A telethon for Swallowtail lighthouse on Sunday, April 16, was a love fest for the island's iconic landmark that ran over four hours, bringing in a grand total of $50,000 toward replacing the deteriorating shingles with vinyl siding. CHCO TV aired "Tending the Light" across their TV and social media channels. Swallowtail Keepers Society (SKS) launched the fundraising campaign last August, but the need became more urgent during the winter when water infiltrated the tower and damaged some of the lath and plaster ceiling.
      Swallowtail was first lit on July 7, 1860, built as a response to the wreck of the Lord Ashburton not far away. It was automated in 1985, and ownership passed to the village of North Head in 1994. When the now amalgamated Village of Grand Manan announced plans to sell the light in 2008, SKS was formed, and the group has since restored the buildings and created a museum in the tower. Some 14,000 to 15,000 people visit each summer.
      CHCO host Vicki Hogarth was joined by head lightkeeper Ken Ingersoll and fundraising co chair Bart Myers. Throughout the afternoon, documentary segments were shown, and islanders with connections to the lighthouse shared their stories.
      A driving force behind the creation and work of SKS was Ingersoll's wife Laurie Murison, who passed away in 2021. In sharing stories of things he'd seen, Ingersoll recalled the 2007 grass fire on Swallowtail Point. He and Murison were certain the buildings would be destroyed, but they survived, leaving the couple with a desire to see them preserved. In a documentary short by Jack Butler, Murison said Swallowtail gave her a mystical feeling akin to Delphi in Greece "where oracles would tell you your fate." She spoke of the importance of maintaining the character of the lighthouse and how she wanted to "make it an experience" for visitors: to not just march out, take a photo and march back, but to spend more time there. "I don't think you can ever have enough photographs of Swallowtail," she said. "It always looks a little bit different."
      Several guests were lightkeepers' children who spent part of their childhoods at Swallowtail. Norma Neves shared memories of the house that was built in 1958. Verna Ingalls recalled ringing the bell as the ferry passed and said she didn't mind the thundering surf and salt spray on the windows -- a normal part of life. Siblings Laurel Hinsdale and Morrill Ingersoll recounted moving a piano down the steps and out to the house. They had to take the railing off the doorstep, but the worst thing, Ingersoll said, was moving a mattress in the wind. They recalled defrosting the tower windows with alcohol and the sound of herring "boiling up in the ocean." Their mother made a quilt from the flags that had flown on the point. Ingersoll said, "We've lost so much on Grand Manan," and he noted the importance of keeping contact with the past.
      "It's a symbol of who we are," said Mayor Bonnie Morse, adding that the village made sure to include Swallowtail in its new logo. She acknowledged the "incredible work" by SKS to restore it. The lighthouse is a source of pride for the community and a unique opportunity to see history and what life would have been like in the past, she said as she encouraged people to visit.
      Glenn Foster's great aunt Elodie Foster was killed igniting the light's alcohol burner in 1936 when her clothes caught fire. He called Swallowtail an integral part of the fabric of the island and described losing his electronics while out in his boat. Swallowtail and Duck Island lights with their familiar signals guided him home. He noted that lighthouses are disappearing because people can't afford to keep them going commercially. "If we don't do these things [fundraisers], nobody's going to do it for us," he said.
      Jennilyn Green of MG Fisheries and Trapped Clothing described Swallowtail as "the heartbeat of the island" and recalled returning on the ferry with her mother, who would ask, "Can you see the light?" The lighthouse as a symbol of returning home was mentioned by nearly everyone. Ken Ingersoll summed up, "She's there to welcome you, and she's there to say goodbye."
      The island's Rotary Club contributed $10,000. Swallowtail was already one of their charities of the month. Speaking for the club, Robert Griffin remembered playing there with his siblings as children and being allowed to ring the bell. Swallowtail is "our symbol of Grand Manan," he said, naming it alongside icons like the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower.
      Mainland guests included Sean Dunbar, owner of Picaroons brewery in Fredericton. They have been a fundraising partner with both lump sum donations and proceeds from their Swallowtail Light beer. Dunbar spent a weekend at Swallowtail and was moved by the atmosphere of history and community. Swallowtail "gives you a sense of all that is New Brunswick," he said. "It works perfectly as an icon." Another mainland telethon supporter was GAP Auto, which also donated posters and graphic art to promote it. Saint John musical duo Don't Tell Roy -- Linda Boyer McPhee and Charlotte Dort -- performed several songs in the studio.
      Artist Jane Geurts donated a colourful painting of Swallowtail for an art auction that ran during the telethon, raising $5,000. A limited edition print will be created for the donors of $100 and up.
      MLA Andrea Anderson Mason and Dawn Myers read pledges. Bart Myers thanked CHCO as an "integral partner" and said the fundraiser was "inspirational and daunting at the same time."
      Ken Ingersoll was "completely overwhelmed" by the support. He was initially reluctant to change the character of the lighthouse with vinyl siding, but he saw a "gorgeous" one in PEI and the siding was recommended by the Coast Guard and is approved by Heritage Canada. "I can see the finish line," he said. "I'm really excited about making the first call to our contractor."
      As of April 21, about $210,000 of the $479,000 goal had been raised. The shingles are waiting in a trailer on the island, and the next step will be bringing in two tractor trailer loads of staging. The start date is not yet set, but Ingersoll is hopeful for early June. Donations may still be made through www.swallowtaillighthouse.com, to swallowtail.donations@gmail.com, or by mail to Swallowtail Keepers Society, 50 Lighthouse Road, Grand Manan, NB E5G 2A2.