WHAT’S ON TAP
Lots planned at lighthouse property.
The Keeper’s Kitchen at the Cape Forchu lighthouse opens for the season May 31 as a celebration of the 2017-18 lobster fishing season in the region, which will be coming to a close, is celebrated.
The haul-up day celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with music throughout the day by Elizabeth Wright.
The opening event kicks off a busy summer at the lighthouse.
New hours for the Keeper’s Kitchen restaurant are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, with a breakfast menu available starting in June.
Hours on Fridays and Saturdays are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Fridays are fish-fry days, with entertainment lined up from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
On Saturdays there will be lobster boils from 5 to 8 p.m. The restaurant will be closed on Sundays.
Work is underway on a “higherend lobster experience” for this fall.
For weekly specials at the Keeper’s Kitchen, check out their Facebook page.
Patti Durkee, a director with the Friends of the Light and public relations committee member, says the gift shop and lighthouse museum are now open.
New this year, the lighthouse gift shop is offering hooded souvenir sweatshirts on a limited basis, available in adult sizes for $75 each.
The Friends are expecting more visitors this season because of the filming of the Lighthouse (starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) that happened on site earlier this spring.
“Absolutely,” said Durkee, when asked about the icon’s tourism appeal.
She added that the remediation of the site, performed by the film company, looks “great.”
“I think they left it in better shape,” she said.
A year from now, after the movie has been released, interpretive panels featuring information about the film will be mounted where it was shot on the Leif Ericson trail.
On Canada Day, July 1, an outdoor concert will start at 6 p.m. The Keeper’s Kitchen will be holding a barbecue on site. Bring your blankets and chairs.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase. The lineup includes Gerard LeBlanc and friends, Alyssa & Alex, and Triple Trouble with Marc Durkee.
After a successful first summer, Yarmouth Walking Tours is expanding its tour offerings to Cape Forchu.
With the blessing of Friends of Yarmouth Light, the Keeper’s Memories tour launches this summer.
During the 75- minute tour, tales of Cape Forchu’s early lightkeepers and the triumphs, tragedies and near misses they experienced are told.
Viking lore, the history of the Bayview and Markland resorts, as well as tales of shipwrecks occurring just outside of Yarmouth’s treacherous harbour are shared.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated back to Friends of Yarmouth Light so it can be reinvested in the property.
Tours are available Tuesday to Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday and Monday by request. In midJune tours will also be offered at 2 p.m.
Tour guide Candice Phibbs says an enhanced tour, in partnership with the Keeper’s Kitchen, will begin in mid-June. The tour will run on Thursday and Saturday evenings and offer cocktails and Nova Scotia-inspired appetizers.
“We’re very excited about the tour season and hope this adds a wonderful experience to locals and visitors at Cape Forchu Lightstation,” said Phibbs.