Avery Point Lighthouse Relighting Ceremony - Sunday, October 15, 2006

Relighting and Rededication Ceremony

The Avery Point Lighthouse Society (APLS) and the University of Connecticut (UCONN) are pleased to announce that a relighting and rededication ceremony for the historic Avery Point Lighthouse has been scheduled for Sunday, October 15, 2006 at the University’s Avery Point campus in Groton, CT.

The Avery Point Lighthouse Society, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, and the University of Connecticut have been working together for over six years to save, restore and relight this historic structure. The lighthouse is the last one built in Connecticut and reportedly was built as a memorial to all other lighthouses and light keepers, making it one of Connecticut’s most significant maritime landmarks.

Briefly, the relighting/rededication ceremony is scheduled to begin at approximately 3:00 P.M. at which time the lighthouse will be open to the public for limited access.

The speaking portion of the event will begin at approximately 5:30 P.M.

The following individuals are scheduled to be primary speakers at the event:

Fran Mainella, Director of the United States National Parks Service
Philip Austin, President of the University of Connecticut
Rob Simmons, US Congressman, Connecticut’s 2nd District

Other individuals who will be providing brief remarks will include:

Cathy Cook, State Senator
Andrea Stillman, State Senator
Lenny Winkler, State Representative
Joseph Comprone, Associate Vice Provost, UCONN Avery Point Campus
Jim Streeter, Co-chairman, Avery Point Lighthouse Society

Steve Jones, Professor, University of Connecticut

The Master of Ceremonies will be Tim Harrison, President of the American Lighthouse Foundation from Wells, Maine.

A twenty-one-piece Coast Guard Band will provide special music during the event. A United States Navy honor guard will present the colors at the beginning of the event.

The actual relighting of the lighthouse will take place at approximately 6:45 P.M.


Three individuals, representing the “Past, Present and Future”, will join together to relight the beacon.

1. Ken Black, a former member of the Coast Guard, stationed at Avery Point when it was the US Coast Guard Training Station, who is in his 80's, will represent the “Past”.

2. Fran Mainella, because of her position with the National Parks Service, will represent the “Present”.

3. Lexis Foster, the 12 year old granddaughter of APLS Co-Chairman Ron Foster, who is also a lighthouse enthusiast, will represent the “Future”.

Over 2,500 individuals have been invited to attend the relighting and relighting ceremony.

Not only will we be relighting the beacon as an official aid to navigation (permission was recently received from the Coast Guard to have the light relit and listed on official navigation charts as an active light), we will also be rededicating the lighthouse as a memorial to all other lighthouses and light keepers (past, present and future).

Special commemorative shirts and medals for the relighting will be available for purchase during the event. The [limited edition] Harbour Lights replica of the Avery Point Lighthouse will also be available for purchase.
Everyone attending the event will receive special gifts and a free soda and potato chips.

My best,
Paul Conlin
ALF Secretary

This sounds so terrific! I had made plans to be present for this wonderful event (and the NELL weekend outings and meeting) but just couldn't stay over that long after the Maine trip ends on Wednesday. Sounds like a beautiful program! My loss!

My loss too, Grace. I'll happily be there, but you will be missed, my friend.

Judy

Judy, I have a feeling we are going to have lots of chats that last late into the night - although they will have to be limited to Maine. You'll have to take lots of pictures to share with us!

I too can not stay the extra time to see Avery. I have to go back to work.

Sorry that I can't attend this event.

Judy, if you or any other wackos present have time to look for them, it would be nice to see photos of the bricks that we purchased in memory of our lost friend Oseabee. I can't remember just how they are worded, and recall being told that they may not be side by side. I may have this info here somewhere, if I can find it beforehand I'll post it. Thanks.

Send me any info you can find on the special bricks that will make them fairly easy to locate. That goes for anyone else on the board who would like a photo of a particular one.

There will be a computer program set up just for locating bricks.

You can post your info here or send to my email. I will do my best to get photos of all.

Judy

After some minor rooting through a couple places I found the certificates which show the inscriptions.

One brick should say:

IN MEMORY OF
BILL O'BRIEN
"OSEABEE"

The other brick should say:

OSEABEE'S HARBOUR
LIGHTS INTERNET
COLLECTOR FRIENDS

Thanks Sue. I've copied your info to take with me, and will defintely try to locate and photograph these two.

Judy