A Great Time For Collectors!
The First Annual Harbour Lights Collectors' Family Reunion

by John Chidester
Copyright 1997, All Rights Reserved

August 1-3, San Diego, California - The "First Annual" Harbour Lights Collectors' Family Reunion was a resounding success according the most of the 480 or so individuals who attended. But will it be an "Annual" event? Or will there even be another Reunion are questions still up in the air at B.C. Younger & Associates.

Bill Younger dropped several hints during the course of the weekend that they weren't sure a reunion should be held annually. Later he explained that the event was a heavy drain on the company's personnel resources and that they did not expect to break even on the event financially. While they plan a more formal survey among those attending in the next week or so, Kim Andrews, COO, asked dinner guests on the closing night whether the event should be held every year, every 2 or every 3 years. The reaction at first was for every year, but when 2 and 3 years were asked, many hands went up a second or third time. Bill also stated that having such an event every year is not really fair to the avid collector who must plan every family vacations around such a get-together.

As for the financial implications, the company was putting on it's first convention and except for one staff member, no one really had any experience in organizing and dealing with the details of such a get-together. Lessons learned in putting on the 1997 Reunion will help keep costs down and make things run smoother inside the organization.

But in addition to the larger VERY limited edition special version of New Point Loma, a smaller version was also designed and produced on an even more limited basis - just one per registrant. (Photo left)

With logo-emblazoned coffee mugs, bars of soaps featuring Cape Hatteras lighthouse image, candy, and other gifts and giveaways, Younger & Associates did things up first class, sparing little expense in treating their 'family' of collectors as real family.

Despite the failure to cover expenses from event registration income, indications are the company feels obligated to hold another Reunion in 1998 -- probably on the East Coast -- but may then skip a year or two between events.

The 1997 Collectors Reunion offered a mix of casual get-together times, a seminar by Founder Bill Younger, a cruise of San Diego Harbor, a tour of two area lighthouses and a clipper ship, and sit-down dinner that featured unique entertainment, an auction, a raffle and special presentations.

In addition to the well-planned and carried-out events, the chance to meet fellow lighthouse enthusiasts and Harbour Lights collectors was also a highlight for many attendees.

Most individuals I talked to at the Reunion declared it a great success -- but just too darn short!

Here's a day-by-day summary of the Reunion:

Thursday, July 31 - Registration, Informal Get-together

San Diego's Embassy Suites hotel was the venue for the first annual reunion. Like most of the company's chain of hotels, the Embassy is an all-suite hotel built around a central atrium, in this case 12 stories high and roughly 100 x 125 feet in size.

The central atrium area of the Embassy Suites provided a gathering place for collectors enjoying the hotel's complimentary breakfast and cocktail hours.

A group of musicians entertained at several events with nautical tunes.

While the Reunion didn't officially start until Friday, Harbour Lights opened up the registration table on Thursday afternoon to allow early-arrivals a chance to pick up their name badges and schedules.

Each attendee was required to appear at the registration table to place a thumb-print on their "Passport" to the Reunion events. At most stops and events, colorful designs were rubber-stamped into the passport pages, creating a memorable souvenir for each individual. A three-dimensional name badge in the shape of Old Point Loma lighthouse was the primary means of identifying who was with the reunion and who wasn't. Of the hotel's 375 guest rooms, about 200 were occupied by those attending the reunion.

Jim Rutherford, author of the "Harbour Lights Survival Guide" and the quarterly "Guiding Lights" newsletter about Harbour Lights and his wife Julie hosted a reception in their suite Friday evening. Secondary Market Broker Dee Brandt of Tennessee had a display of available lighthouses in her room on Friday and Saturday.

Julie and Jim Rutherford

Warren Diamond (right) of Lighthouse Keepers presents an Ocracoke NC limited edition lighthouse won by Mark Wagner.

Lighthouse Keepers also held an 'open house' on Friday and Saturday in one of the hotel's larger suites. Hosted by John Chidester and Warren Diamond, principals in the secondary market service, the suite featured a display case with harder-to-find retired lighthouses. A drawing for an Ocracoke NC lighthouse, valued at $249, was held with Mark Wagner of Hammond IN picking up the door prize.

Friday, August 1 - Lighthouse Tour, Star of India Clipper Ship Tour, San Diego Harbor dinner cruise

Buses took Reunion attendees on a tour Friday that included the Old Point Loma lighthouse, the New Point Loma Lighthouse and the Star of India clipper ship museum. The Old Point Loma light has the highest focal plane of any West Coast lighthouse as it sits on the high point of the Point Loma peninsula that guards the entrance to San Diego Bay. The light could be seen from more than 20 miles out to sea, but was often obscured by low lying clouds. The New Point Loma lighthouse was built at the bottom of the bluff so it could be seen below the cloud layer.

Harry Hine (blue shirt) greets guests as they load the buses for their visit to New and Old Point Loma and the Star of India tall ship.

Photo Copyright 1997, Paul L. Brady

Bill Younger enjoyed his visit to the Old Point Loma lighthouse and posed with one of the company's open editions of the lighthouse at the request of photographer Paul L. Brady.

Photo Copyright 1997, Paul L. Brady

Another "Bill and Me" picture in the making in front of Old Point Loma.

Photo Copyright 1997, Paul L. Brady

The New Point Loma Lighthouse was one stop on the Friday bus tour. Unlike the Old Point Loma light built on the top of the bluff, the New Point Loma was built close to sea level so the light could be seen under low hanging clouds around San Diego Bay.

Photo Copyright 1997, Paul L. Brady

Before boarding the "Lord Hornblower" for the dinner cruise of San Diego Harbor, each "family" attending the reunion had their photo taken with Bill and Nancy Younger, the patriarch and matriarch of the Family of Harbour Lights Collectors. The complimentary photos were then available for pickup on Saturday.

At right, Stan and Gloria Wakefield pose with Bill and Nancy. Stan is a retired Naval intelligence officer now residing in the Jacksonville FL area.

Collectors Herman and Mary Heuvelhorst (in striped shirt and white blouse) of Petoskey, MI, joined other "Family Members" on the Harbor Sunset Dinner Cruise. Mary also sells Harbour Lights on the secondary market.

Bill & Nancy Younger with Christopher, John & Sue Chidester at the gangway to "Lord Hornblower"

The San Diego skyline provided a beautiful backdrop for the Friday evening dinner "harbour" cruise that capped the first day of the reunion. The sun is reflecting off the Embassy Suites hotel.

Saturday, August 2 - Lighthouse modeling, painting, Bill Younger Seminar, Dinner at the Hyatt

Creative types were encouraged to model their own lighthouses or paint ornament-sized lighthouses in one area of the hotel. A photography contest was held as well with prizes for the best in each category presented at the closing dinner.

Bill Younger held two seminars with attendees split into either the morning or afternoon sessions. At each seminar, a different future Harbour Lights lighthouse was displayed (No photos were allowed). Cape Florida on Key Biscayne was unveiled in the morning and Execution Rocks, NY, was shown in the afternoon seminar.

Guest speaker at the seminars was Coast Guard Commander Chip Sharp.

Guest Speaker; Commander Chip Sharp, USCG

Harbour Lights had one meeting room devoted to displaying current, retired and future announced pieces. The display included such items as Coquille River OR up to the recently announced White Shoal MI 1997 Christmas lighthouse. The first six Anchor Bay boats and ships were also displayed. The display room was hosted by a Harbour Lights representative at most times.

Jim Johnston was one of two Grand Prize winners in the Harbour Lights "Show Your Stuff" contest held earlier this year.

Jim custom built a curio in the shape of a lighthouse lantern room and send in pictures of the work in progress as well as the completed project. His prize: an expenses paid trip to the Collectors Reunion. Jim and his wife Joan are about a month away from having their fifth child! They hail from Wisconsin

Guests arriving for dinner Saturday showed their Passports and had them stamped.

While no lighthouses were sold by Harbour Lights during the reunion, the company's line of clothing sold well. T-Shirts, sweat shirts, chambray and polo shirts as well as jackets and baseball caps were available with either the Harbour Lights logo or the Anchor Bay Ships & Boats logo

Sunday, August 3: Auction Sets Record $10,300 for Unique "One of Two" Point Vicente HL Lighthouse

Betty and John O'Brien of South Carolina were the high bidders for an almost-one-of-a-kind Harbour Lights lighthouse. The Point Vicente CA lighthouse model is one of only two made by Harbour Lights before they decided to totally re-sculpt it for a future release. The piece had been planned for introduction in 1995. The successful bid by Betty and John O'Brien of $10,300 benefited The Tybee Island Lighthouse Restoration project which Harbour Lights has been helping to spearhead.

Among the other items auctioned was a Portland Head ME limited edition purchased for $900 by Lighthouse Keepers to benefit the Tybee Island lighthouse restoration.

Bill Younger shows off the very special Point Vicente Artists Proof as he takes bids from the floor for the unique piece.

Betty O'Brien with Bill Younger after the successful  record high bid for a Harbour Lights lighthouse. The $10,300 amount is the highest known amount that any Harbour Lights lighthouse has ever brought.

Each of the dinner tables for eight featured nautical themed decorations with three currently available Harbour Lights lighthouses, fish net and cork floats. At the end of the dinner, the decorations were also given away. A contest was held for guests to guess the lighthouse which will be the 1998-99 Society Exclusive. Sea Girt, NJ will be the special lighthouse.

Betty's Choice: Original Cape Hatteras or Original Mark Sherman Water Color?

An Angel was watching over Betty Darrin Saturday night.

Before the closing dinner held for Collectors at the nearby Hyatt Hotel in San Diego. Attendees could purchase "opportunity" tickets at $20 for the drawing -- but the limit was just one ticket per attendee. The gifts ranged from a very rare "original" Cape Hatteras lighthouse (#102) to Artists Proofs of retired lighthouses to more common pieces available today.

But rather than assign a prize to a ticket as it was drawn, Bill Younger allowed the first person whose name was drawn to pick from among all the prizes. Betty didn't hesitate when her name was called first. She picked the original water color of the New Point Loma CA lighthouse by Mark Sherman. Mark's paintings are used exclusively on Harbour Lights' calendars. With an original Cape Hatteras selling on the secondary market for about $5,000 as the 'top' item, Betty's choice of the painting surprised many at the dinner. While of excellent quality, Mark Sherman original paintings have not sold for such a sum as $5,000 in the past.

Later Betty explained to a small group that she had lost her father only a few weeks prior to the Reunion after a long illness. While on the tour Friday of the Old Point Loma and New Point Loma lighthouses, she recalled previously forgotten memories of climbing the New Point Loma tower with her father when she was a very young girl. The painting will help to keep the childhood memories of her father alive for Betty Darrin. For Betty, it was not even close - the painting was priceless.

Richard Moll, who's name was picked second in the Opportunity Drawing selected the original Cape Hatteras.