During the hustle and bustle of the Baltimore Reunion, someone asked me if I was going to attend the New England Regional later this month in Connecticut. Could someone tell me when and where this event is going to be held?

Thanks...

Bob

Sure Bob! To quote our friend, Ron Foster,

"Plans are in the works for the New England Regional Event at the Branford Elks Club, on
Montowese Street in Branford, CT. It will be on Saturday Oct. 27th. Details will be forthcoming."
Ron
(CT Keeper)

Also, http://www.HarbourLights.com/events/2001/NE_Regional.htm
See you there.
Jim
Johnson

[This message has been edited by JimJohnson (edited 10-08-2001).]

If all goes well I hope to attend and as a special treat allow I.O. to accompany me, lol!

Without going through a whole lot of gyrations can anyone give me the scoop on which lighthouses can be visited/viewed that are close to the location of the event? I.O.'s daughter lives near Hartford so we will probably stop overnight with her Friday and head down to the coast Sat. am and maybe stay somewhere else Sat. pm and be able to see a few more Sunday before heading for home. As Conn. to NY is one of those "can't get there from here" routes we will probably have to do a little backtracking so would probably only have time for a few lights. Thanks in advance.

Depending on what you consider close, there are several lights both North and South of Branford.

Heading about an hour north are the Stonington, Mystic and Avery Point lights. The Stonington Light has a great museum filled with local history. For the Mystic light you could visit the seaport the light is located in which is almost a daytrip in itself or, if you just want to photograph the light head across the river which gives you a nice view of the light and the seaport.

Roughly half an hour south you can find lights at Stratford Point and views of two lights from the Bridgeport Seaside Park. Both the Tounge Point Light and the Black Roack Harbor light can be seen. If you are adventurous enough you can walk the entire length of the breakwater to get all the way out to the Black Rock Light.

And the closest of them all would be the New Haven Harbor Lighthouse or Five Mile Point located in Lighthouse Park. From the park you can get a distant view of the Southwest Ledge Light as well.

So, you have many choices to look into. Let me know if you need any more help. See you at the event.


shirin

Hey Ron, ...Don't forget to post the info on the NE Regional soon enough so we can plan accordingly. You may be finding a new member of the club attending.

Bob

Thanks for the prompt response Shirin! We'll probably head Southeast out of Hartford to the coast, work our way back west to the regional, then continue west a bit before heading back north and west for home. Am sure we'll be able to find a few lights from the list you gave me. Have already been reading up on some of them!

Enjoy the lights. I did most of the land based CT lights last fall. I felt the need to drive all over the place so off I went. I started with Stonington and worked my way South towards home. Most were not to hard to find which made for a fun day. If you need any help please let me know. I can dig up last years lighthouse trip journal.

shirin

I used to live in Branford not too far from the Elks club, so I thought I would chime in as well. I live in NC now, so unfortunately I won't be able to attend.
One that was not mentioned in the other posts was Faulkner's Island (best pronounced with a NY accent) in Guilford, which is the next town north of Branford on I-95.
You can only see it from the harbour, but Guilford is a very quaint New England town. To get there you just drive to the town square and head to the marina area. There is a town parking lot that I think is actually considered a small park.

As for Stonington, I think that is the best of the lot in the State. New London and New London ledge are on the way to Mystic and you cannot get too close to New London as the owner has posted a sign that trys to prohibit you from even taking pictures. You can also see New London ledge from that spot as well.

As for Bridgeport, well....
I went to the University of Bridgeport years ago and Seaside Park was nice during P.T. Barnum's heyday, but it is not a good part of town to send anyone. At times, the crime in Bridgeport is worse than crime in NYC. That part of town is dirty, grimy, full of crime and that part of Long Island Sound smells. I would suggest skipping it unless you did not have a problem getting lost on the wrong side of the tracks. From what I understand the campus has also gone downhill too. If I had to chose between seeing lighthouses in New Haven and Bridgeport, I would prefer New Haven.

Other than that, have a lovely time.
If you are hunting for pieces, one of the dealers is Hilltop Orchards in Branford (though technically I think they are in North Branford). They also sell pumpkins, apples and wonderful cider. They should be within 15 minutes of the event.

Has the official announcement been made for the New England Regional yet? The date is fast approaching.

Bob

OK, who's going besides Bob and I?

Sign in please.

Don't forget, to be eligible for the Gold Cape St. George drawing you must bring a voucher to this event. See the list of participating dealers here:
http://www.harbourlights.com/events/2001/NE_Regional.htm

You should get one voucher for purchasing the Cape St. George Event Piece from one of these dealers. If you are planning to attend the regional and haven't done this yet, you should not wait!



[This message has been edited by mombo (edited 10-15-2001).]

I'll be there on behalf of the Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society. This will be my first Harbour Lights event.

See you there,

shirin

Here's more on Brandford:
http://www.branfordct.com/default3.html

[This message has been edited by mombo (edited 10-15-2001).]

Rachele and I plan on attending. We've also invited a new collector from the area to come along and plan to contact one of the Reunion attendees that does not have a computer yet (gasp!) to bring him up to date on the event.

We look forward to seeing you and Bob among others there.

Bruce

One more thing. Informal lunch (sandwiches) will be served. HL asks that you call them to let them know you will attend so they can provide for us.

You should be receiving an email about this in the next couple of days from HL.

In the meantime:

www.harbourlights.com/mailinglist/NE_Regional/

Why is this page's margins so wide?

Because of the size of the post card at the bottom of the page.

Thanks for the info!

Bob

The big question - is Sean going? He may well be the only person other than Bill who has been to the first 3 regional events this year. Will it be 4?

Dave

I was planning on attending the NE Regional which would be my first regional. I'm confused however, about whether I could or should go. I already purchased my Event piece earlier this year from a west coast HL dealer along with Yerba Buena.

Since I wouldn't be buying another I wouldn't have the voucher necessary to attend & be eligble for the drawings??

Since Branford is about a 3 hour drive, I'd like to know if I'd have a chance to win any of the HLs or whether I just have to be an observer not a participant.

Donna

I am planning on attending too. I couldn't pass up the chance of attending a regional event in my "backyard" (well...it's close enough).

Donna, if you buy any full size HL from a dealer on the regional list, you will get a chance to win the golden prize!
Jim
Johnson

Jim,
Is this true? Any full size HL? Does it have to be within a certain period, say October 1 to 30th?
I will be attending the regional in CT. Looking forward to seeing many of my NELL friends again!

Sean, it was that crazy link to a map of Branford that I posted that made this page so wide. As it didn't work anywho I removed it.

Will you be going for the Grand Slam of regionals?

Hi Sue, no time, no grand slam, no Gold St. George.

I'm sorry that I haven't visited this forum recently to add information about the Regional. Here are the directions:
a.) Take Exit 54 (Cedar St.) off of I-95, towards Branford
b.) Turn Left onto Cedar St./CT-740
c.) Aproximately 1/2 mile Turn Left onto Laurel St.
d.) Turn Left onto Main St.
e.) Turn Right onto Eades St.
f.) Turn Left onto South Main St./CT-146
g.) Turn Right onto CT-146/Montowese St.

The total mileage from I-95 is approximately 2 miles.

I hope that this helps and that we see you all there.

"Keeping The Flame Alive in New England"
Ron & MJ

Thanks for the directions, Ron. I assume you can exit there from both the north and south bound sides of rte 95.

Anything you can share with us about the program for the afternoon?

Bob

The Scroopes' will be there Kristin and her Dad.

Weather reports here from Thursday-Saturday are calling for snow showers! This is not atypical for late October. I.O. and I are getting the sled dogs ready just in case. We plan to leave here Friday spending Friday night near Hartford, travel south to the coast on Saturday morning. After the regional we will head further east hopefully catching Stonington on Sunday morning. We will then turn back west catching what other lights we can before returning home that evening.

Thanks to those who have given lighthousing advice. Looks like a pretty fair group of Wackos will be present at the Elks Club!

There will be several organizations representing various lighthouses to include:

NELL, a Chapter of American Lighthouse Foundation (Co-Hosts)
APLS, a Chapter of American Lighthouse Foundation (Avery Point Lighthouse, CT)
Faulkners Light Brigade (Faulkner Island Lighthouse, CT)
Dutch Island Lighthouse Society, a Chapter of American Lighthouse Foundation (Dutch Island Lighthouse, RI)
USLHS Long Island Chapter (Plum Island Lighthouse, NY)
Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Light, a Chapter of American Lighthouse Foundation (Portsmouth Harbor, NH)
Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouse Society
Elinor DeWire, Educator & Noted Author of Lighthouse Books & Articles (who was a speaker at this years HL Reunion in Baltimore & will have books for sale & signing).

There will also be refreshments. Be sure to call us 800-365-1219 to let HL know if you'll be attending! Also visit the HL site through the following link for additional information.
http://www.harbourlights.com/events/2001/NE_Regional.htm

We hope to see you all there.

"Keeping The Flame Alive in New England"
Ron & MJ

I'm planning on driving up on Saturday to join the 'Wackos'. My question this time, not ever having attended a Regional is, do you or should you be there the entire time? Wondered if you arrived at say 1:30 are you missing something? Or is it just a big get-together with no formal program?

Thanks for the directions Ron, see you Saturday,

Donna

Donna,

There never seems to be enough time when you are with your HL family. Then add in the various groups that will be there with information and any activities HL may have planned. I would say what you would miss most by not being there the entire time would be quality time with a great group of people.

Dave

You don't want to miss lunch either! Or the drawing(s)?

Sharon and I hope to be there. This will be our first regional. Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Bert

Sorry that I won't be there. But plan on being there from before until after the scheduled time.

And you must be PRESENT to win an item in the drawing.

I will be attending. I am leaving Friday to do some lighthousing on the way in CT. See everyone there!

Any chance that we'll find out what's being offered for the drawings? I don't want to sound greedy (especially since I won't win ANYTHING ) but I was just curious... And, don't get me wrong, I'm going to be there either way .

Well the day is here! Lorna and I will be leaving home in about three hours to head to Branford. We're looking forward to meeting everyone there.

Bob

I'm heading north in about three hours, unfortunately alone. Our son has a play-off varsity soccer game for the high school at 11AM. Wayne will provide the parental support & cheering. I'll hook up with some fellow Wackos!

Donna

Leaving for Branford in about 30 minutes. Looking forward to it. My first. Bob, maybe we'll see you and Lorna on the road, but if not we'll definitely see you there.

Bert & Sharon

Who is in charge of taking photos of the event? Surely that assignment has been given out already.

Ya'll have a great time and remember all of us who can't be in attendance. Hopefully, we can all get together for Rosemont 2002.

Derith

We just got home from the New England Regional Event,It was very very nice,was good you see Bill and Nancy again,good food,and good people to be with,it was a fun day.And NELL did a great job helping out.This was our first Regional Event -----But it will not be are last.
Brian & Cyndee

I heard it on the grapevine that the lovely wife of one of our Cruise Directors won a GOLD CAPE ST. GEORGE today in Connecticut.

Congrats Lorna -- Now you make sure that Bob treats you REAL nice - ALL the time.


[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 10-27-2001).]

(to the Tune of Lovely Rita)

"Lovely Lorna
Won the Gold
Who'd a ever thought it would happen
Surely not the cruise director named Bob"


But it is true and I was present and saw it happen.

As Bill dipped into the box to get the first entry he stated that anyone who bent or folded their entry, in order to make it stand out from the rest, would automatically be disqualified.

He said this in jest, but as he pulled out the first (Lorna's) entry he noticed that it was bent and made the statement that it would have to be disqualified. I thought for a minute that we would be eulogizing one of our cruise directors, who thought he recognized the entry from the way it looked as Bill pulled it out of the box.

Lorna Congratulations!!!!!

Now each of you have your own Harbour Lights Collection (right Bob??)

Ron
(CT Keeper)

Thank you NELL and all who made our first regional event a wonderful experience. It was nice to see old friends, meet new ones and be part of a great group known, as the HARBOUR LIGHTS FAMILY. A special thanks to Nancy and Bill, whom we met for the first time, for all they do for us the collectors. The Northeast Regional was our first but definitely not our last. It felt great coming out of the closet so to speak! Thanks for making it special.

Bert & Sharon

(Reader's Digest version): 120 miles to Branford Elks; feeling lucky; spoke with many great friends and made several more; handed tickets (last 3 numbers) 521 & 522 when entering; 521 & 522 match our reunion pieces; 521 is Lorna's license plate; really feeling lucky; first drawing for Pemaquid Point LE...winner #522; feeling more than lucky now..felt honored to win; super refreshments, joined NELL, was exceptionally great to see Ron & MJ Foster arrive especially since we didn't think Ron would make it (to the regional, not the over thing); bought raffle tickets for Diggers "pen & ink" of Fort Niagra; ordered Nancy Button; posed for several pictures with the "Connected Collectors"; Bought Dutch Harbor Light coffee mug; rubbed Ken "Lucky" Reese's arm for good luck; enjoyed the "Mr. Bill Show" with Nancy filling in for Kim as the straight person; watched Bill shake up the box of tickets for several minutes; still feeling lucky; saw Bill reach deep and pull out a bent ticket; told Lorna (love of my life) I recognized that "bend" as her ticket that bent that way from being in my pocket on the 120 mile trip; Bill states, "Bent and folded tickets would be disqualified."; I quickly picked up my heart and chin (one of several) off the floor; Bill states, "Only kidding"; returned heart to chest, chins remained in place; Bill turned ticket over and read first name of "Lorna" followed by a pause then McKeon of Attleboro, Massachusetts (actually it's North Attleboro but that was close enough; Lorna steps forward to receive her treasured Gold Cape St. George; Jim Johnson pulls Bob M off the ceiling where I ended up after seeing Lorna accept her prize; I had considered doing 3 back flips and one cartwheel but manuever would have been dangerous in this large crowd; couldn't stop smiling until I finally fell asleep around 2230 hours; Woke up at 0400 hours; Put Gold Cape St. George front-row center, top shelf, main curio; Asked Lorna how she felt; Lorna states, "I wish Fred could have been there to share the moment with us."

Thank you Bill & Nancy! Thank you Harbour Lights! Thank you NELL and other sponsors of this regional event! Thank you to our friends, old and new, who helped to make this event one we will never forget!

Great friends, great food, great fun! Need I say more?

Harbour Lights and its family of fine collectors are the BPOE! (Note: not the Elks Slogan...my BPOE is "Best People On Earth"! God bless all of you!!!

(Two very elated members of the HL Family)
Lorna & Bob McKeon

Congratulations Lorna and Bob!!

I have the one you are missing! Wanna trade??!!

Congratulations Lorna. Is Massachusetts a 'community property' state?

Just kidding. Couldn't have happened to a nicer couple.

Congratulations Lorna and Bob!!


SaintWackoPaul '
Keep the Flame

[This message has been edited by engbrady (edited 10-28-2001).]

Any word on who won the other four?

Forum regulars?

Where are the pictures?

Bob was really quite more excited than you can tell from his post! lol
Lorna let me hold the "golden child". Heavy Yes, it was still in her possesion! LOL

I had a great time at the NE Regional. It was great meeting up with those Wackos I had met before as well as meeting others for the first time.

Sorry. Didn't take any pictures. Bob and Lorna were the only forum regulars to win. But, one couple did walk away with TWO...

[This message has been edited by Chesapeake Bryan (edited 10-28-2001).]

Good for you, Bob and Lorna - enjoy them!

Barb

Closing this thread and it will be continued on JJ's new thread...

New England Regional Reports

[This message has been edited by engbrady (edited 10-28-2001).]