnishings on display. Stone added that there is a special guest to visit in the privy, details of which were not made available so as to not spoil any surprises. Organizers are describing the Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival, into its 12th year, as the largest in the nation, extending from Rogers City to this year?s featured light, ?Saginaw Rear Range Light,? on the Saginaw River. The four-day event provides activities for young and old including lighthouse tours (aerial, boat or personal vehicle), entertainment, and vendors. The main site of activities is the Thunder Bay Recreation Center in Alpena.

The festival boasts more than 100 maritime-related vendors including lighthouse preservation groups, artists, and authors.