December News from the St. George Lighthouse!

Cape St. George Light Newsletter December 2023

Happy Holidays Lighthouse Friends,   We hope this message finds you all healthy and happy and we hope you have recovered from your Thanksgiving turkey hangover.   Since our last correspondence, the Lighthouse Association hosted our 4th Annual Spooktacular Trick-or-Treat which brought over 500 children and their families to Lighthouse Park. 30 local businesses and residents set up candy stations and Lighthouse Park was decorated with spooky decorations for all to enjoy. A fantastic time was had by all. Thank you to the business and residents that partcipated!   On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we hosted our annual holiday Sip & Shop and the following week we participated in the St. George Island Lighting of the Palms celebration where we welcomed Santa to hear children’s wishes and pass out toys. This year Santa greeted about 200 children and their families. Children made their own ornaments and sent letters to the North Pole and had their faces painted. Hot cocoa, cookies, and hot dogs were provided for all. The evening ended with a spirited lighted golf cart parade. It is always such a fun event put on by the SGI Business Association and we are glad to be a part of it.   December is a busy month for us here at the Lighthouse as we take some time away from welcoming visitors to complete our annual gift shop inventory, and perform a deep clean of the museum and lighthouse. We are closed this week but will reopen on Saturday the 9th for lighthouse climbs and holiday shopping.   We’re gearing up for our 15th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, December 16th from 5:30pm-7:30pm. As a Lighthouse Association member, YOU are invited to celebrate this monumental occasion with us! There will be food and fun and the event will conclude with a fantastic laser light show for all to enjoy! Additionally, we’ve got a really cool bar we’re raffling off that was made from the old lighthouse door (tickets available online below and in person at our gift shop) and we’ll be selecting the winner at the 15th anniversary party. We hope you’ll join us for this wonderful celebration!   Since 2008 the lighthouse has stood as the focal point of St. George Island, a guiding light to all those who visit our island paradise - from permanent residents, to first time vacationers, to those who visit yearly - our lighthouse has been a beacon for all. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the reconstruction, we want to raise $15,000 towards our maintenance fund so that we can keep the light shining for years to come. We’ve already raised $5000 towards this effort and we hope you’ll consider making a donation to this fundraising campaign.   Additionally, we’ve begun our preparations for our annual fundraising festival - the SGI Shrimpfest. The 3rd annual event will be held on Saturday, February 10th from 11:00am to 4:00pm. There will be food vendors serving all of your favorite shrimp dishes and music from the Blues Factor Band. Local beer will be available for purchase and this year we’ll also be hosting a curated group of arts & crafts vendors for your shopping enjoyment. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!   Thank you all for your continued support. Our members are awesome and are the lifeblood of our organization. None of this is possible without YOU!       Best Wishes, Amy Hodson Executive Director St. George Lighthouse Association execdirector@stgeorgelight.org

Cape St. George Light Welcomes its 300,000th Climber   On the afternoon of November 17th, the Cape St. George Light welcomed its 300,000th individual to climb the historic lighthouse since its reconstruction.   Stuart White from Eastpoint, was the history making climber.  Stuart was awarded a lifetime free climbing pass, a framed commemorative certificate, and a lighthouse replica. Stuart’s family is local to Franklin County. His brother, Jason, owns Jason White Construction.   Prior to automation of the lighthouse in 1949, lighthouse keepers made thousands of climbs to the lantern room to light or extinguish the lamp and perform daily maintenance duties. After 1949, U.S. Coast Guardsmen made the occasional climb to change the batteries that operated the modern beacon. When the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1994, only the rare curiosity seeker or lighthouse enthusiast attempted the increasingly treacherous climb.   After the lighthouse collapsed on Oct. 21, 2005, the St.George Lighthouse Association led the effort to reconstruct the lighthouse. Rebuilt at the center of St. George Island to protect it from continued erosion on Little St. George, the lighthouse opened to the public in Dec. 2008. In just fifteen years, 300,000 individuals have replicated the climb up the 92 stairs and the eight-rung ladder to the top, just like the keepers of old.

December 16, 2023

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