Montauk Pioneer - November 21, 2008 - Lighthouse To Light Up

For the first time ever, the Montauk Lighthouse will be lit up for the Christmas holidays! Trucks started coming in this week to hang up about 3,000 white lights along the museum and the 110-foot tower.

"This is very exciting for us, and we can't wait to see what it looks like," said Tricia Wood, site manager of the Montauk Lighthouse. "This should draw people from all over to see this first-time event," she said.

The lights will officially be turned on starting November 29, over the big Thanksgiving Weekend, at a big party, which is free and open to the public. Besides refreshments and drinks, there will be entertainment provided by local singer Sarah Conway and her band, the Christmas Revelers.

Eleanor Ehrhardt, a member of the Lighthouse Committee of the Montauk Historical Society, which operates the lighthouse, said they had thought about lighting up this historic structure for some time.

"A few years ago, we got the idea to do something special here for the Town. Dick White, one of our members, said, "Why don't we just light this up," and we all agreed to try and get this done."

She said they contacted a big company called "Looks Great Services, Inc." of Huntington, which has a division called, "Christmas Decor." The crew came last Monday, and started going up to the tower in a cherry picker, which still wasn't high enough, so they hoisted the men up even higher, on ropes, to hang the lights.

"People are getting sentimental over seeing these lights go up," said Ehrhardt, a local artist who has drawn pictures of the Montauk Lighthouse on her posters. "This lighthouse means many things to different people."

To the local fishermen, it has often meant navigation tools and survival. To the local residents, it has been a source of pride as a special landmark. To tourists, it has been a great photo opportunity and a place to spend time learning about the long and fascinating history.

Ehrhardt said there's only one other lighthouse in the country that gets lit up for Christmas, and it is located in Maine. "It's a smaller lighthouse than ours, but this is not where we got the idea to do it," said Ehrhardt. "Our lighthouse committee has been working really hard to make this happen, and each member has really contributed a lot."

The lighthouse lighting ceremony will take place on November 29, and there will also be plenty of free parking for all.

It will be a special event for the whole family, and one that will make history, since it is the first time this lighthouse has ever been lit.

The Montauk Lighthouse was commissioned by President George Washington to be built in 1796, as an aid to navigation of the big ships, to prevent shipwrecks. It was authorized under the second Congress. Altogether, there are 137 steps up to the big light, which has gone through several transformations over the years, in size and shape.

The "Lighting of the Light" event will take place on Saturday, November 29, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and all are invited to attend this special historic occasion.