A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I took a trip up to the Thumb region here in Michigan. One look at the outline of the state (see below) and you’ll see why it’s called the “thumb.” It’s a beautiful area and not as touristy as the west side of the state.
One of the things that we did while we were there was to visit the Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse. It’s located near Port Hope, which is just east of the tip of the thumb. The weather was beautiful the day we visited, and aside from some biting flies, I thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
The Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse Society (PaBLS), founded in 2002, maintains the grounds around the light station, the light station itself, and museum located inside. It’s a great museum, too. It had a lot more things than I anticipated.
So, where am I going with all this? Well, as it happens, National Lighthouse Day is August 7. The reason for this is that on August 7, 1789, Congress approved an Act for the establishment and support of lighthouse, beacons, buoys and public piers. In celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the signing of the Act and the commissioning of the first Federal lighthouse, Congress passed a resolution which designated August 7, 1989 as National Lighthouse Day.
In conjunction with National Lighthouse Day, the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (ARLHS) holds the National Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (NLLW). NLLW is this weekend, August 4 – 5, 2018. As the ARLHS website says, “This is a way to celebrate lighthouses, lightships and the commitment and service of those who tended America’s lights for generations.”
I had originally planned to operate from the Point Sturgeon Lighthouse with Thom, W8TAM. Unfortunately, those plans fell through. When that happened, I thought about going back up to Pointe Aux Barques, but wasn’t able to find a hotel for Saturday night. Plan C is to operate a little closer to home—the U.S. Lightship Huron with the Eastern Michigan Amateur Radio Club.
I also just joined the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to do so. Aside from a short stint in California, I’ve lived my entire life in Michigan, and Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state in the U.S. Membership is only $15/year.
Stay tuned for more lighthouse coverage from me here on KB6NU.Com in the future.
Pierre Jolin says
https://cnpota.ca/
2019
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