July 2012 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 9. Waterfront News Lighthouse News
case. New subscribers often say, “I wish I had known about Lighthouse Digest years ago.”
Lighthouse Digest also maintains a website with information on over 3,500 lighthouses around the world. Finnegan said it has taken years to build the website and it requires constant maintenance as new information is added and updated on a regular basis.
“Our annual lighthouse photo contest creates the largest volume of mail,” said Finnegan. “We literally get several thousand photos submitted to us each year and the photo contest seems to get harder and harder to judge each year.” “Every so often we break a big news story that creates national media attention,” said Harrison. “One such story that comes to mind was in 2008 when we reported about a lighthouse in Massachusetts that everyone thought had been demolished. However, the lighthouse had actually been moved by the U.S. Bureau of Lighthouses in 1928 to California and is still standing today. The phone rang off the hook as the national news networks called for more information.” “We are not afraid of controversy,” said Finnegan. “We fought along side of lighthouse preservationists to keep a county government from circumventing the law by trying to take a lighthouse away from a legitimate nonprofit; campaigned hard in the battle to move America’s tallest lighthouse; and we’ve helped raise funds for many lighthouse causes across the nation.” As well as stories about actual lighthouse history, Lighthouse Digest covers a wide variety of other lighthouse topics, including book reviews and occasionally showcasing lighthouse themed products. Other lighthouse related stories are also found in each issue of the magazine, such as a recent story, Curb Side Beacons, about the large number of gas stations around the nation that had a lighthouse facsimile tower. “The search for the old photos took us months,” said Finnegan, “But it was worth it – the story generated a large volume of mail.” Other than publishing a selection of images that appeared on the magazine’s covers over the past twenty years, Lighthouse Digest is not planning any big twenty-year celebration. “It’s business as usual as we report on current lighthouse
news events and providing historical stories that can not be found anywhere else,” said Harrison.
Lighthouse Digest recently published, what they believe, were the top twenty most historically important lighthouse stories of the past twenty years. Topping that list was the creation and successful conclusion of the Maine Lights Program that transferred a large number of Maine’s lighthouses to nonprofits and government entities which led the way to Congress enacting the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.
Among the top twenty stories, as listed by Lighthouse Digest, were the opening of the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland, the saving of the first order Fresnel lens at Maine’s Seguin Island Lighthouse, the moving of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina (which is America’s tallest lighthouse), the launching of the annual Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival in Michigan, the release of the PBS-TV mini- series Legendary Lighthouses, the founding of the American Lighthouse Foundation, the relighting of Maine’s Little River Lighthouse as a Beacon of Freedom to the World, and when Maine’s Pemaquid Point Lighthouse became the first lighthouse to ever appear on American money.
Harrison says that much of our nation’s lighthouse history has been lost, misplaced, or forgotten about, especially the photographs and memories of many of the lighthouse keepers who once lived at the lighthouses. “Often times we spend years researching some of our historical stories before they are actually published. However, every so often stories fall into our lap, especially when we receive old photos and memories that are submitted to us by people who have discovered something in their attic or who have just discovered Lighthouse Digest and have something to share.”
Lighthouse Digest has also branched out and created FogHorn Publishing Co., which has produced a number of books such as: Lighthouses of the Sunrise County; Ghost Lights of Michigan; Portland Head Light, A Pictorial Journey Through Time; Dory of the Lighthouses; and Ghost Lights of Lake Erie.
Harrison says, “A person can learn more about early American history by studying lighthouses than from any other single source, something that is emphasized in every issue of Lighthouse Digest.” However, Lighthouse Digest offers so much more, the magazine could easily fit in the category of a travel publication, as well as a maritime news or preservation magazine. To learn more about Lighthouse Digest or to subscribe to the magazine you can go to
www.LighthouseDigest.com. Their mailing address is Lighthouse Digest, P.O. Box 250, East Machias, Maine 04630 or you can call them at 207-259-2121.
Summer Classes
24-27 July MARINE TRANSMISSIONS – 4 DAYS
Students will get an overview of proper service and basic maintenance of marine gears. Labs will concentrate on trouble shooting and field repairs of the components involved in marine drive trains with a special emphasis on marine transmissions. Preventative maintenance, system diagnosis and failure analysis, and proper service procedures are covered. Instructor - Victor Voisine COST $500
25-27 July CCT (Certified Composite Technician) – 3 DAYS
This 3 day intensive review will lead to the certification exam on the last day. This course is intended for people already familiar with composites and has had practical industry experience. This certification is awarded by the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and is nationally recognized. Instructor – Brian Moore
COST $750 REGISTRATION MUST BE IN BY JULY 11 27 July MMTA STRADDLE LIFT OPERATION – ONE DAY
Attend for one day and become certified in straddle lift operation. Thisintroductory course covers best practices for haul & launch preparations, lift operational safety, sling placement, basic equipment maintenance including slings & cables, as well as blocking and boat stand
usage.This course includes the operation of a 60 ton Travelift. Lunch is provided. Class size is limited. Instructor – Dean Pike
$175 MMTA members/$225 non-members
Commercial & Recreational Marine Suppliers
USCG Safety Inspection Station Mooring Supplies
Polyform US Fenders & Floats Areas Largest Rope Supplier Revere Liferafts Trawl Netting
Sports Netting for Golf/Baseball 1-3 August
MARINE TRANSMISSION TROUBLE SHOOTING – 2 EVENINGS 5-8 P.M. This is a practical course for fishermen and those interested. No previous experience is necessary. Learn how to field test/diagnose transmission problems. Discover ways to limp home when the worst happens. Instructor - Victor Voisine COST $100
1-3 August FIBERGLASS REPAIR – 3 EVENINGS 5-9 P.M.
This course will cover the safe use and application of fabrics and resins. Topics introduced will include fabric types and their use; polyester, vinylester, and epoxy resins; secondary bonding; hand lamination; vacuum bagging; and repair techniques. Instructor – Brian Moore COST $150
27-31 August BOAT SHOP SAFETY & TOOL USE - 5 DAYS 1-800-IMP-8865
44 SOUTH STREET NEW BEDFORD, MA 02740
This introductory course will cover safe use of stationary and portable power tools, woodworking hand tool skills and sharpening. Chemical safety, MSDS shop procedures, HAZMAT disposal and identification of HAZMATS will be explained fully. Fire fighting procedures will be explained. Personal safety will be presented discussing issues related to protective clothing, eye, hearing and respiratory protection. THIS IS A REQUIRED COURSE FOR MANY OF OUR DAY or CREDIT COURSES. Brian Duffy
COST $750 2 CREDITS Call 207-853-2518 or Email
fobs@myfairpoint.net for more information
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