USLHS Podcast - Light Hearted

Below you will find special video episodes of the U.S. Lighthouse Society's podcast Light Hearted... enjoy!

Lighthouse Damage in Recent Storms

From December 21 through 26, 2022, an historic extratropical bomb cyclone brought blizzard conditions and winter storms to much of Canada and the United States. The system was unofficially named Winter Storm Elliott by The Weather Channel. Meanwhile, a separate storm moved into the Pacific Northwest on December 23. In Storm Elliott, northwestern Michigan got nearly 43 inches of snow. Buffalo, New York's 37.5 hours of blizzard conditions was the longest blizzard in the city's history. At Portland Head Light in Maine, one of the most visited lighthouses in the world, damage included a window smashed on the keeper’s house and a door broken in on the lighthouse tower entryway. At Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse on the New Hampshire Seacoast, the 80-foot walkway that led out to the lighthouse was largely destroyed. Meanwhile, the headquarters of the U.S. Lighthouse Society at the Point No Point Light Station in Washington state was closed due to flooding.

Taking part in a discussion of the storms on December 30 were the following people: Jeff Gales, executive director of the U.S. Lighthouse Society; Mike Vogel, president of the U.S. Lighthouse Society; Michelle Jewell Shaw, chairperson of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses; Bob Trapani, executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation; Art Greene, chair of the Spring Point Ledge Light Trust in South Portland, Maine; Chad Kaiser, general manager of New Dungeness Lighthouse in Washington; Nick Korstad, owner of the Big Bay Point Lighthouse B&B in Michigan; and Cindy Johnson, member of the Chapter Leadership Committee of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses. Interviewed in a separate segment was Kathleen Raftice, director of Fort Williams Park and Portland Head Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. This episode is also available in extended video form on the USLHS YouTube channel.

Valentia Island is on the southwest coast of Ireland, in the southwest part of County Kerry. The island’s lighthouse, built on the grounds of a 17th century fort at Cromwell Point, began service in February 1841. The keeper's house is now fully restored as a museum, and visitors get to climb the lighthouse tower for a spectacular 360-degree view of the wild Atlantic. Lucian Horvat is the project manager for the Valentia Island Development Company, which has been developing the light station as a tourist destination in collaboration with the Commissioners of Irish Lights and the Kerry County Council. Valentia Island Lighthouse is one of the founding members of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland, a branded partnership established in 2016.

"Courage Like Kate: The True Story of a Girl Lighthouse Keeper" is a new children’s picture book biography based on the life of Kate Moore, a lighthouse keeper in the 19th century at Fayerweather Island in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The book is written by Anna Crowley Redding and beautifully illustrated by Emily Sutton. As an investigative TV reporter, Anna Crowley Redding received multiple Edward R. Murrow awards and an Emmy Award, and was recognized by the Associated Press. Anna’s debut young adult nonfiction book "Google It: A History of Google" explored the extraordinary tale of the startup of one of the world’s most innovative companies. Her other books include "Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World" and "Black Hole Chasers: The Amazing True Story of an Astronomical Breakthrough." She’s written several picture books for children, including "Rescuing the Declaration of Independence," "Chowder Rules! The True Story of an Epic Food Fight," and "The Gravity Tree." Anna and her two boys live near Portland, Maine.