The Point Arena Lighthouse is thrilled to present its annual Wind & Whale Celebration on Saturday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission to the Light Station Indoor and Outdoor Museums is free, and Tower Tours are available for guests 4 and over for $5 per person. Stroll the 23 acres of grounds and watch the ocean for migrating gray whales, and wind and weather permitting, the Berkeley Kite Wranglers will be flying their huge and colorful kites overhead. Scott & Tree Mercer of the Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study will be on hand to answer questions about the marine mammals that frequent our coast. Check out the Whale Trail interpretive panel next to the California Native Plant garden that showcases the marine mammals that frequent the waters that surround the Light Station. The Light Station Store will be offering sale prices on kites, whale-related gifts, and other items. Waffles, including gluten-free, and assorted organic baked goods from THE FARM will be available for purchase in the Fog Signal Building Museum. The Lighthouse is located at 45500 Lighthouse Road just north of Point Arena.
Formed at the turn of the Millennium, the Berkeley Kite Wranglers fly a collection of kites that contains nearly 30,000 square feet of giant creature kites – the largest of their kind in the world. The giant octopus kites have been a particularly popular sight in past years. Each one is 20 feet wide and nearly 100 feet long. The pod, or ‘Octopile’ as the team likes to call it, flies in perfect formation. They have previously flown giant blue, humpback, and killer whale kites, as well as gecko, fish, and cat kites. The Wranglers will fly from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Bring your kite to fly or purchase one from a large selection of kites on sale in the Light Station Store, which will also have several whale-themed items on sale.
The northern migration of the gray whales will feature the mothers and recently born calves making their way north from the birthing lagoons in Baja California back to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea near Alaska. Watch these graceful, gentle giants swim past the Light Station peninsula from the grounds or the Whale Watch Room in the Fog Signal Building and chat with the Mercers about the details of this amazing migration.
The Wind & Whale Celebration is part of the Point Arena Merchants Association (PAMA) Almost Fringe Festival, which will be taking place in and around downtown Point Arena from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Special events, food, sales, live music, and more will be offered throughout Point Arena. A free shuttle bus will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with several stops throughout the town and out to the Lighthouse.
For the most recent information on Lighthouse events, call (707) 882-2809 ext. 1 or email Info.PALight@gmail.com
