It’s National Lighthouse Day

Cape May is home to one of the Jersey Cape’s favorite landmarks, one that has served as an aid to navigation along the coastline since 1859. Join in the celebration to honor the Cape May Lighthouse on National Lighthouse Day, Thursday, Aug. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC), proprietors of the Cape May Lighthouse, will sponsor a day of family activities at the foot of the Lighthouse, located at Cape May Point State Park on Lighthouse Avenue off Sunset Boulevard.
Included in the day’s festivities will be vendors offering nautical merchandise; pirate hat-making for kids; storytelling about the Lighthouse, pirates and shipwrecks, and the ghosts of the Lighthouse; programs by the Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority and the Nature Center of Cape May; a richly illustrated presentation by the Lighthouse Keeper on lighthouses in general and the Cape May Lighthouse, in particular.
There will also be performers singing songs of the sea, and refreshments. Lighthouse Pete the Pirate, mascot of the Cape May Lewes Ferry, will also make an appearance. National Lighthouse Day activities are open to the public and admission is free.
Congress designated National Lighthouse Day on Aug. 7, 1989, marking the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Lighthouse Act and the commissioning of the first Federal lighthouse in the United States.
The purpose was to provide recognition for the important role that lighthouses played in the history of this country, and the values of safety, heroism, and American ingenuity that they represent, as well as honoring and encouraging continued restoration efforts for existing lighthouses, many of which had fallen into disrepair.
In today’s high-tech world, it’s easy to forget the wholesomeness and serenity of lighthouses. The history they provide gives us the opportunity to step back in time and learn more about our country.
The contributions they made to our society, from protecting our coasts to guiding our sailors, should continue to be appreciated and remembered.