Lighthouse Society News
Phase II Set to Begin
November 1, 1999
Cheryl Roberts
UPDATE
MOREHEAD CITY, NC

The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society will be present at the re-lighting ceremony to be held November 13, 1999, beginning at 4 PM at the Cape Hatteras Light Station. For those of you who cannot attend, we will document moments for you that will become part of the legacy of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Phase I of the relocation project for Cape Hatteras Lighthouse ended Saturday, October 23. Phase II now begins with planned projects including a new parking area, public restrooms, installation of utilities and more. As the twenty-first century begins, the light station will look much as it did at the close of the twentieth century.

Just a couple of notes on the recent accomplishments of the OBLHS: at the Annual Keepers Dinner September 11, a check for $5,000 was presented to the NPS for interpretive exhibits at the relocation site in the Keepers Quarters at Cape Hatteras. We have a continuing savings account exclusively for Cape Hatteras; a new account was recently opened for Bodie Island as well. This progress is due in part to generous donations from lighthouse preservation-minded people including the folks at LERC, Inc. Donors can specify where they want their tax-exempt gifts applied. Volume V number 3 of the "Lighthouse News" is being mailed today, and Volume V number 4 will be mailed the first week of December. Feature articles by experts within the lighthouse community and news about all the NC lights are included. Membership fees pay for printing and mailings to members as well as issues provided for teachers and students. The next two issues include writings on Bald Head Island, the illuminants of the Hatteras Light, Hurricane Dennis, and students' letters on the relocation.

The society has been invited to have an exhibit at the Decoy Carvers/Core Sound Waterfowl Museum Festival on Harkers Island on December 4-5. Come join the event that has become a North Carolina tradition. For further details call the Carteret County Tourism Development Bureau at 800-SUNNYNC. And if you would like to help man our table that weekend, email the society at society@ncnets.net

Chamber's On-line Auction
Expanded Auction
October 16, 1999
Staff Report
NEWS
KILL DEVIL HILLS, NC

The Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce announced a new On-line Auction has been added to the Chamber's website at www.outerbankschamber.com The On-line Auction will feature one Outer Banks Vacation package per month with assorted combinations of stays donated through Outer Banks real estate companies, hotels, motels and inns, rounds of golf, sporting adventures, unique Outer Banks gifts, gift certificates to local businesses, and more! Packages will be up for bid twice each month.

"Our silent and live Chamber Auctions have been such a success over the years that we realize people enjoy the excitement of a bidding war," according to Auction Chairperson Lisa Cafferty. "Adding an on-line Auction enables us to continue the fun year round while opening the bidding process to those around the world who might want a chance to bid on an Outer Banks vacation getaway."

The On-line Auction also offers a unique marketing opportunity to Outer Banks business owners.

"The new On-line Auction offers the chance for us to highlight businesses who make donations, showcase their products and services, and draw attention to the diverse offerings which the Outer Banks has to offer year round," according to Chamber President John Bone. "We feel this is a great opportunity for our Chamber as well as businesses who wish to participate and for those who love the Outer Banks to pick up weekend getaways, weeklong stays, special gifts and items at a special reduced rate."

The current package is a one week stay in a deluxe home sponsored by BD&A Home Construction. Package high bids are automatically posted as bids are submitted. The bidding cycle is twice a month.

Those interested in checking out the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce On-line Auction can click on the Auction icon or go directly to the Auction page at www.outerbankschamber.com/auction/. Participants must be 18 years of age or older to bid on Auction items.

For more information or to make a donation to the On-Line Auction, call 441-8144.

Schedule of Events
UPDATE
Last Updated October 16, 1999
Cheryl Roberts

The new lighthouse site is an area of 3.1 acres surrounded by natural growth. The light of the lighthouse will gain an advantage at a new height to put the beacon out across Diamond Shoals. A Notice to Mariners for light-out was issued for March 1st.

May until early June: installation of the main beams with hydraulic jacks that lifted the tower. The next step was to install the roll beams upon which the tower moved.

Eary June the slide began. Moving about 50-100 feet per day it took until early-July.

Early July until early September the tower arrived at the new foundation, be lowered onto the concrete pad, all steel removed, and concrete infill to complete its new foundation will be done.

Phase 2 will begin and work on details including parking, utilities and such begins.

The relighting ceremony has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 13, 1999 at 4 pm.

Memorial Day 2000 reopening is planned. Nothing specific has been announced, but a ceremony will likely be in order.

Relighting Ceremony Report
Light Flashes Again
November 15, 1999
Cheryl Roberts
UPDATE
MOREHEAD CITY, NC

It was a festive occasion. There was an unmistakable feeling that something good was happening as the crowd gathered slowly; tears and laughter mixed in harmony. Couples tightly wrapped themselves into one, with romance thick in the air. Human words in music and speech spread wings over the Atlantic, touching the waves where many had gone before in the light. Stars and stripes and sea breeze and sunset mixed into an unforgettable experience for all of us who love lighthouses.

Photos courtesy Bruce Roberts

The image "First Flash" (11/13/99) [Large Image] shows you the first flash of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at its new location. At last!

On Saturday, November 13, 1999 the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse flashed its brilliant beams of light again. The light has been extinguished only rarely in its 129-year history, and this re-lighting ceremony was perhaps the most joyous ever. After decades of debate about how to best insure the long-term protection of Cape Hatteras, this charming structure, which has bonded with millions of Americans during its lifetime, tugged at the hearts of legislators who funded the relocation. Following a bold rescue from the edge of the sea, its stewards, the National Park Service and the U.S. Coast Guard, paid a rich tribute to this National Historic Monument.

State and local and military dignitaries along with representatives of International Chimney, Inc., Hatteras Island community representatives, musicians, and thousands of others from around the nation joined in a fitting homecoming for this venerable lighthouse. All other arguments aside, one fact remains: this lighthouse now has a promising future. Away from the brunt of great storms, chances are that footsteps of future generations will continue to be heard echoing up the spiral stairs.

Photos courtesy Bruce Roberts

The image "Sunset" (11/13/99) [Large Image] shows the thousands gathered for the re-lighting ceremony. It's just minutes away from the rekindling of the lighthouse, as the sun sets.

As the big reddish-orange sun slipped into the Pamlico Sound, the crowd was asked, "Are you ready?! Let's light this candle!" The crowd counted down in unison, "Ten, nine, eight,...four, three, two, one!" A coston flair was fired and Park Ranger Rob Bolling activated the switch, illuminating Hatteras Island and the thousands who had come to pay respect to this lighthouse. The beam pierced the darkness, friends, families, and couples kissed, cheered, hugged, laughed, cried, and glasses clinked.

Photos courtesy Bruce Roberts

The image "Bett Padgett" (11/13/99) [Large Image] you can see Outer Banks Lighthouse Society's board member Bett Padgett who sang two songs "If a Lighthouse Could Speak" and "Our Lighthouse" from her CD on the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Bett's outstanding performance has brought many requests for her CD and you can get information at her website http://www.bettpadgett.com Partial proceeds go to OBLHS

For those of you who were at the ceremony in person or in spirit, thank you for supporting the safekeeping of this lighthouse in the name of saving our maritime heritage and tradition. It was an unforgettable moment to see the lighthouse away from the brunt of storms, looking her finest, boasting that she had made it. She was home. And everyone could see.

OBLHS
November 15, 1999

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