The Lighthouses of Edgewater

Vol. XXI No. 2 - SUMMER 2010

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Edgewater Community Council, the Anniversary committee has set up a display of lighthouses. Each lighthouse has been decorated by either individuals or businesses. The theme for the project is ECC “lighting the way” for 50 years. It is a fitting image for this lakefront community. The project has been spearheaded by Marion K. Volini, chair of the ECC celebration.

The locations of the 20+ lighthouses have been published in a walking tour brochure that was first handed out at the Edgewater Arts Festival on July 17th.

The lighthouse for the Edgewater Historical Society was developed from an idea that Elisabeth Szegho offered the ad hoc committee of Thom Greene, Tom Murphy, Kathy Gemperle and Sandee Remis. A group of students in Mrs. Gemperle’s Drawing and Painting Class from St. Gregory High School did the first coat of paint.

Kathy Gemperle assembled the photos and began placing them on the lighthouse form. Betty Mayian brought printed words, such as Edgewater and Andersonville. Thom Greene gave some color copies to the project and stepped in to do some detail painting. Marieluise Kailing and Betty Mayian pitched in with attaching the pictures to the base. Later, Tom Murphy did the protective coatings and then Mike and David Volini stopped by on a blistering hot day to attach the artwork to its concrete base. Now it sits right on the corner of Balmoral and Ashland so that those who stop by can walk around it and see all the historical photos.