Lighthouse manager Dave Briska told the OBSERVER it has seven bookings already, as Lake Erie sparkled on a fantastically clear late May morning. Buffalo’s tallest building, the Seneca One Tower, was visible from ground level.

The pavilion is next to the main office and gift shop at the lighthouse grounds. Its structure is finished but Briska said it still needs electrical work, installation of roll-down canvas shades to keep out bad weather, and drainage construction.

However, those are coming soon. Briska said Beck Electric is supplying labor to put down electrical service; a Northern Chautauqua County Foundation grant is funding the canvas; Steve St. George will lend equipment to help get the drainage in; and Home Depot is supplying piping for the drainage.

A grant from the city of Dunkirk’s sidewalks program funded construction of two new walkways leading to the pavilion, Briska added.

The Dunkirk Lighthouse and its grounds are currently open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day.

“We’re thrilled all these people are helping us out and making it so all these things can be done,” he said.

The seven rentals made already begin in June and include birthday and graduation parties, weddings, and class reunions.

“It’s a little at a time, it’s a process,” Briska said of the construction. “The more money we make from using this, the more self-sufficient we’ll become,” he added.

The Dunkirk Lighthouse and its grounds will be open every day this season from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — except for July and August when the hours expand to 10 a.m.-4 p.m.