Huron's lighthouse getting lit Saturday

HURON — Most communities light up a Christmas tree for the holiday season.But how many do it for a lighthouse?Huron, finally, will.After speaking with U.S. Coast Guard personnel for almost three years, city officials received permission to cosmetically illuminate the North Main Pier's lighthouse on a permanent basis. The Coast Guard, which maintains the lighthouse, has ultimate authority over its operations.The unveiling takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday, which caps off the annual Winter Fest event. Officials invite anyone to come down and check it out.Huron Winter Fest, starting at 2 p.m. at the city's boat basin property, brings together the community with food trucks, shopping at Santa's Market, storytime for children, carriage rides, cookie decorating and appearances by "Frozen" characters. Organizers also scheduled a fireworks display for 6 p.m.Shedding light on the detailsOfficials committed almost $14,000 to install four LED lights and fasten them around the structure's base. When on, each light shoots up and illuminates all four of the lighthouse's corner sections.They can also insert different lenses to project various colors on special occasions. For instance, officials could project green and gold lights during St. Patrick's Day; red, white and blue lights for the Fourth of July; or orange lights for Halloween."This is a quality-of-life issue, and we thought it was a cool improvement," said Huron city manager Andy White, noting how people can't see the lighthouse when it's dark out unless they're standing on the pier. "The lighthouse is an iconic feature in the city, and this should make it even better."But don't worry boaters: These lights, whether white or some other color, won't interfere with a flashing red beacon, which guides ships navigating across Lake Erie, sitting atop this 72-foot-tall structure.Did you know?After the Huron Lighthouse's light was automated in 1972, the tower's lantern room was removed, and a modern beacon consisting of a solar-powered 375-millimeter lens was installed. Still in use today, the light has a focal plane of 80 feet, can be seen over a 12-mile radius and flashes a red light with a characteristic of three seconds on followed by three seconds off.Source: Lighthousefriends.comHuron officials will unveil a cosmetic light display at the North Main Pier's lighthouse on Saturday following Winter Fest.