Things are fairly slow this winter publicity-wise with the discontinuation of the yearly Winter Lights event at the Calvert Marine Museum, but we look forward to the spring when things will be heating up.

First on the agenda is the Piney Point Waterfront Festival, to be held May 10-11. This is an annual event celebrating the Piney Point Lighthouse and Museum. We will be recruiting members of the Chapter's publicity team to be on hand and we encourage all of our membership to come out and enjoy this fun event. Also in Southern Maryland, we anticipate a special grand opening ceremony of the Blackistone Lighthouse replica on St. Clements Island sometime in the late spring, early summer time frame.

Other lighthouse events occurring around the state will be posted on the website and in subsequent newsletters once the dates are announced.

In addition to this year's Maryland Lighthouse Challenge scheduled for September 20-21, there are other Challenges on tap. You can see the roster of the 2008 Challenges in the Maryland Lighthouse Challenge update which appears elsewhere in this newsletter. You will note that in addition to the New Jersey, Long Island and Mid-Coast Maine annual events, there are two brand new Challenges scheduled, Martha's Vineyard and the Lights Across the Border (an International event!) It is certainly going to be a busy season for lighthouse enthusiasts!