Fairport Harbor Lighthouse and Museum.

This morning I woke up and for some reason I thought of Fairport Harbor. Not just Fairport Harbor but, specifically Fairport Harbor lighthouse. Now the city of Fairport Harbor itself is an interesting place and has its own place in Ohio History. The City at one time was the greatest port on Lake Erie and handled more shipping than even Cleveland. Located on the Green River just East of Cleveland and North of Painesville it was a bustling harbor town that served the early coal and steel industry. Settled mainly by Finns the city still has a festival celebrating its Finnish heritage. It's been suggested that the climate and landscape of Northeast Ohio resembled Finland and early Finnish settlers let other Finns know that Fairport Harbor was a place they could thrive. The harbor was also the largest port of access for members of the Church of Latter Day Saints on their pilgrimage west. Over 3,000 of this pilgrims disembarked at Fairport Harbor.
The harbor was the last stop on the underground railroad for many escaping slaves. I can imagine the beacon of the lighthouse was a beacon of hope as well as salvation for these tired travelers.
The lighthouse itself was completed in 1825 however the construction did not take into account the type of soil on which it was built. Within ten years it began to sink and by the civil war it was in a terrible state of disrepair. A new lighthouse was proposed and approved. It was to be built on the same site and a temporary light was posted on a tower. The new light began operation in 1871.
The lighthouse is built on a rise above the harbor and is 102 feet over the water. It was outfitted with a third order Fresnel lens and shone a fixed beacon out over the lake. This lens can be viewed in the museum today. By WWI the harbor had changed to the point that the lighthouse no longer served its purpose and a new lighthouse was constructed on the Fairport Harbor west breakwater. This new light was finished in 1925 and it looked like the end for the original light. The town and area rallied twice to save the old lighthouse and at the end of WWII the Fairport Harbor Historical Society was formed to keep and protect the lighthouse.
The museum is located in the old keeper's house and is an excellent example of what a lighthouse museum should be. There is even the story of a ghost cat in the old keepers house. If you go be sure to ask about that. The museum is filled with memorabilia and old photos. It is well run and staffed by volunteers. It is an amazing place to learn of life on the eastern part of the lake during the formative years of Ohio.
If you are feeling active be sure to climb the 69 steps to the top of the old lighthouse. The view is definitely worth the energy expended. If the weather is good take a bathing suit as the light now looks over the Fairport Harbor beach as well as the west breakwater lighthouse.
If you are going you may want to check and make sure the lighthouse is open. They are closed in the winter but will open by appointment. In the summer they are open Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, and legal holidays, 1-6PM. Cost is $3 or $2 for seniors.
The email is fhhs@ncweb.com.

Schoepfle Garden Lorain Metro Parks

The fact that spring is right around the corner has put me in the mood to review a place that is a regular spring stop for me. Just west of the Vermilion River, in Birmingham, Ohio, there is a lovely park by the name of Schoepfle Garden. It is part of the Lorain Metro-parts system and is a very well maintained, function botanical garden. It has around twenty display areas with ample parking. There are many floral views and scenic displays. Be prepared to walk and look about. There are great pathways and a pond or two. You may want to pack a lunch so you can take your time and really commune with the nature presented. Spring is a time for flowers and they have many of them on display as well as many topiaries and trees. They have many trees that are not indigenus to the Firelands area. As I have said it is a well maintained area and everytime I have been there the pathways have been well kept and easy to negotiate. There are 70 acres to walk in so comfortable shoes are a must. The park is named after Otto B. Schoepfle. He bought the property in 1936. Apparently he was much taken by the botanical gardens he had visited in Europe. He built this one in homage to the European ones he had been to. He donated the entire property, including his house, to the Lorain Metro Parks in 1969. I recommend bringing a camera as you will get spectacular photos at most times of the year. Even though I really like the garden in springtime my favorite time to visit is in the summer. The last week of June and the first few weeks of July are when the hostas are blooming and they are stunning. This is a great place to stop when we are out and about on the motorcycle. We like to pick up a sandwich at deli and ride to the garden to dine beneath the trees. You can hear the Vermilion River at most places in the garden and its tranquil murmuring gives a great sense of peace to the already relaxing park. The entrance to the garden is on Market Street in Birmingham, it is the first street west of the Vermilion River on SR113. It is very easy to find and to get in and out of. The Schoepfle Garden is a singular area of the Firelands and I have not seen its ilk any where nearby. Enjoy your time there and let me know what you think.

Something Special.

I was privileged to partake of two of the greatest assets in the Firelands Area last week. On Thursday night I attended a concert by the Norwalk High School Band. Okay, I admit to a certain bias when it comes to the Norwalk High Band but I have really put that aside for this writing. The current band, while maybe not the best ever, is very, very good. They opened with two percussion ensembles followed by a trio. Then they swung into the full band. I am not a musician by any means but I have been around musicians and music long enough to know a few things. The first is that several of the pieces that the NHS band played last Thursday were college level pieces. They usually have a few musicians in the school that can easily handle college level music. I would think most high schools do. But to even attempt it with the entire band shows a level of playing ability that rises above average. And they nailed it. I know that they have had trouble in practice with one of the pieces that they played. The fact is that the band did what all people that excel at anything do, they rose to the occasion and played it with no errors that I could detect. Unfortunately I believe this was their last concert of the year so you will have to wait for the 4th of July parade to hear them and I'm afraid that the marching version of the band is incredibly different than the concert one, specially in the Enrsthausen Performing Arts Center.
Which is the second great asset that I want to talk about. What a great asset to the area. Wow! Not many small towns have a public stage with the height that will allow the raising of the curtains let alone being able to fly scenery and back drops. Anyone that has had to go to a concert at the old Norwalk High School building will remember the horrible sound quality of that auditorium. After all in is a gym and an auditorium and it really doesn't do either well. Now that it is a fifth and sixth grade building I feel sorry for the poor children in the sixth grade orchestra. They try their best but if you have someone noisy next to you they will cover the sound of almost anything coming from the stage. The room just eats sound. Not so with the Ernsthausen Performing Arts Center (EPAC). The stage is made to project to the audience. The room itself is made so that sound travels around in it and isn't absorbed by the walls. The stage has reflective sound shells flying above it that push the sound out into the room instead of letting it get lost in the rafters above the stage. if you are sitting in the balcony you can hear every note of a flute solo. Great place to hear NHS Band, Choir, or Orchestra. It's good for the community as several dance academies use it for their recitals. Other area schools use it for performances. and it doesn't just sit empty all week waiting. The EPAC is used by NHS for Band and Orchestra classes through the week as well as for special assemblies and presentations. Next up is the NHS Musical, "The Music Man", starring many of the students I just heard in concert. Wow, they play and sing! It Starts March 12th and I already have my tickets! Come enjoy more of what the area has to offer.