Celebrate the holiday season with live music and more at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum’s annual Luminary Night open house on Wednesday, Dec. 7th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL. – Holiday cheer will abound at the historic St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum next Wednesday, Dec. 7th, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Museum’s annual holiday open house, Luminary Night, will include children’s crafts, a bake sale, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and live performances from the St. Augustine High School Choir and Classical Guitar Ensemble, as well as the Anastasia String Quartet, Dulcinea Recorder Group, and the St. Augustine Youth Choir.
More than a thousand luminaries will light the grounds of the Light Station from the edges of Lighthouse Park up to the 1874 tower at the heart of the historic property. Guests are invited to climb the tower for a breathtaking nighttime view of St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights celebration.
The 1876 Keepers’ House will also be open so that visitors can enjoy the Museum’s exhibits on shipwreck archaeology, the daily lives of keepers and their families, and the history behind St. Augustine’s successful shrimping and boatbuilding industries. A drawing will also be held for an Acorn Skiff, built by hand through the Museum’s volunteer-led Heritage Boatworks program. Tickets for the drawing are $5 each and will be available the night of the event.
This event is an annual culmination of the Museum’s service to the local community. As part of its mission to discover, preserve, present, and keep alive the stories of the Nation’s Oldest PortSM, as told by the working St. Augustine Lighthouse, the Museum serves more than 200,000 people, including 50,000 school-age children, each year. From summer camp to underwater archaeology field school to educational outreach programs, the Museum strives to offer opportunities in science, technology, history, math, engineering, and more to students from kindergarten through graduate school, including at-risk children in St. Johns County.
Luminary Night, sponsored in part by Publix Supermarkets Charities, Herbie Wiles Insurance, and Harbor Community Bank, is a free event, but donations to the non-profit Museum are welcomed. All historic preservation, archaeology research, and educational programs presented by the Museum are funded by individual and corporate donors, admissions fees, and grants.
With restoration work on the Light Station’s World War II-era U.S. Coast Guard Barracks and Jeep Maintenance Garage slated for 2017, as well as the construction of a new, handicap-accessible center for maritime research and education, donations to the Museum’s capital campaign and general fund are more critical than ever.
For additional information about Luminary Night or other upcoming events at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, please call (904) 829-0745 or visit www.staugustinelighthouse.org.
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