'A Light in the Harbor'
SANDUSKY -- The lighthouses of America's great coasts -- each unique in shape and distinctive decoration -- have become an icon of popular art. They evoke an era when the waterways represented adventure as well as commerce, tinged with the danger of hidden shoals and sudden storms. Lighthouses were -- and are -- welcomed as navigational landmarks, symbols of safety and of community spirit.
Lighthouses also provide the focus of a public outdoor art exhibit lighting up historic downtown Sandusky throughout the summer of 2008. "A Light in the Harbor" features 28 lighthouse replicas, each decorated by a local artist. The variety of themes and choices of decorative styles and materials is reminiscent of the diversity of lighthouses of old. A few of the lighthouses depict water and shoreline scenes, while others highlight local landmarks. One even represents a wine bottle, in a tip of the hat to Lake Erie's thriving wine industry.
The majority of the lighthouses will be offered to the public through a festive auction on Thursday, Sept. 18, at Castaway Bay Resort in Sandusky. While several of the lighthouses have been pre-sold to their sponsors, 17 are still available for the auction, which takes place from 6-8:30 p.m. Advanced bidding will be available on-line at www.alightintheharbor.com. Proceeds will benefit the Merry-Go-Round Museum, Firelands Chapter of the American Red Cross and United Way of Erie County.
Tickets for the Sept. 18 lighthouse auction event are $10 per person, and bidding paddle and registration is $5. There will be musical entertainment, refreshments and a cash bar.
One lighthouse is valued at over $2,000, "The City by the Bay" by James A. Andrews will be raffled off for $5 per ticket. The lighthouse has traveled to festivals and fairs throughout northern Ohio to promote the summer-long event. Raffle tickets for this lighthouse will be available at the events where the lighthouse appears as well at the Lake Erie Shores and Islands Welcome Center and at the Merry-Go-Round Museum in its landmark building in downtown Sandusky.
"This exhibit will remind viewers of the diversity of our waterfront community," said "A Light in the Harbor" chairwoman Joyce Leimbach. "And we think the entire project, which brings together more than 100 volunteers, demonstrates the community spirit that's alive here."
In choosing to spotlight the lighthouse as an artistic model, organizers are acknowledging the affection that local residents and tourists alike have for the Marblehead lighthouse across Sandusky Bay -- the longest continuously-operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes.
Each of the lighthouses has been sponsored by a local business, church or individual. The public phase of "A Light in the Harbor" began with a mid-May unveiling.
The works of art moved to sites along the streets of downtown Sandusky, arranged to be accessible on a walking tour that will give visitors a chance to enjoy the city's state-of-the-art, yet historic, public library and many century-old limestone churches and homes. Several of the lighthouses are mounted in the city's flower-filled parks, renowned for a floral clock and Boy with the Boot fountain statue. A few are placed on sites selected by the sponsors -- including one that welcomes visitors to Cedar Point's Castaway Bay and one at the Lake Erie Shores and Islands Welcome Center.
Maps showing the locations of the lighthouses are available, for a $1 donation, at the Lake Erie Shores and Islands Welcome Center on U.S. Rt. 250 near the Sandusky Mall and at the Merry-Go-Round Museum in downtown Sandusky. A free down-loadable map is available on-line at www.alightintheharbor .com. "A Light in the Harbor" memorabilia, including T-shirts, posters and a souvenir booklet, are also available at these locations.
For more information about "A Light in the Harbor," contact the Merry-Go-Round Museum at 419-626-6111 or visit www.alight intheharbor.com.
|
