Our first work day in 2008 was up in Baltimore at the Maritime Museum. Only four of the registered ten volunteers were able to show up but we were still able to do some work on both the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse and the Lightship Chesapeake. Two volunteers worked at the lighthouse replacing door knobs and burned out lights. They also painted the interior of the entrance door and polished a drain basin that was recently uncovered based on some old photo's provided by a Coast Guardsman who served briefly on the light. On the lightship, volunteers sanded and varnished a door and did some other maintenance functions. Hobie Statzer dropped off some stairs he had built as a viewing platform for visitors. Now they can step up the stairs and see down into the engine room. The stairs were immediately put to use by some tourist who thought the view was "neat". I'd have to agree. It was a great idea.

Our second work day up in Baltimore we had six volunteers. The lighthouse needed work done on the decking of the lower platform. Scott Armstrong, from the museum, put a coat of primer on the interior of the outhouse and Sandra Sableski put a coat of paint on it. Lawrence Witucki painted the top of the decking, while Scott painted the bottom that sits over the rocks. The wood soaked up the paint so quickly that they ran out well before the job was done. Barbara Witucki took care of the floors giving them a good cleaning and polishing. Over at the lightship Hobie continued to work on the door. He and Melissa Buckler attached the screens and put the finishing strips on. Another coat of varnish was also added. Melissa and I cleaned the lamp covers and then I added a coat of varnish to the mop rack that Hobie had built. Hobie also installed the set of stairs he had built so people could look out the portals on the lower deck. They have done a lot of work at both Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse and the Lightship Chesapeake in the last several years. If you have not been there recently, it would be worth a trip. Oh I almost forgot - we also polished some brass!

Work continues on the DAR lenses. They have completed about half the work on the brass of the fourth order lens. When that is completed they will begin to stabilize the glass prisms. They have also done work on the fifth order lens. Remember you can see pictures and their progress report at http://jonespoint.garoux.net/recent_history.htm.

We have another project for anyone interested. There is a new curator at the Coast Guard Exhibit Center where many of the lighthouse artifacts are stored. They would like some help in assessing the status of the many items in their collection. If you have interest in this area, please let me know, as right now, we have no volunteers for this. Volunteers must be available during standard work hours though, since this is not a weekend or evening event.

The Friends of Assateague Island Lighthouse need volunteers for the following dates: March 23^rd through May 18^th - Friday, Saturday and Sunday; May 22^nd through September 29^th - Thursday through Monday, and October 3^rd through November 30^th - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. These volunteers are the reason they are able to open the lighthouse to the public, so if you're free these days and would like to spend the day out in the fresh air, consider volunteering. If you are interested, please let me know and I will pass your name on to the folks at Assateague

Attempts are being made to preserve the New Point Comfort Lighthouse (NPCLH) by Mathews County in Virginia. They have come out with a DVD Balanced on the Point of History: New Point Comfort Lighthouse 1805. They have a booklet about NPCLH and a bookmark which comes with the 10 minute documentary. The documentary tells of the history and current preservation efforts at the New Point Comfort Lighthouse. This educational DVD is a fund raising effort sponsored by the New Point Comfort Lighthouse Preservation Task Force. They will be happy to mail you the documentary. The cost will be $6.30 + s/h. The shipping cost will be based on postage rates and where the item is being mailed. They can tell you the cost when you call to place the order. To order, simply call the Visitor Center at 804-725-4229 and give them the credit card number, expiration date on the card and the shipping address. Their hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 am – 4 pm.

Please remember to send in your Chapter volunteer registration forms if you'd like to participate in our preservation program. The forms were in the Fall 2007 newsletter and can also be found on the web site. Spend some up close and personal time at a lighthouse or lightship. Work with some incredible people and have a lot of fun doing it!

If you are ever in doubt about a date for a Chapter event, check out the calendar on the web site.

Special thanks go to:

Baltimore Maritime Museum: Melissa Buckler, Heidi Moser, Sandra Sableski, Hobie Statzer, Greg Krawczyks, Barbara Witucki, Lawrence Witucki

Coast Guard Web Site Histories: Melissa Buckler, Marie Vincent

Lens Team: Alma Pasek, Tony Pasek, Al Smith, Marie Vincent, Tom Wade, Jerry Waters

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (Assateague Island Lighthouse Discussion): Thanks to Joyce and Robert Holland for attending this meeting for me since I could not make it. They discussed the work they plan to do on the lighthouse this year and we were invited to attend the meeting.

Thanks for all you do, and keep up the good work! So if you would like to be more involved and have not yet done so, fill out the 2008 Volunteer Form.