Related Resources • Portland Head Lighthouse • Portland's Bug Light • Quoddy Head Lighthouse • Visit 5 Lighthouses Near Portland • Lighthouses of the Kennebec • Maine Lighthouse Links

Rhode Island had its Mr. Potato Heads, Belfast had its Bears, Rockland had its Lobster Maine-ia. This summer, Portland will have its Lighthouses on Parade, with 100 ten-foot-tall fiberglass lighthouses painted or decorated by local artists on display on street corners all around greater Portland (from Brunswick to Wells).

Maps will be available to identify the location of each lighthouse so locals and visitors to the area can visit each unique lighthouse. Be sure to look for one next time you're in town and see how many of the lighthouses you can can visit. Each one will be a unique, one-of-a-kind creation. To get an inkling of the kind of creativity you're likely to see, check out some of the lobsters from Rockland's Lobster Maine-ia of a few summers ago.

In the fall, the lighthouses will be sold at a live auction and the proceeds will go to a number of local non-profit organizations.

A book with a picture of each lighthouse and information on the artist who painted it is available as of May 1st for $30 plus shipping from Lighthouse Depot (1-800-758-1444 - ask for item # 31874). The book also contains historical information and old photos of some of Maine's lighthouses. Proceeds of the book will go to the American Lighthouse Foundation.

If you'd like your book autographed by Tim Harrison, author of the historical part of the book, president of the American Lighthouse Foudnation, and editor of Lighthouse Digest magazine, you'll need to request the autograph when ordering your book. Quantities are limited and no additional copies will ever be printed, so order early.