Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse Trust to Hold Docent and Friend Reception May 31

The Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse Trust invites anyone interested to attend a docent and friends reception on Sunday May 31, 10 am to noon at the Portland Marine Society Room, Fort Road, South Portland, on the campus of SMCC.

Earle Shettleworth, Director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and Maine's State Historian, will present a slide lecture that will provide a broad overview of the lights and lighthouses of the Maine coastline. The Commission's color slides, by nationally recognized architectural photographer Richard Cheek, will include all of the Casco Bay lights and have never before been shown publicly.

Immediately following the reception at noon, there will be an opportunity for new and returning docents to discuss volunteer procedures and policies, as well as friends or any interested public to tour the Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse.
For more information, including directions and the 2009 summer open lighthouse schedule starting every Saturday June 20th, visit www.SpringPointLight.org or call 699-2933.

Spring Point Trust Reports 2008 Visitor Results

The number of people who toured the lighthouse:

• 1051  paid visitors;
•    191  free children;
•     17   free through corporate sponsorships;
•   598  via bus tours;
• 1857  Total Visitors.

The Friends of the Lighthouse hosted the first annual holiday lighting of the lighthouse in December.

Donations in 2008:

• $459  donations from openings;
• $10,400  donations for repairs;*
• $1250 donations from the Corporate Sponsorships, The Kennel Shop and Time Warner;
• $617  public donations ;
• $990  from Friends of the Lighthouse;
• $13716  total donations in 2008.

*(includes a $5000 grant from Saco and Biddeford Savings Institution and one anonymous $5000 donation)

Funds Still Needed For Critical Lighthouse Maintenance

While the US Coast Guard is still maintains the navigation portion of Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, the Trust is charged with the duty to "maintain the building consistent with the guidelines set by National Historic Preservation and to educate the public about maritime history through access to the lighthouse."

We, an all-volunteer group, are charged with keeping it open as often as possible for people to visit and with raising sufficient funds to preserve the structure. This will be our fourth year of opening every Saturday during the warm months. All revenue from our visitors is used to maintain the lighthouse. However some major repairs, needed to keep our lighthouse standing, require larger sums of money. We hope you will help!

So far, thanks to generous donations, we have raised money to begin the most urgent of the projects: repairing the lantern room windows and door to prevent leaks. Salt air and water are hard on our lighthouse, so we must repair and repaint the outside walls, as well as replace the bands that hold the protective plates on the caisson.

These projects are estimated to total at least $70,000. Every dollar you donate will go toward the maintenance of the lighthouse and the training of docents who lead the tours. To those who have donated before, we send grateful thanks and hope you will consider contributing again. Enjoy the benefit of visits to the best harbor view in Casco Bay as you help to preserve this beautiful and historic building.

$15 to $49 — 2 free tickets plus 10% discount on our merchandise
$50 to $99 - 3 free tickets plus 10% discount
$100 to $499 - 4 free tickets plus 10% discount
$500 and up - Private tour for 10 plus 10% discount.

Please make checks payable to Spring Point Ledge Light Trust.

The Spring Point Ledge Light Trust is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Spring Point Ledge Light Trust
PO Box 2311
South Portland, Maine 04116-2311

Pricing Set For Spring Point DVD

The Board of Trustees has set the pricing for the new Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse DVD Video Tour-Slideshow at $10.00. The DVD is currently being sold during open house events.

The DVD contains a 17-minute video tour of the lighthouse and a slideshow of current and archival photographs.

The DVD may be purchased by mail from the:

Spring Point Ledge Light Trust
PO Box 2311
South Portland, Maine 04116

Please include a check or money order for $10.00 plus $2.50 postage and handling.

Trust Reports Results of Open House Events

The Spring Point Ledge Light Board of Trustees has reported the results of the first five weekend Open House Events of 2008. As of July 5th, 365 people have toured the lighthouse generating proceeds from ticket sales and sales of tee shirts, hats, and other items of over $1500. These proceeds will go towards maintenance projects for Spring Point Ledge Light.

Open Houses are held every Saturday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Tickets are $5 each. For more information, visit the Events page at www.springpointlight.org.

Spring Point Video DVD Available This Week

The new Spring Point Video is available for the first time this week on DVD. Produced for the Spring Point Ledge Light Board of Trustees by Free Street Productions of Portland, the DVD contains a 16-minute movie discussing the lighthouse's history and giving viewers a tour of the lighthouse from top to bottom.

Pricing for the DVD will be set later this week. The DVD is expected to be available for sale during Open House events.

You can view an excerpt of the movie below.

More Lens Photos Received

Steve Gronow, of the Maritime Exchange Museum, owner of the original Fresnel lens from Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse has sent us a couple more photos of the lens on its display stand. See the article below for more information.