The Lantern Room

By now those of you who participated in the Martha’s Vineyard Tour in May have had a chance to dry out.  It was a most wonderful island tour and Spring Meeting that Arlene and Tom Pregman planned.  If you have not yet read the article about this trip, located on the NELL website, you should do so.  If you attended, or have read the article, you know that NELL member Tim Kurdt, son of Lisa & Augie Kurdt, was the winner of the Harbour Lights Limited Edition Gay Head, that was donated by Harbour Lights.  This was the first lighthouse in which Tim climbed all the way to the lantern room so winning the LE had much more meaning.

At the Spring Meeting several NELL members were recognized.  Brian Anderson (aka “Ice Bear”), NELL Fundraising Chairperson, was recognized for all of the work he puts into raising funds for NELL through opportunity drawings and Silent Auctions.  For this Brian received a cute Bear wrapped in raffle tickets, holding cash and sporting the NELL logo pin.  Odette and Bill Kent received a Certificate of Appreciation for planning the Fall Meeting in Framingham, MA and the trip to Boston Harbor Light on Sept. 9, 2001.  Doug Bingham (who was unable to attend) was recognized with a Certificate of Appreciation for his efforts with planning this past January’s “Lighthouses, Hot Chocolate & YOU 2002”.  A certificate of Merit was awarded Bob Taylor that read, “In Recognition of Outstanding Detective Work In Locating More Hippocampus brevirostris, “Seahorses”, Than Any Other Harbour Lights Lover. Your Dedication and Attention to Details Has Lessened the Burden for Others Who Take on This Challenge and All New England Lighthouse Lovers.”

 

As most of you know Harbour Lights puts a seahorse on each of the lighthouses that it produces.  The first person to find it, and report the exact location to Harbour Lights, has their name listed on the Harbour Lights website.  We are proud to have our fellow NELL member, Bob Taylor, listed more than any other HL Collector.  Nice going Bob!!

Our parent organization, American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF), held it’s annual fundraiser June 15th and 16th, 2002.  Special guest and featured speaker was Harbour Lights Chief Operating Officer Kim Andrews (Affectionately known as “Cousin” Kim to the family of Harbour Lights Collectors).  There was a large contingent of NELL members onboard for the cruise of the lighthouses on Narragansett Bay.  Those NELL folks onboard gathered for a photo with Kim, husband Blair and Tim Harrison (ALF President) on Saturday.

 


At the Saturday evening dinner, at White’s of Westport, Kim surprised Tim Harrison by presenting him with a check for $32,500 from Harbour Lights earmarked for preservation work at Rockland Breakwater lighthouse.  Harbour Lights donated $5 from the sale of each and every replica of Rockland Breakwater, edition size of 6500.  Thank you Harbour Lights for continuing with your support of lighthouse preservation efforts around the country and thanks to all of you Harbour Lights collectors who purchased HL248.

 


Thanks also to the folks who participated in the Martha’s Vineyard tour and NELL Spring Meeting in May for raising the $723 donation to the U.S.C.G. Lightship Sailors Association.  Brian Anderson, NELL Fundraising Chair, is shown here presenting the NELL check to Bill Collette, Treasurer of U.S.C.G.LSA. 
 


This money will be used to engrave the names, of those brave souls who gave their lives in service to our country aboard lightships, on the new U.S.C.G. Lightship Sailors Memorial in New Bedford.  The dedication ceremony for this memorial is scheduled for 8 AM on August 4th, 2002 in New Bedford, MA (the day following the NELL Family Picnic in NH).  In appreciation of the NELL donation Bill Collette presented NELL with a Certificate declaring New England Lighthouse Lovers as a Plank Owner of the (soon to be) Commissioned Lightship Sailors Memorial.  I am pleased that NELL was able to help preserve the history of the lightship sailors with this donation for the memorial.  Those folks who attend the NELL Fall Meeting in New Bedford, MA will get a first hand look at this memorial.

 

 

On June 22nd NELL set up at Taylor’d Touch in Marlborough, CT.  Owners Beverly & Mark Taylor were the perfect hosts and had canopies set up outside with various activities to include:
 ·        All of the goodies needed to make your own ice cream sundae
 ·        The NELL displays and items for sale
 ·        A secondary market dealer, Dan Bartoes, with some very nice retired Harbour Lights
  ·      And of course the horseshoe of tables where Bill signed Harbour Lights pieces.

NELL members set up tables recently at Bill Younger signings to promote the club and to recruit new members.
Many collectors brought pieces from their collections and/or purchased new Harbour Lights for Bill to sign.  It’s always fun to listen to Bill’s stories and to try and find out any secrets about what Harbour Lights is up to.  Unfortunately, Bill did not reveal anything we hadn’t already heard about (he must have received strict orders from Kim).

Mark and Beverly Taylor displayed a beautiful framed Thomas Kincaid print that is being raffled off with the proceeds earmarked for Avery Point Lighthouse in Groton, CT.  The Kincaid is entitled Victorian Light from Seaside Memories VII and tickets are $1.  The drawing is not until the beginning of August.  If you are interested in getting tickets for this opportunity drawing you may contact Taylor’d Touch by phone at 860-295-9377, via email mark47@simsbury.com  or mail to 344 North Main Street, Marlborough, CT 06447.  Mark and Beverly are to be applauded for their generous gift for lighthouse preservation.  I hope that all of you purchase at least one ticket (if not many) for a chance to win this wonderful work by “the painter of light”.

There were many prizes given out by Bill at Taylor’d Touch but the one which caused the most excitement was when he drew the name for the Gold-Plated Pewter Hannibal, MO (Mark Twain) Lighthouse.  I must say that I married the luckiest woman in the world.  If you have been to events where MJ buys a ticket you can bet she will take a prize home.  This day was no different and when Bill called MJ’s name for the gold I thought that I was dreaming.  Our granddaughter, Lexis Foster, was so excited and happy for her grandmother she ran up and gave MJ a big bear hug.  Needless to say this rare Harbour Lights has a special place in our curio.  Other NELL members who went home with prizes were Christine & Elizabeth Briggs, Tom & Arlene Pregman, Penny Patch-Bartnicki, Bob Taylor, and Jim & Irma Streeter.  It was a fun and memorable day, despite the heat and humidity.

The following day, June 23rd, NELL set up a table on Cape Cod inside of Collector’s World, where hosts Chris and Maria Alex greeted the many collectors who stopped in to buy Harbour Lights, chat with Bill and take a chance at winning the gold.  Bill was busy signing pieces and spinning tales of interest to lighthouse lovers, but again did not let the cat out of the bag about any future works in development at Harbour Lights.  I met some wonderful new lighthouse lovers and hope that they will soon join our ranks.

Also in attendance was NELL Member Lee Hall, who’s wife Judy was the winning bidder for the Steve Ervin painting of Fort Tompkins in the Spring (at the Harbour Lights Spring Regional event in NJ).  Lee brought the painting with him and has loaned it to NELL for possible reproduction (similar to what NELL did with Steve Ervin’s painting of Old Michigan City, also modeled after one of Harbour Lights special pieces).  Thank you, Lee & Judy, for allowing NELL this opportunity.
The photo on the right is the couple who won the Gold-plated Pewter Hannibal, MO (Mark Twin) Lighthouse.  Pictured with the couple is Bill Younger and Chris & Marie Alex

On June 24th NELL members Tom & Arlene Pregman and I headed for Bristol, ME in what was to be our clubs first “hands on” preservation work on a lighthouse.  Bristol is located about one hour above Portland on Maine’s rocky coastline (Near Damariscotta and New Harbor) and Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is located there.  The tower, built of rubblestone in 1857, was in need of a new coat of paint. The interior walls of the small brick entry way building also needed work as the old plaster and lath had been removed revealing old 2 X 4 studs.

The three of us met with Joe Lebherz, ALF Vice President, on Tuesday morning at the lighthouse and soon found ourselves painting the exterior of the tower using brushes and rollers on long-handled poles.  The uneven surface of the rubblestone tower presented some challenges for us but, to our surprise, we completed the painting in one day.

Many people visit this very popular lighthouse location, not only for the lighthouse and Fisherman’s Museum (located inside the keepers house) but also for the sheer beauty of the place where rocks, ocean waters and pines converge under beautiful skies.  It is a perfect location to work and meet many lighthouse lovers, many with cameras clicking away to capture a moment in time.  I hope that some of those we spoke with will visit the NELL website and fill out the application form (found in the brochures we had available) to become members.

On day two (Wednesday the 26th) Tom and I turned our attention to the carpentry work inside of the entryway while Arlene scouted out the local towns for restaurants and places to visit when our work was done.  The interior walls needed shimming and bracing with cross-studs in order to bring the vertical studs into alignment.  Once this was accomplished it was time to replace the interior walls with beaded pine boards, chair rail and plywood.  The carpentry work took two days to complete and by the time Thursday night rolled around we had accomplished what we had come to do.

Friday was a day of relaxation and enjoyment of what we had accomplished as well as time to visit some of the other scenic locations.  By the time Saturday morning came we had worked hard, eaten well (lobsters at Shaws in New Harbor twice) and refreshed our souls with the beauty of Pemaquid Point.  This time and place will always hold special meaning for us for many years to come.

If you plan to visit this area and to stay overnight I would strongly recommend the Hotel Pemaquid, where we stayed while working at the light station.  Skip and Cindy Atwood have caringly restored this hotel.  It is located just one block from the lighthouse and offers various accommodations to meet most everyone’s needs, from single rooms to the four-bedroom cottage to bungalows to the “Potting Shed” (a dollhouse of an apartment with it’s own kitchen and deck).  There is even a luxurious open apartment above the carriage shed.  They are open from mid-May through mid-October and you may contact them at 207.677.2312 and/or visit their website for more information and pictures of this wonderful and unique place, just click on the following link, http://www.hotelpemaquid.com/ .

Nancy Younger will be at two New England signings in the near future and NELL will be setting up recruitment tables at both; July 27th at Lighthouse Depot in Wells, ME and July 28th at Melissa’s Hallmark in Guilford, CT.  You may wish to attend one or both of these events to chat with Nancy, get your Harbour Lights signed and to take a chance at winning the gold (as in Harbour Lights Hannibal, MO Gold Lighthouse).  Remember, you must be present to win the gold.

Also, just around the corner is the NELL Family Picnic in Newcastle, NH.  The first picnic (held last year at the same place) was a real hit.  We hope to climb Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse again (as long as it is not closed by the U.S.C.G. due to national security reasons) and share some quality time together with our NELL families.  Bring the kids, grandparents, relatives and friends.  It is rumored that we could have a visit from a very special friend during the picnic.  I hope to see you all there.

Also, stay tuned for breaking news of NELL’s second chance with hands-on lighthouse preservation work.  It could be as early as the beginning of August and include an overnight stay inside the lighthouse.  I will keep you all informed as soon as I know more.

Lastly, I would like to say “Thank You” to all of you lighthouse lovers who take an active role in making New England Lighthouse Lovers the wonderful organization that it is.  Our Webkeeper, Penny Miller, as well as the entire membership would love to hear about your adventures getting to various lighthouses or to read about your other hobbies and things that you find interest in.  Please, take the time to share your experiences and pictures by sending them to Penny, care of this website.  Also, if you would like to become more involved with one or more of the committees that make up the club you just need to contact the Chairperson of that committee (listed on this website under Officers and Board of Directors).  We welcome all suggestions and help in making this organization the best of it’s kind.  Remember, we are a beacon of hope for our lighthouses and together we can make a difference and……..

 “Keep the Flame Alive”

Ron
 

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