Oak Orchard Lighthouse plans light show for iconic site at Point Breeze

Public can comment on plan during meeting Wednesday

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Oak Orchard Lighthouse is shown on May 10, 2024 during a dazzling display of the Northern Lights. The spectacle in the sky has inspired the lighthouse’s board of directors to pursue a light show on the structure.

CARLTON – The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum wants to recreate the magic of the Northern Lights with a light show on the lighthouse in a 20-30 minute show around dusk on Friday, Saturday and Sundays.

The museum will have a public meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Carlton United Methodist Church, 1196 Archbald Rd., Waterport.

The museum’s board will present the plan for a light show. The project is funded with a $5,000 grant for the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO Art!).

Cheryl Giacherio, a volunteer with the lighthouse and the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association, said the light show is inspired by the Northern Lights which put on a memorable display May 10, 2024.

She reached out to IlluminFx, a Rochester-based company with a national reputation. IlluminFx has lighted up the Alamo, a battleship in the Carolinas and many building facades and outdoor spaces.

The Lighthouse Museum needs to have the public meeting to hear from the community, and then share that feedback with the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, which owns the land where the lighthouse stands next to the Oak Orchard River and Lake Ontario. The museum has already completed an environmental assessment form which showed no negative impacts to wildlife or the dark sky.

Besides the Friday through Sunday light shows, Giacherio said the museum would like to offer one special holiday show most months.

The museum is planning to have a song played at the beginning of the light show to announce the start of the event.

Chris Manaseri, the museum board president, said the light show should bring more people to Point Breeze, boosting local businesses.

Once the equipment for the light show is installed, it can be reused repeatedly over several years. There will be computerized equipment to project images and lights as part of the display.

Manaseri said he expects the regular schedule for the light shows would go from around Memorial Day in late May to Labor Day in early September.

The start for this year is uncertain because it depends on when the $5,000 will be made available from Go Art! Last year, the museum didn’t receive its grant from Go Art! until August.