West Quoddy Head Light Keepers Association

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Fall / Winter 2005

Greetings to members and friends of the West Quoddy Head Light Keepers Association!

The Visitor Center closed on October 16th, 2005, with a heartfelt "THANK YOU", from the Officers of the Association, to the twenty-five volunteers who contributed 950 hours, to staff the Center seven hours a day, seven days a week, from opening day to closing.

Thanks also to the many individuals, families and business members, for their behind-the-scenes support.

Endless thanks go also, to the 18,640 visitors who signed in at the Center.

The new Easternmost Granite Marker

West Quoddy Head at Sunrise

This was a slight increase over last year and as before our visitors came from every State in the Union and nine Provinces of Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, as well as forty-one other far-away places: Africa, Panama, Australia, Puerto Rico, Austria, Russia, Argentina, Scotland, Bangledesh, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Bermuda, S. Africa, Brazil, S. Korea, Spain, Colombia, Taiwan, Costa Rica, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Venezuela, Denmark, Virgin Islands, El Salvador, Wales, Faulkland Islands, West Indies, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand.

The Visitor Center volunteers are proud to have hosted so many diverse people from around the globe.

Our Third Anniversary Celebration held on June 18th was well-attended and enjoyed by all. A full report is in our Summer ‘05 Newsletter, which can be accessed on our website. The Coast Guard was on hand to open the tower for just that day and to supervise those wishing to climb the 50 cast iron steps, and the short ladder through the bulkhead, to reach the lamp deck.

Another grand event was held on July 30th. This time for the dedication of the 3000 lbs. granite stone, marking the easternmost point of the continental U.S.A. We’ve noticed since that most visitors enjoy photographing family and friends beside the new marker. Photographs of the event and the program can be seen on this website. The program was followed by the interment of a time capsule which contains several historical documents and media relating to the town of Lubec and the lighthouse, as well as photographs of several Lubec students, ranging in age from 5 to 15, whose art work is exhibited in the art gallery of the visitor center. The children who attended the dedication were encouraged by Master of Ceremony, Ron Pesha, to return on July 30th, 2058, to unearth the time capsule at the celebration of the bicentenary of the present tower’s construction.

Throughout the rest of the season, each day found visitors satisfying their curiosity by browsing the Art Gallery, Displays and Exhibits, and by asking the volunteers countless questions about the history of the Lighthouse, and for information on Where to Stay, Where to Eat, What (else) to Do/See, and Where to Shop in Lubec, and the surrounding area.

Our website continues to be of real benefit to local business members, who have their listing on our website under one of those four categories mentioned above - Where to Stay etc. No doubt, this Spring will see WQHLKA volunteers targeting renewals of current business memberships, as well as seeking new business members in Lubec, and the surrounding communities. Level 2 and Level 3 business Members get not only instant on-line visibility, offering various options to website visitors when they are planning Where to Stay, Where to Eat, Where to Shop and What to Do/See in our area, but also a free listing on www.visitlubecmaine.com courtesy of anonymous friends of the Association.

Renewed and new memberships will support the ongoing operating costs for 2006. If you would like to find out more about becoming a member of WQHLKA go to the Memberships page on this website and read about the benefits you will receive.

Displaying works of art, placed on consignment in the Art Gallery this season by local artisans and school students, proved to be very successful. Many local artists and local school students delighted visitors with their skill and talent, to the extent that many pieces of art were purchased. Donations by the artists, realized by the Association through these sales - added to the sale of memberships, raffle tickets and visitor donations - contributed to the Center's 2005 operating costs.

The fund-raising raffles, drawn on closing day, were won by:
Lighthouse Rug - Leslie Garty of Auburn, Maine
Painting by Fred Hartman - Janet deKay of Pahrump, Nevada.

After the Center had closed we received, via our website, a poem written by Andy Harley, and published this year in his book: Till The Dreaming’s Done: “Poems Crafted For Thinking People”. The WQHLKA members voted unanimously to publish it here for all to enjoy. Thank you Andy!

I SAW THE LIGHT

Perched on the edge of a pine-studded bluff
On a chunk of sea-worn granite rock;
I make my way inside the candy-striped lighthouse,
To see what things look like from the top;

Feeling like an old light keeper,
Climbing-up the long spiral staircase;
I proceed towards the glass lantern room,
As a circular breeze brushes my face;

Its bull’s-eye lens and huge prisms are enchanting,
As I watch light rays refract all around.
You really cannot perceive its orchard of colors
While just glancing at it from the ground,

Sweeping the surging sea with her one big eye
She’s been a beacon for a slew of ships.
Helping a many mariners to make their way home
From some venturous ocean trips;

Once outside, and on the catwalk,
It’s hard not to get lost in the view.
With the broad sun dissolving into the horizon,
It makes a breathtaking golden hue.

Looking over the railing to down below,
I see frothy swirls from the pounding waves.
There’s just something about an age-old lighthouse,
And all the romance that it portrays.

Be well throughout the Fall and Winter months! We hope to see you at the Center again next year. Best wishes for the Holiday Season from all of us at the West Quoddy Head Light Keepers Association, Inc.

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