Brian Freiberger reported on the station’s opening this past week’s edition of the Leelanau Enterprise. A link to the article is provided here.
The text is also available via the Leelanau News Facebook page.
Our island team enjoyed a very special Strawberry Moon on Wednesday night.
A strawberry moon, so-named by Native Americans marking the season when wild strawberries are harvested, describes June’s full moon and marks the start of summer.
In European tradition, the June moon was also sometimes referred to as a “Honey Moon” for its somewhat golden color. It marked a time when marriages were common.
The 2025 strawberry moon was particularly unusual as it coincided with an event called the major “lunar standstill” or “lunistice”….essentially the moon’s equivalent of a solstice where it reaches its most extreme northern and southern points in the sky. This phenomenon occurs only once every 18.6 years. This won’t occur again until 2043.
The moon appeared lower in the sky than usual, enhancing its size and color. When the moon is near the horizon, it often takes on an orange or reddish hue.
Photo credit: Sandra White
The opening team of Cathy Allchin, Barb Falkenhagen, Tom McBride, Linda Posler & Sandra White is “on island” this week.
The team was greeted with a number of unplanned projects. A loose tower shutter broke a window pane (yet to be repaired). A branch damaged the rear door on the workshop/summer kitchen, which Tom has already gone to work on. Many branches and downed trees had to be attended to before gear could be stowed and the lawn mowed. The team, with help from day visitors who can out with them, made great progress on clearing.
Follow the Keepers Log for further updates.
Photo credit: Sandra White
The team hasn’t inspected the “new” lighthouse yet….but it appears to be standing strong.
Photo credit: Barb Falkenhagen
Thanks to a donation from Sandy Hingston we have several additional historical items to add to our archives for Head Keeper Lewis Bourissau, who served from 1891- 1915. Bourissau was our longest serving head keeper and was responsible for implementing significant improvements to the station including the addition of the steam fog signal, the conversion from lard oil to the cleaner and brighter burning kerosene and the brick, two-story, three-apartment keeper’s quarters.
Above are photos in this recent contribution.
We are always looking to enhance our collections and make more information about our keepers available to the public. If you have photos and information about the station or keepers, please get in touch with us at southfoxisland@gmail.com
Preparations continue toward the upcoming season with an anticipated opening of the island the first week of June. We will be trying to do back-to-back trips or multiple week assignments. Volunteers joining trips will be asked to contribute $200 per person again this year.
Our annual DNR matching grant has been submitted. We await a decision on funding. Meanwhile, planning for materials continues. We received a donation of a maintenance kit for the mower, another project on this summer’s schedule.
Several board members plan to attend the DNR Volunteer Summit April 4-5.
If you want to learn more about the lighthouse’s history, restoration projects, the natural environment or just want to see some awesome images, do check out our South Fox YouTube channel. They’ve had 30,000 views, mostly since early 2024 when we started posting more content.
We’ve also developed several playlists incorporating videos from other creators. For instance “Wrecks off South Fox” includes content by Brendon Baillod, Steve Webb and Chris Roxburgh.
Have video of the island that you’d care to share? Please let us know.
Tom McBride first volunteered for FILA in 2022 and has been engaged in a wide variety of projects including lantern room restoration, water and solar systems. He is an automotive engineer and small business owner. In this latter capacity, he and his wife Jackie run The Shoal Shoppe which distributes “Michigan 129” branded lighthouse items and provides online distribution for South Fox merchandise.
He’s worked on several other lighthouse projects including White Shoal, Spectacle Reef, Rock of Ages and Frankfort’s North Breakwater Light.
Our 2024 annual print newsletter is on its way. If you haven’t received your copy, did your address change and we need an update? If so, please email us at southfoxisland@gmail.com or send us a note at P.O. Box 851, Traverse City, MI 49685.
If your membership expired or you’re not yet a member, please visit us at https://southfoxlighthouse.org/donate.
Minor Corrections & Clarifications
“It took 40 years” is a nod to the work done by the Michigan Youth Corp in 1984. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43XhwAvB3hM to learn more.
Several volunteer groups formed and dissolved before FILA successfully organized in 2004. Restoration began 2006: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALB_5MYQNLA
The initial whitewashing of the “house” portion of the 1867 light was done by Naomi Nowland & Scott Johnson in 2018. See https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xM_34_CaGGc. The tower was whitewashed by contractors in 2021.
Missed the meeting or want to review things?
The annual meeting presentation is available on our YouTube channel.
Enjoy!
Come one, come all…South Fox Island Lighthouse Association is holding our annual meeting on November 9, 2024 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Leland Library in Leland, MI. We will be showcasing some great holiday gifts, as well as providing an update on this year’s projects. Bring a dish to share and your best ideas for future island projects!