Last winter was kinda crazy in the Northeast and so was the summer. June and July had their share of rain. In fact July set a record for rainfall for the State of Maine and Knox County (Rockland) had an inch more than the rest of the State. The hurricanes did not bother Maine very much. The Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting a cold winter for Maine so we will see what really happens.
CONTROVERSY ON VALUE OF ARTIFACTS ON LOAN FROM THE COAST GUARD - Complaints concerning the extremely high values placed by the Coast Guard on their artifacts loaned to private interests are being received by the Museum. This is particularly true of value of lighthouse lenses requiring huge insurance premiums which present grave financial problems to those holders who are struggling to keep the items on display to the public. It appears that the Lighthouse community has to band together to seek relief from the financial problems created by the recently increased values assigned. Please send copies of any information available on this subject to the Shore Village Museum.
USE OF CREDIT CARDS FOR THE MUSEUM SHOP: Sorry but we do not accept credit cards for purchases from the Museum shop. It just presents too may problems for our small operation. Personal checks are no problem.
VIDEOTAPES OF SHORE VILLAGE MUSEUM ARTIFACTS There are now five sets of the video tapes being circulated. Reports from those that have seen the tapes are all positive and the information in them has been helpful with information not available elsewhere. Let me know if anyone wants to be added to the waiting list for these tapes.
TELEVISION WITH BUILT-IN VCR - CHRISTMAS WISH: The Bass Shoe Company recently opened new stores in Paramus, NJ, and Skokie, IL. The theme of their promotion was The Spirit of Maine. As part of that they produced an outstanding silent video of the beautiful coast of Maine. Of course, lighthouses were the main part of the video. Bass kindly gave me a copy and it would be perfect to play in the Shore Village Museum. We need a small size TV with built-in VCR and have this on our list of things from Santa. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately copies of the tape cannot be made.
LIGHTHOUSE POST CARDS: Our Museum shop has all kinds of lighthouse post cards for sale. We have made them up in sets of different types and different areas. We also have a listing of all the cards we stock available on request. Sets are: 20 different 5 X 7" of Maine and Mass, $10.95 PP, 40 Different Great Lakes of Continental size $11.95 PP, 9 different Silverman Cards, Pen & Ink, now out of print, Mass & Rhode Island $5.50 PP, 48 different Maine cards, Cont. size S14.00 PP. 6 old Time New England Cards, reproductions in color, $2.00 PP. Timepiece Collector's Cards, Maine Series Turn-of-the-Century reproductions, #1 and #2, each with 9 different Maine L/H's $3.50 per set PP Series 3 through 8 will follow later (Do NOT order sets 3 through 8 at this time).
IMPROVEMENTS OF ARTIFACTS AT SHORE VILLAGE MUSEUM: There have been a number of improvements at the Shore Village Museum this summer. Volunteers Frank "Buddy" Pollack, Gordon Ross and Captain John Flint have been policing the area, painted all the exterior items, most of which now look brand new. Buddy has restored the third order lens from Matinicus Rock Light and the Incandescent Vapor Assembly from Boston Light. Both are really beautifully displayed. Gordon has been our "electric" man and has restored all sorts of things to working order. Captain John Flint has been over-seeing the operations and vast improvements are very obvious. Repairing some of the artifacts that do not have any spare parts or instruction books is difficult at best but the "Team" gets things working again.
LIGHTHOUSE TIES BY BARNARD OF CASTINE, MAINE: Poly silk lighthouse ties in two colors. The navy tie has miniature towers of Machias Seal ls., Montauk Point, West Quoddy Head and Nauset Beach Light. The Maroon tie shows Boston, Portland Head, Brant Point, and Spring Point. A great Christmas Gift! Cost $20.00 plus $1.50 p & h.
SHORE VILLAGE PERSONALIZED SWEAT-SHIRT: This is a new item and is simply a sweat shirt version of our personalized tee shirt. The entire coast of Maine is shown on the back with all of the coastal lights including Whitlocks Mill up the St. Croix and East Quoddy Head on Campobello. The color is Navy with light horizontal pin stripes. It also is truly a quality item. Sizes Large, Extra Large and Extra Extra Large. Another qreat Christmas gift. Cost $28.00 plus S1.50 p & h.
MAINE LIGHTS PROGRAM ENACTED INTO LAW: The Maine Lights Program authorizes the Coast Guard to transfer ownership of 36 Maine lighthouses to other government entities or non-profit private organizations that can prove they'll be able owners. The Island Institute of Rockland, Maine, initiated the proposal and will facilitate any of the transfers for the next two years. Deciding which organizations will become owners of the lighthouses will fall to a five-member Lighthouse Selection Committee. Full details on implementation are now in the planning stages.
LIGHTHOUSE PROPERTIES BEING CONSIDERED FOR SALE: According to a release in the July/August issue of the National Maritime Historical Society, as the Coast Guard continues to downgrade its operations, several historic properties are being declared non-essentiaL. Federal officials are now trying to draft policies regarding future use of these properties and some lighthouses may be eligible for transfer to state or local control through public/private partnerships. To this effect, the National Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has issued a draft of the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement for Outgranting of Historic Lighthouses. Public comment is being requested on the draft. For more information, contact Druscilla Null, The Old Post Office Bldg, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW #809. Washington, DC 20001: 202-606-8532. Ten Michigan Lights are among those properties to be relinquished, the Coast Guard announced recently. They are Big Sable Point; Eagle Harbor; Grand Traverse; Manitou Island; Passage Island; Presque Isle; Point Betsie; Poverty Island; Thunder Bay; and White Fish Point.