Guest Keepers

After several weeks of working at the lighthouse, and a couple of vague references to guest keepers in past posts, I think it is time that I explain about this program more fully.  The guest keepers at Tawas Point Lighthouse pay $250 a person to stay in the lighthouse for a week.  During that week they give tours from noon until 6:00 every day but Tuesdays. The keepers’ week lasts from Friday to Friday.  Guest keepers need to apply to stay at the lighthouse and the program is very popular.  In fact, all of the spots for 2013 are filled and we have already begun taking applications for the 2014 season.

The guest keepers play an important role in the way that the lighthouse operates and each keeper brings something different to the table.  Last week, our guest keeper was very interested in navigation and had been a member of the cost guard, so when he talked to guests he emphasized the importance of lighthouses in navigation.  Other keepers have focused on other areas that interest them, such as lighthouse construction or the tasks the lighthouse keepers performed.  In addition, this particular keeper was very interested in the Big Storm of 1913.  This large November gale struck the great lakes a century ago and wrecked hundreds of ships. Twelve ships (plus their crew) disappeared completely and were never heard from again.  Even with modern technology, three of these have still not been found.  When the keeper came, he brought a bell from the Howard M. Hanna, one of the ships that was wrecked in the storm.  While he was there, we were able to display this bell in the lighthouse and I created a small exhibit around this artifact.

This bell is off the Howard M. Hanna Jr. a ship that was wrecked during the big storm of 1913.

Keepers who are very interested in the lighthouse and connect their interests make visiting the lighthouse a different experience for return visitors.  I know that I have learned a lot from our guest keepers.

An explanation of the guest keeper program wouldn’t be complete without a mention of some of the difficulties that this program can create.  As great as most of the guest keepers we have had are, there are some keepers who have not been prepared when they come or who were unable to make the orientation this spring.  Because the guest keepers arrive about two hours before they begin giving tours, if the keepers have not prepared learning all of the necessary information can be overwhelming.  We try to make things less stressful by being in radio contact with the keepers so that they are able to ask questions at any time and generally there is someone who can go and help out in the lighthouse when the lighthouse gets busy.

I really enjoy working with the guest keepers.  It is great to work with new people each week.  I have learned something from every guest keeper we have had.  I’m excited to meet the rest of our guest keepers as the summer continues.

Celebration Days, Boat Races, and a Wedding

Over the last week and a half, several different events have been held at and around the lighthouse.  In my last post, I mentioned that Celebration Days was starting the next day.  The following weekend, the Heritage Coast Grand Prix (boat race) was held in town and there was a wedding at the lighthouse.  These events brought more people out to the lighthouse and allowed me to do some different jobs.

Celebration days brought vendors, craftspeople, and reenactors to the lighthouse where they set up camp and stayed for the weekend.  In order to prepare for this event, I helped to get one of the large tents ready and pass out information to the vendors.  During the festival, I helped in the lighthouse and the store as normal, however I did end up making announcements of upcoming events over the loudspeakers.  I really enjoyed making the announcements because it reminded me of the pre-show announcements I have made as a stage manager.  I also served as an adult for two children who were too young to go into the lighthouse by themselves.  They were very interested in everything in the lighthouse and their curiosity was very refreshing.

During Celebration Days reenactors camped at the lighthouse.

After Celebration Days, attendance at the lighthouse slowed down for a couple of days, but because of the wedding on Saturday, we had to make sure that the grounds looked good after all of the vendors left.  I helped with yard work by replanting flowers that the animals tore out and raking up around the lighthouse.  One thing that I had not thought of before was the floodlights that shine up on the lighthouse.  These floodlights were overgrown with grass and since an edger is too large to get around them, the grass needs to be cut with a box cutter and pulled up by hand, so that the light isn’t obscured.  I was happy to help with this job because it got me outside on a beautiful, sunny day.  It is very interesting to see all of the little jobs that go into maintaining the lighthouse.

In addition to the wedding on Saturday, this last weekend also marked the opening of the East Tawas State Harbor Gift Shop.  This gift shop is run through the lighthouse gift shop, but is located at East Tawas State Harbor dock in town.  So, over the past couple of weeks we have been preparing merchandise for the harbor store because everything needed to be ready for that opening.  I’m told that the opening of the harbor store and the wedding went well, but I was not there for either event because I had the weekend off to go home for my sister’s graduation party.

Petoskey Stones and Nancy Drew

Much of my time this past week has been spent in the gift shop and due to unseasonably cold weather, visitation is still slow.  Monday, however, was very busy.  A group of ninety second graders visited the lighthouse on a field trip.   This was the highlight of my week.  Because there were so many guests all at once, the children were divided into four groups (this worked out well since there were four classes).  One class was in the lighthouse, one class was in the gift shop getting an ice cream treat, one class learned about area wildlife, and the final group were able to polish Petoskey stones.

I was in charge of the Petoskey stone station.  First, I told the second graders about Petoskey stones (they are the Michigan state fossil, and are fossils of coral that grew in this area over 350 million years ago when Michigan was covered in salt water).  Then, each student received a Petoskey stone and used a Q-Tip to polish it with mineral oil.  It was very fun to see their reactions when the pattern was revealed – there were many ooooooh’s and aaaaaah’s.

The most interesting thing that I learned from leading this center is that sometimes doing things the most efficient way is not a good goal.  It takes a lot longer for a group of students to go through the lighthouse than it does for the same group to polish Petoskey stones.  So, instead of asking the chaperons to help pass out supplies, I was instructed to pass out things out one at a time because that takes longer.  Also, instead of having a trash can nearby, the kids had to walk a short distance to throw their trash away.  This tactic worked well because while every group finished before the lighthouse was ready for them, they did not finish so early that they were bored.

The other highlight of my week was the small amount of collections work I did.  A visitor to the lighthouse noticed that there were not very many books in the bookshelf in our 1939 living room, so this visitor donated a box of old books.  I went through the books, made sure that they were all period, and wrote down the publication information to be entered into the museum database at a later time (the lighthouse doesn’t have internet, so records have to be entered at the main office).  While I was going through the box, I was very excited to discover that the original Nancy Drew books were period.  This was one of my favorite series when I was younger and there are now three of them in the bookshelf at the lighthouse.

Three Nancy Drew Books were donated for the 1939 living room!

I’m also very excited for this weekend, because it is Celebration Days at Tawas Point Lighthouse.  This is the lighthouse’s largest festival of the summer and all different kinds of reenactment groups, craftspeople, and vendors will be camping at the lighthouse.