Darien Man Seeks Win In Festival Of Lighthouses Contest

From the City of Norwalk:

NORWALK, CT – A commemorative model lighthouse made by a Darien man is vying for the $1,500 top prize in the 15th annual “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” opening Nov. 19 at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

“Frozen in Time” by Robert Keene, with help from Ashley Hoefer, Clayton Ludwig and Matt Banke, is among the 13 large handcrafted beacons in the holiday display, which will be open daily through Jan. 16 in the popular Connecticut family attraction.

The contest/exhibit works like a juried art show except that thousands of Maritime Aquarium visitors are the jury. All guests who visit between Nov. 19 and Jan. 16 get a ballot and the chance to vote for their favorite entry. The lighthouse that gets the most votes wins $1,500. There are cash awards for three runners-up too.

Seeing – and voting for – the lighthouses is free with Aquarium admission.

This year’s 13 lighthouses were built by hobbyists with a vision, by families or friends looking for a fun challenge, and – in two cases – as an exercise by clients of special-needs centers. Some entries are modeled to look like real lighthouses; others are wildly whimsical.

“As always, there will be disagreements over which lighthouse is the best, but there’s no debate that the lighthouses add a fun, creative, festive feel to the Aquarium through the holidays that is greatly appreciated,” said Thomas Frankie, the Aquarium’s exhibits manager.

Rules of the “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” are kept to a minimum to allow for maximum creativity. Lighthouses must be 3 to 6 feet tall and have a working light, and may not include food items or animal remains, such as shells or bones. Beyond that, it’s up to the creators’ imaginations.

This is the third year Keene has entered the Aquarium contest. He won the top prize last year.

His submission this year, “Frozen in Time” is an ode to the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, an enormous freighter that sank in a storm on Lake Superior in November 1975, killing all 29 crew members. (The sinking was the subject of a hit song by Gordon Lightfoot a year later.) The upper level of the entry has a model of a freighter heading out an icy channel, passing a shoreline lighthouse blasted with winter ice (with candle wax serving as ice). The lower level with stones and seaweed replicates the lake floor, where the freighter ultimately will rest. Guests who look closely will discover that a tugboat already does.

Materials used in other lighthouses in the 2016 contest include everything from wood, paper and PVC pipe to wine corks, beach balls, Popsicle® sticks and Lego® figures.

Contestants this year entered from near (Norwalk and Darien) and far (Bethel, Danbury and Shelton in Connecticut, and Hartsdale, Yonkers and Pine Bush – near Middletown – in New York).

Besides the contest’s $1,500 top award, other prizes are: $750 for second place, $300 for third and $150 for fourth. A separate vote on Facebook will earn $500 for first place. Winners will be announced at an evening reception on Jan. 19.

The 2016 “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” is free with Maritime Aquarium admission, which is $22.95 for adults, $20.95 for youths (13-17) & seniors (65+), and $15.95 for children ages 3-12.

For more details about Maritime Aquarium exhibits, IMAX® movies and special events this holiday season, call (203) 852-0700 or go online to www.maritimeaquarium.org.

Image via The Maritime Aquarium