BARNEGAT LIGHT — For the first time since 1927, Old Barney, the quintessential symbol of the Jersey Shore, was back at work as a functioning lighthouse tonight on this the 150th anniversary of its first date of service.
Braving freezing temperatures and a windchill factor that put the temperature below zero, several thousand bundled-up people crowded onto the northern tip of Long Beach Island from all over the tri-state area to see Barnegat Lighthouse relit shortly after 5 p.m.
Angelo Rinaldi, president of the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, the organization responsible for raising the money to purchase a new Coast Guard-approved lens from New Zealand, had to manually override the light sensor on the 172-foot high beacon to accommodate the crowds present. Starting tomorrow, the rotating light will be triggered on an automatic basis.
Luce and Willis Gray and Anna Marie and I made the trip to the relighting ceremony of this LBI (Long Beach Island) icon out of a sense of history and to start the New Year in the shadow of it's new guiding light. Our sense of history and hope was overridden by the cold temperature. We decided to go to a local eatery and see the light after the large crowd dissipated.
We have climbed its 217-step spiral staircase on several occasions, most recently with grandchildren Geoffrey and Josh.
P.S. We're looking forward to several more sleep overs with our grandchildren. But, the cold, wind and lack of sunshine have conspired to get us to think about our return to SUNSHINE. She has been enjoying daily sunshine and 80 degree temps in our absence.
