Hi Folks!

I hope you are able to escape to the beach during this incredible heat wave we are having!!  Whoosh....the temperature is the talk of the season!!

As we are half way through the summer, here is an update on the lighthouse restoration and the activities of the SPHLS in general.

Final Lighthouse Restoration

Following the dramatic raise and painting of the lighthouse last year, this year brings conclusion to a few smaller but exciting details.

a.  Decorative Wharf Siding

Doug Milligan and his crew have begun the decorative 'wharf' wall around the new crib at the bottom of the building.  If you have been out to the lighthouse lately, you may have noticed that the large timbers that were set aside for this work last year have been trimmed to size and stacked by the building.  They will be installed as vertical posts on the face of the crib in the manner of a wharf wall.
This attractive treatment is also a safety measure, preventing any critters or small fry from climbing through the crib under the building.  As the temperature in the dunes has been stifling, work has been suspended until the heat breaks.

b.  Founding Members Plaque

Over the winter we took delivery of the Founding Members Plaque, and we are so pleased with the product!!  Fabricated in a Maine workshop, the plaque is a beautiful piece of bronze worthy of its trusting membership!!  It will be secured to the wharf wall as part of the completion of that work.
Making the plaque involved a lot of time in design, as well as the gathering of name preferences and checking for accuracy.  Thanks to Mel Anderson, Ann Doyle and Katie Sheahan for a job well done.  As the years go by, we hope all Founding Members and their families enjoy finding their names on this fine piece of work.

c.  Beacon Illumination

You may remember that our illumination guru, Bill Morton, made a successful test of lighting the beacon late last summer.  LED strip lights powered by unobtrusive solar panels will be used to give the beacon the warm glow of a lantern.  Then in July, resourceful Bill scored 6 lithium batteries on Kijiji at a fraction of their cost.  These batteries will store lantern power for decades to come.
The system should be up and running in the next month.  What a pleasure it will be to walk the beach in the evenings with the friendly glow of the lighthouse.  Thanks, Bill!

Silver Shingles

Over the last couple of weeks we have enjoyed distributing the Silver Shingles to our lifetime members.  Prepared over several test editions since last summer, we are delighted by the reaction to these beauties!!
Congrats to our design and production team of Tim Phelan and Mel Anderson.

Annual Budget : 2018

Since our June meeting, the SPHLS Board has been reviewing our budget needs.  With the steady hand of Treasurer Don Roper, we have struck a budget for typical annual requirements.  Following the success of last year's Raffle, we are in very good shape fr the next couple of years.  More details to follow at our AGM later this month.

Membership Fees are Now Due

Now that our start-up expenses are over, we are pleased to announce that annual SPHLS dues will be reduced to $10 and $20 for our single and family memberships..  The silver shingle membership is retained at $500.  And, of course, additional donations are always welcome!!!
Membership fees are now payable for the 2018 season.  Payment can be made by cash or cheque payable to the St. Peters Harbour Lighthouse Society Inc.  Just pass payment on to one of the Board, or mail it to the SPHLS, c/o Ann Doyle at 4 Lakeview Ln., RR#2, Morell, C0A 1S0.  And stay tuned for a separate bulletin on new details for on-line payment direct to our account at the Morell Credit Union.

Coming Events

in 2018 your Board is wrapping up the restoration and getting its house in order for the future.   Next year we look forward to two new events currently in the planning stages.

The Lighthouse Climb will be a family event for members (free) and all of the community ($5 a climb / $10 for the family).  While a bit of a fundraiser, we think mostly a fun afternoon for all who will enjoy the thrill of seeing the view from the lighthouse for the first time.  For late July or early August 2019.

The Lighthouse Dinner will be a fun evening and fundraiser to be held in partnership with Quentin at the Holy Cow.  It will be a major fundraiser for the SPHLS, featuring silent and live auctions.  At $40/person, a bargain including cocktails with munchies, then wine with dinner.  For the middle of August - date and time TBA.

This year's AGM has been moved up one week to Thursday, August 23rd, so we hope all those who head off before the Labour Day Weekend will be able to join us. Once again at the Rossiter Center in Morell, from 6:30 until 8:00.  Doors open and close an hour earlier and later so we can socialize.  Chili and wine will follow the meeting.

That's all for now.  Look for further bulletins and see you at the AGM!!!

Cheers,
Tom

Thomas Moore
President
St. Peters Harbour Lighthouse Society

The SPHLS is pleased to help get the word out about this terrific summer festival that is taking place in just two weeks time - from July 18-22, 2018.  The complete schedule of events is included below!
The Organizing Committee is also looking to recruit volunteers to assist from 12-3 pm on Saturday, July 21st.  Help is needed to supervise the bouncy inflatable play areas and/or to help collect entry fees for the Hole-in-One Golf Challenge or Dunk Tank activities.
if you are interested, please contact Paula Sinnott at morellriverrunfestival@hotmail.com.

We are pleased to share news of two exciting programs that will begin in the coming days!

Nature Space Yoga introduces Summer 2018 Beach Yoga Classes beginning Sunday, July 15th.  10% of fees earned from these classes will be donated to the St. Peters Harbour Lighthouse Society.  Check out all the details at:

https://naturespaceyoga.wordpress.com/summer-beach-yoga/

The Morell Farmers Market returns to Leo Rossiter Park in Morell on Sunday, July 1st!  Both new and returning vendors will be there to ring in the summer season!

We'll look forward to seeing you there!

You may have noticed some changes to the site... we are preparing to enrich the resources online to include various historical artifacts, including local photos, written and oral histories, maps and other artifacts.

Please stay tuned over the coming months, and visit often to see what's new as we continue to add these resources online.  We appreciate your patience with this process.

Please take a moment to check out the new Morell & Area Development Corporation Facebook page!  The group now has a survey that will be mailed out on April 5th, 2018 and it also has an on-line version that can be found at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RQQ77G7
Be sure to enter your info for a chance to win one of three $100 gift cards to the Morell Consumers Coop!.

Greetings from the SPHLS!

We are proud to announce that our own St. Peters Harbour Lighthouse has recently been featured by TFO 24.7, a French television station located in Ontario,  Click below to watch the video.
                           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGj2QYpTIG8

Good news!  The minutes of the 2017 AGM are posted on our website.  We invite you to read them for the latest updates!

Just 10 days left before the St. Peters Lighthouse Society Annual General Meeting!

it has indeed been an exciting summer for the SPH Lighthouse Society!  The restoration work has transformed the lighthouse and just a few details remain to be completed.  We could not have achieved this success without the support of the community and we will share details of this work at the upcoming Annual General Meeting to be held on on Thursday, Aug. 31st at 7:00 p.m. at the Leo Rossiter Park Chalet in Morell.  Please join us!

We will also be drawing the winning tickets from our SPHLS Raffle effort so it promises to be an exciting event!  Raffle tickets can still be purchased by contacting Katie Sheahan at 902-961-8920 or by writing to katieosheahan@gmail.com.  We will also have a booth at the Morell Farmers Market on Sunday, Aug. 27th from 9 - 1.

Stay tuned in the days and weeks ahead for photos of the lighthouse that many have begun to share with us!  Here is a peek at just one that was spotted on display at the Panmure Island Lighthouse and that was taken in the early 70s!  Our thanks to Vera Teschow for sending this our way.

It is hard not to do a double take now that our lighthouse painting has been completed - the response has been overwhelmingly positive.  In particular - so many kudos for the colour of our trim red.  (For the curious, a Benjamin Moore brand named Safety Red, a factory tinted paint resistant to fade....an easy choice.)
Our painter, Billy Connolly, did a great job completing the work over ten days including the Canada Day Holiday.  (We think he took Sunday morning off for church.)  The project was essentially ready for full appreciation on July 14th, two and a half weeks ahead of schedule.  And, if you look carefully at the photo of Billy below, you may spot a tall ship just over his left shoulder!
So now we are onto final embellishments including a "wharf wall" trim over the crib, mounting of the Founding Members Plaque, and evening illumination of the beacon.  We hope to complete all work by the end of August.
Between now and then, our team of SPHLS volunteers are hard at work selling raffle tickets to raise funds that will allow us to preserve the lighthouse in 'as restored' condition.  Tickets will be on sale this weekend at the first event of the St. Peters Bay Blueberry Festival - the Community Yard Sale being held in the St. Peters Rink on Saturday, July 27th from 8:30 - 12:00 and also on Sunday, July 28th at the Morell Farmers Market from 9:00 - 1:00.  We hope to see you there!

Tom Moore
President