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Save
Our Lights!
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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the preservation of America's historic lighthouses.
SEARCH ALF WEB
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“Dessertfest” Serves Up Sweets and Fun for
Piscataqua River Lighthouses
By Bob Trapani, Jr.
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There is no better way to introduce a mission like
lighthouse preservation to the community than by making FUN the
centerpiece of the event. When that fun is also accompanied by great
food, the event’s message shines its brightest for those who might
otherwise never ponder helping lighthouses.
On April 24, 2010, the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor
Lighthouse held a unique fundraising event called “Dessertfest” at the
Kittery Lions Club in Kittery, Maine, which delighted nearly 100
attendees with enough delicious sweets to sample and fun to enjoy,
satisfying even the healthiest appetite for each.
To make sure everyone knew this |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Tables of sweet delights at "Dessertfest"
extended nearly the length of the event hall
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was a night for
fun and camaraderie, you might say the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor
Lighthouse did what our mother’s so often discouraged when we were young.
The hosts allowed attendees to temporarily skip over the ‘main course’ and
go straight for the dessert tables, which stretched nearly the entire length
of the hall, containing tasty treats such as cakes, pies, cookies, brownies
and other delights from well known area restaurants and stores.
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Accordionist extraordinaire Gary
Sredzienski entertained
the audience
throughout the evening
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As volunteers served up the desserts one slice at a time
to those in line, accordionist extraordinaire Gary Sredzienski walked
around the hall, stopping at each table and filling the air with musical
stylings from around the world.
In between songs, Gary, who is a cultural ambassador for
New Hampshire, shared |
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humor, history and
international tidbits that proved to be the unexpected “icing on the cake”
for the audience.
With his engaging personality, Gary Sredzienski had people listening
intently and laughing throughout the event. As the event went into the
evening, he took the audience’s attention a notch higher by sharing his
exploits as the region’s renowned “Creekman.”
Armed with a number of the fascinating artifacts such as glass bottles,
pipes, and even corral that Gary has gathered along the way, he shared the
stories associated with their discovery beneath the murky waters of area
creeks and rivers. In some cases, the artifacts date back to the
middle-to-late 1700s.
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“Gary Sredzienski’s versatile accordion playing was
incredibly entertaining, but so too were his tales and exploits as the
swimming ‘Creekman,’ said Jeremy D’Entremont, Friends of Portsmouth
Harbor Lighthouse operations manager. “Gary delighted the audience with
his collection of beautiful accordions and the many artifacts that he
has recovered while swimming in local waters.”
Following Gary’s masterful performance, Jeremy
D’Entremont took the opportunity to focus their attention on lighthouses
– two in particular – Portsmouth Harbor and Whaleback.
D’Entremont explained how these two |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
FPHL vice-president Joanne
Yeaton served up slices of
delicious chocolate cake
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lights fall under
the care of the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, which is a chapter
of the American Lighthouse Foundation. He also encouraged others to consider
volunteering and/or making a donation to the preservation projects.
Taking center stage thereafter was the Seacoast Men of Harmony, a barbershop
chorus based in Dover, New Hampshire, who blended their vocal harmonies on a
number of familiar classics. As D’Entremont pointed out, the Seacoast Men of
Harmony also “included a perfect song for a lighthouse fundraiser, ‘Shine
On.’”
Some people attended Dessertfest in the spirit of helping lighthouses, while
others, though curious about the lights, found the lure of food and
entertainment too enticing to pass up, but in the end, all in attendance
mixed fun and lighthouses in a unique and memorable manner.
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Seacoast Men of Harmony sang a few
classics, including "Shine On" - an
appropriate lighthouse related song
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Jeremy D’Entremont aptly summed up Dessertfest when he
noted, “Attendees chowed down on a variety of sweet delights from area
restaurants while enjoying a smorgasbord of tunes.”
That all added up to lot’s of FUN for the audience, and
for Portsmouth Harbor and Whaleback lighthouses, well let’s just say
that community awareness for these |
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preservation
projects, and their volunteerism appeal, has been sweetened in the hearts of
many.
The Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse wishes to thank the following
establishments in the Portsmouth / Kittery area for donating food and / or
gift certificates for Dessertfest:
401 Tavern, BG’s Boathouse, Black Trumpet Bistro, Brazo, Café Mirabelle,
Chief’s Cove Café,
Common Man, Dinnerhorn, Old Ferry Landing, Margueritas, Me and Ollie’s,
Muddy River Smokehouse, Noel’s Café,
Popovers, Rosa, Sweet Caroline’s Thrift Shop, The Oar House, and Toot
Sweet.
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(L to R) Dessertfest volunteers Nina
Trapani, Ann-Marie Trapani and Susan Tisbert
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
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Volunteer Charlotte Raczkowski and
FPHL operations manager Jeremy D'Entremont
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(L to R) FPHL volunteers Maureen
Dolan and Sharon Mills
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
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FPHL volunteers Susan and William
Marshall
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FPHL volunteers Kaye and Pat Heffernan
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
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Gary Sredzienski delighted the crowd with
his musical talents and engaging sense of humor
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(L to R) FPHL volunteer William Marshall,
ALF executive director Bob Trapani, Jr., and FPHL operations manager
Jeremy D'Entremont
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Whaleback Lighthouse
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Posted: 5/1/2010 |
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