ELK RAPIDS AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

P O Box 2

Elk Rapids, MI 49629-0002

Contact: Dan LeBlond, President

Phone: (231) 264-5692 or (231) 264-8984

E-mail: president@elkrapidshistory.org

Website: www.elkrapidshistory.org

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

The Elk Rapids Area Historical Society’s sixth program for 2010 is, “Lighthouses of the Grand Traverse Region.”  It will be presented by Stef Staley on Thursday September 16th, 7:00 p.m. at the Historic Elk Rapids Township Hall, 401 River Street (across from the tennis courts).

Sailors and their vessels have plied the Grand Traverse area for centuries relying on lighthouses to guide them safely through the treacherous shoals and shallow areas of the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Lighthouses, shipping and shipwrecks are an important part of our local maritime history.  Highlights of the program will include Grand Traverse Light, Mission Pt. Light, South Manitou Island Light, North Manitou Shoal Crib Light, North Manitou Island Light, Charlevoix Light, and South Fox Island Light and their direct impact on the local community. Shipwrecks surrounding these lighthouses will also be an integral part of this presentation.

Stef Staley is the Executive Director of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum, Northport, MI.

Admission Fee:  $5.00 suggested donation for adults and $2.00 donation for students (under age 18) is requested at the door for these programs. Any free-will donation will be graciously accepted!  All proceeds benefit the Elk Rapids Area Historical Society.

For more information contact Dan LeBlond, President, Elk Rapids Area Historical Society;

Tel. 231-264-8984 or send e-mail to: president@elkrapidshistory.org. Visit our website at: http://www.elkrapidshistory.org/calendar.htm to view a listing of all remaining 2010 programs and special events.