Custom House Maritimes

It takes a village, as somebody once put it. I wish you all could see the variety of callers we have each day at the museum, many of them here not as tourists, but to contribute a unique artifact, a story, sage advice, a book, an idea, or simple moral support. We have museum trustees, members, docents and volunteers—without whom we could not keep the museum open. There are the artists, craftsmen and mariners, who allow us to visit and teach about their work through educational programs and museum exhibitions. Visiting teachers, students, tourists bring the museum to life. Helpful colleagues and community partners support our causes and amplify our efforts. Please stop by, anytime. We love to hear what you have to say. And thank you for thinking of the Custom House.

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We deplore the fact that Little Gull lighthouse and island, one of four lighthouses leading in to New London harbor, is about to be auctioned by our government to a private individual. According to the National Lighthouse Protection Act of 2000, the federal government says their 'ideal' solution is to have the light taken over by a local non-profit or community organization. But in this case, the group whih agreed to 'adopt' the lighthouse dropped out, and notw this important piece of our heritage is up for sale.

New London Maritime Society, working with Save the Sound and other environmental groups in both NY and CT, have petitioned the government to adopt Little Gull since September, 2011--before the auction began. We have gong to our senators, etc. for help...

In fact, rookeries for the endangered species the roseate tern exist on Little Gull Island.

The site visit for prospective buyers took place June 28, 2012. We asked to go on the trip, and registered as a bidder last fall, but we were not allowed as we could not meet the minimum deposit amount: $25,000!

At this time, just prior to OpSail / SailFest 2012 and our Sentinels on the Sound Lighthouse Weekend / Don't Miss the Boat events in New London, when we are celebrating our waterfront and maritime history, this auction is a tragedy--both for our heritage and for the environment.

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There's a lot both going on & not going on in New London this summer. People have moved, grants are delayed, events have been curtailed. We're hosting OpSail, but what about those great evening concerts on the Parade?... Consequently cooperative-planning is a little tricky for many of the groups downtown.

One question that came in today was about our annual CribbageFest: when is it? We usually host the match right about now, but our super CribbageFest organizer, Brian, decamped to sunny Florida several months back and is very happy there. All I can suggest is if YOU are an avid player and would like to help organize this year's match, please let me know and we'll schedule it for later this summer.

At the Custom House, we find if we tag on to another event going on downtown we can be very successful. But if we hold events on lur own--especially outdoor events that require a crowd, they kinda fall flat; there just aren't enough people mulling around downtown. This is why it's important to stay connected and partner with the other New London organizations, galleries & shops, so we can cross-promote our activities and work togerther collaboratively.

The good news is that our tent is going up on Thursday. It should be ready for Hope Week weekend activities. If you'd like to help Watch This Space for updates or go to our Facebook page:

 www.Facebook.com/CustomHouseMaritimeMuseum

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Dear NLMS members, fans & visitors,

We're starting a blog to keep you up-to-date with everything happening at the New London Maritime Society - Custom House Maritime Museum & New London Harbor Lighthouse.

Please write back and let us know your ideas & suggestions. You also may subscribe to receive automatic blog updates with our RSS feed.

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