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Dunkirk Lighthouse, Veterans Park Museum to host sixth annual event

SPOTLIGHT: Lighthouse Festival Weekend

Submitted Photo The Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum is holding its sixth annual Lighthouse Festival Weekend fundraiser on Saturday and Sunday.

The Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum is holding its sixth annual Lighthouse Festival Weekend fundraiser on Saturday and Sunday to coincide with the Dunkirk Harbor speedboat races.

The 64th Virginia Mounted Infantry and the Lancaster Amateur Radio Club are returning as the main attractions. The Confederate Civil War re-enactors will have a camp and a Saturday battle re-enactment, according to Dave Briska, the Lighthouse events coordinator.

“The skirmish (on Saturday) will have to be done between boat races,” he said. The soldiers’ camp will be in place both days, however.

“The camps will be open so people can talk to the campers, and see how people lived back then,” Briska said. “It’s kind of a living history.” There will also be a Saturday night candlelight tour of the encampment.

Brian Teagarden of the 64th Virginia said camp visitors can expect to see “soldiers milling around while off duty and women doing camp chores. You might also see some drunk soldiers as this happens on occasion and was an issue.”

As for the battle re-enactment itself, “I cannot say what is happening at this year’s event as I have not received any orders from the War Department in Richmond. As of this date, my last order was to guard our acquired ground and only attack if attacked upon,” Teagarden declared.

The 64th Virginia “consists of about 12-24 individuals depending on the events, vacations, personnel/family obligations, money, jobs, school, etc. Members come from all over Western New York and as far away as Florida,” Teagarden said.

To become a re-enactor, Teagarden said one simply has to go to an event and speak with the side of their choice, the North or the South. He suggested talking with people on both sides in order to be better informed.

“Most but not all units have loaner uniforms, weapons, leathers, etc. to borrow for a brief time,” he added. “Once you decide if this is right for you along with the unit believing you are a proper fit for the unit’s dynamics you would need to consider purchasing your own uniform and equipment.

“I personally reenact and host re-enactments … because I love America and its rich history, The good, the bad, and the ugly of it,” Teagarden, who averages eight to 10 re-enactments a year, concluded.

The amateur radio club’s visit is the same weekend as an international lighthouse ham radio weekend, where radio operators at lighthouses all over the world try to contact each other, Briska said.

“They want to see how many they can get over the course of the weekend. A lot of it depends on the weather. … They can find quite a few,” he said of the radio operators. At last year’s festival, the club was able to contact a lighthouse in Russia from Dunkirk’s lighthouse, he said.

There will also be craft, food and wine vendors on the property both days, and the band Bad Habits will play from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday. In addition, discounted tours of the lighthouse tower and the keeper’s house will be available both days. The lighthouse grounds will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

There will be a gate fee of $8 per person, but children under 12 and veterans are free. For a schedule of events, check the website www.dunkirklighthouse.com or go to the lighthouse’s Facebook page.

Briska recognizes that one of the festival’s attractions is simply its location right in the middle of the boat races.

“We have a perfect spot for watching the speedboat races because they start right next to the lighthouse,” he said. “‘We will have bleachers for people to sit in to watch the races, or people can bring chairs.”

The very best spot for viewing the races will be atop the lighthouse observation deck. Tickets are gone for Sunday but still available for the observation deck for the Saturday races, Briska said. Call the lighthouse at 366-5050 to grab a ticket.

Briska said last year’s festival raised about $8,000 for the lighthouse and its museum, which get about 5,000 visitors a year.

“Of course, we use the money to improve the property, the buildings and the grounds, to make it a more enjoyable experience for people to visit,” he said.

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