ANSWER: Maine Open Lighthouse Day is on Saturday, Sept. 10, this year, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event, sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Maine Office of Tourism and the American Lighthouse Foundation, features more than two dozen of Maine’s 65-plus lighthouses, but that list updates each year and the names of participating lighthouses for 2016 have yet to be released.
In 2015, participating sites included: Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse; Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse; Burnt Island Lighthouse; Curtis Island Lighthouse; Doubling Point Lighthouse; Dyce Head Lighthouse; Fort Point Lighthouse; Goat Island Lighthouse; Grindle Point Lighthouse; Kennebec River Range Front and Rear Lights; Little River Lighthouse; Marshall Point Lighthouse; Monhegan Island Lighthouse; Owl’s Head Lighthouse; Pemaquid Point Lighthouse; Portland Breakwater Lighthouse, aka Bug Light; Portland Head Lighthouse; Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse; Sequin Island Lighthouse; Spring Point Lighthouse; West Quoddy Head Lighthouse; and Wood Island Lighthouse.
As far as park passes go, The U.S. National Park Service offers a $10 America the Beautiful Lifetime Pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents for seniors age 62 and over. Quite a deal as far as Sun Spots is concerned. The pass, which you can purchase at a federal recreation site (in Maine, that means at Acadia National Park), covers entry into more than 2,000 national sites and will cover the senior pass holder and anyone in a non-commercial vehicle at sites where you pay per carload, or the senior pass holder and three companions at pay-per-person sites. The guests do not have to be seniors. For an additional $10 to cover processing, you can also order your pass online.
Maine also sells annual state park passes, which offer access to most, but not all, state parks. Maine seniors, age 65 and older, do not need individual passes, as day-use park admission is free for them. If, however, a senior would like a vehicle pass, which covers day-use entry at participating parks plus passengers in vehicles that hold up to 17 people, then that cost is $30.
If you need/want to purchase a state park pass, then you can visit any participating state park during the in-season months, or you can call the state’s Campground Reservations Call Center at (207) 624-9950. Passes are also available for purchase online or you can buy one by checking a box on your state income tax form and having them deduct it from your refund.
Use the QR code to go to Sun Spots online for additional information and links. This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com, tweeted @SJ_SunSpots or posted on the Sun Spots Facebook page at facebook.com/SunJournalSunSpots. This column can also be read online at sunjournal.com/sunspots. We’ve joined Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/sj_sunspots.
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