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History of the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge®
by Doreen Berson and Laura Portée January 25, 2008 As the success of the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® increases with each year it is presented, so has media interest increased. We are frequently asked questions about its history such as: “How did it all begin?” and “Who came up with the idea?” In an effort to answer these questions, we have put together the following history of the “Original” Lighthouse Challenge; how it began and how it continues to be the successful event that it is today. What is a “Lighthouse Challenge”? The New Jersey “Lighthouse Challenge” is a not-for-profit event held every third weekend in October. The primary goal of the Challenge is to promote awareness of New Jersey’s lighthouses, specifically and lighthouses in general. In addition, the hope is that the event will assist the lighthouses financially through participant donations and gift shop sales. So it is during this weekend that all participating lighthouses are open for visitation and climbing. While this might seem easy to accomplish, actually it wasn’t given that some of the lighthouses on the Challenge “route” are generally open only once a month or only a few times throughout the year. During the Challenge weekend, participants are “challenged” to visit all eleven sites and receive a commemorative souvenir (climbing is optional). After visiting all eleven lighthouses, participants receive a completion souvenir. Through the years, souvenirs have included stamps, or cards with a picture and history of the lighthouse. The past two years, puzzle pieces were given which were inserted into a beautiful display board, suitable for framing. How did it all get started? The Challenge is the brain-child of Richard (Rick) Weber, a NJLHS member and former member of the NJLHS Board of Directors. He had the idea of a “lighthouse challenge” back in 1998. As a member of the New Jersey Lighthouse Society, he was fortunate enough to be able to visit lighthouses in New Jersey that are normally closed to visitors. While guiding tours at Sandy Hook Lighthouse and talking to the visitors, he realized that many people wanted to see these other lights too but rarely had the chance because of their limited openings. . New Jersey is somewhat unique because all of its lighthouses are about 40-50 miles apart along the coastline and fairly accessible. They are also under the care of some public or private non-profit organization. Rick’s realization of these facts developed into the idea of getting all these lighthouse groups to open their lighthouses for the same weekend thus allowing other lighthouse enthusiasts to visit them. He thought it could be done, but it was only a guess. He did not mention his idea to anyone at first but it still remained in the back of his mind. After Rick was elected to the NJLHS Board of Directors, he approached then Society President, Tom Laverty with his idea. Tom liked the idea and suggested Rick write up a proposal. He did and presented it to the Board which approved it. The idea was then presented to the lighthouse organizations who also liked it and the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® was born! To prevent the lighthouse organizations from bearing the brunt of the Challenge logistics, they were told that their participation need only be minimal: all they were asked to do was to be open that one weekend. The New Jersey Lighthouse Society handled the advertising, souvenirs and staffing of volunteers who greeted the “challengers” at each site. As all of the organizations agreed to participate, they were encouraged to add anything else to the event that they wished and some took that encouragement to heart! For instance, Hereford Inlet generally invites numerous artisans specializing in lighthouse related memorabilia to its site. This has been so successful that some returning participants look forward to seeing the artisans and their new wares! Fortunately one of the hoped-for outcomes soon became reality as the lighthouse organizations learned that the Challenge could be a profitable event for them. Some of them actually sold out of their gift shop stocks that first year! Since then, the lighthouse organizations have reported that the Challenge is their biggest fund raising event of the year! How did the Challenge get its name? The first lighthouse challenge was actually called “New Jersey Lighthouse 2000”. After seeing the success of the first challenge, the NJLHS board decided to present the event again and call it the “Lighthouse Challenge”. As popularity of the event grew, it began to draw attention from other lighthouse societies interested in presenting their own “Challenge” so to protect its name it was necessary to eventually trademark the title “New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge®” as well as the Challenge logo (designed by Doreen Lagattuta Berson). Is the Challenge just for Lighthouse Enthusiasts? Absolutely not! As outlined in Rick’s original proposal, the purpose of the Lighthouse Challenge is: “To promote awareness of the lighthouses of New Jersey and encourage the public to visit and contribute to their restoration and upkeep”. This goal was realized because lighthouse enthusiasts are not the only ones taking the Challenge! Many people who never knew that these historic structures existed or knew anything about their historical importance as aids to navigation have also participated. Families, senior citizens, motorcycle and car groups, scout troops and school children (even a class monkey!) have been among the many thousands of participants of the Challenge throughout the years. All have become more aware of lighthouses and have contributed to their preservation and upkeep through generous donations and/or purchases at their gift shops. For many participants, this event was the springboard that expanded their interest in lighthouses beyond New Jersey and have explored lighthouses in other states and countries. How much has participation increased since the first year? It was estimated that approximately 1,500 people took the first New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® in 2000. A total of 342 people completed the Challenge that year, becoming members of the “11 Points of Light Club”. Since then, participation has increased each year. For our 8th Annual event, the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® 2007, over 2,500 people participated of which a total of 1,792 people completed. New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge®
Other Lighthouse Challenges The success of the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® has sparked interest among other lighthouse organizations around the country. In 2003, the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society organized their first “Maryland Lighthouse Challenge”. In 2005 the Long Island Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society organized the first “Long Island Lighthouse Challenge”. Both of these Challenges have become annual events. Last year, the Mid-Coast Maine Lighthouse Challenge was started. This year, two new Challenges will be introduced: Martha’s Vineyard Lighthouse Challenge and the “Lights Across the Border Lighthouse Challenge”, which includes lighthouses of northern Maine and Campabello Island, Canada. We’ve heard that several other organizations are planning Lighthouse Challenges for the future. The New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® is proud to be the “original” Lighthouse Challenge. The New Jersey Lighthouse Society intends to continue to present the Challenge as long as there is increasing interest from the public. “Thank You” to Rick Weber for his contribution to this article. For more information on the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge®, please contact Doreen Berson at 732-202-7420 or challenge@njlhs.org Please visit the Challenge page of the New Jersey Lighthouse Society’s web site – www.njlhs.org – for more information leading up to the 9th Annual New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® on October 18th and 19th, 2008. To become a member of the New Jersey Lighthouse Society, please visit the society’s web site – www.njlhs.org – and click on “To Join the NJLHS”, from the home page. |
© 2008 NJLHS