Lighthouses are synonymous with the State of Maine. In fact, the
breathtaking beauty and lore associated with the 64 sentinels that stand
guard today over the state’s rugged coastline have earned Maine the
moniker, “The Lighthouse State.” No wonder then when NBC TV, WCSH
Channel
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Portland Head Lighthouse
6 in Portland,
Maine, featured the best “Summer Guest Getaways” in Maine
that the state’s lighthouses shined brightest for vacationers.
On
July 13, 2005,
American Lighthouse Foundation President Tim Harrison joined WCSH TV News
Center Anchor Cindy Williams and Meteorologist Todd Gutner for a live TV
broadcast at Portland Head Light of “Summer Guest Getaways.” The question
leading off the broadcast back in the studio was, “if you have summer
guests, would you take them to a lighthouse?” The poll revealed that 66%
said “YES” and 29% said “NO.”
The
unprecedented lengthy focus on lighthouses during an evening newscast
included a half-hour program that featured a live interview
with Tim Harrison, as well as video footage and educational facts on
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
WCSH TV News Anchor Cindy Williams
and Meteorologist Todd Gutner open
the 5pm news on July 13, 2005 at
Portland Head Lighthouse
Portland
Head, Boon Island, Cape Neddick, Pemaquid Point, Burnt Island, Owls Head
and West Quoddy lighthouses. As WCSH TV News Center Anchor Pat Callaghan
said back in the studio, “almost every tourist who visits Maine
wants to see a lighthouse.”
Though the video footage of Maine’s
lighthouses was undeniably stunning, the
highlight of the newscast was the energy and passion for lighthouses that
Tim Harrison shared with the audience through a live interview with News
Center Anchor Cindy Williams. Before introducing her guest, Ms. Williams
lead into the interview by informing the TV audience that, “They
(vacationers) like to visit the lighthouses, to imagine a bygone world where
a lighthouse meant you were almost home to safe harbor.”
Responding to a question posed by Ms. Williams as to why people seek out
Maine’s lighthouses, American Lighthouse Foundation President Tim Harrison
said, “There is a certain mystique about it (visiting lighthouses),
especially here in Maine where we have the largest concentration of old and
historic lighthouses. We have more stories of folklore, romance, bravery and
heroism associated with these lighthouses than anywhere in the world.”
During
the course of the interview, Mr. Harrison went on to comment about present day
efforts to save our lighthouse heritage before it’s
too late,
saying, “We have a lot of lighthouses in imminent danger of being lost
forever. This is a last ditch effort to save the memories and history
associated with them.” Harrison went on to comment, “We have two
lighthouse museums in Maine – the Museum of Lighthouse History in Wells
and the Maine Lighthouse Museum up in Rockland. So both
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
ALF President Tim Harrison talks about
Maine's lighthouse with WCSH TV News
Anchor Cindy Williams
museums – and the
American Lighthouse Foundation, are desperately trying to now save the
recorded memories of the people who grew up at these lighthouses because we
are literally at the end of time where they are dying out.”
In
addition to importance of tourism and preservation, Harrison informed the TV
audience of a lesser-known fact. “I always tell people that you can learn
more about early American history by studying Maine’s lighthouses than any
other source. Plus you can have a great time visiting them, you can work
your way up and down the coast and you’ll meet other interesting people who
are doing the same thing. People are planning their vacations around
lighthouses, getting married at lighthouses and falling in love at
lighthouses.”
Before
closing out the “Summer Guest Getaways” segment, Harrison
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
(L to R) Photojournalist Charlie Berg,
ALF President Tim Harrison, Anchor Cindy Williams & Meteorologist Todd
Gutner
shared a
passionate observation with News Center Anchor Cindy Williams and the TV
audience, saying, “With lighthouses, it’s good to remember that the
lighthouse stands for everything that is good. They were built for one
purpose only – to save lives, and now it’s our turn to save the
lighthouses and the history associated with them.”
