Southport Magazine

By McKenzie Barwick

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why, the lighthouse is getting decorated tonight….

Before entering the Oak Island lighthouse, I had pictured a spiral staircase going all the way to the top. That was not the case. Instead, there were eight different ship ladders that got you to the amazing view, totaling 131 steps. Once I made it to the top, I joked that I maybe should have considered some training before the climb. I was a little more winded than I expected to be. It was no easy feat, but well worth it. Luckily, if you do need a break in between, there is plenty of room to stand on each platform going up. 

 This wasn’t just a normal day at the lighthouse though. This was the day more than 30 volunteers came together to decorate for the 2023 Christmas season. I’ve lived in the area off and on my entire life and never once climbed the 65-year-old building. Bob Ahlers, the chairman of the volunteer group, Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse, was kind enough to let Jeff and I come see what it takes to get the lighthouse gussied up for Christmas. When we arrived, there were volunteers gathered at the bottom already lighting up the sidewalk with red and green. 

I consider myself lucky that not only did I finally climb the lighthouse, but I got to do it while it was being decorated with lights, ribbons, and garland. It was a great experience being able to see what goes into such a fun job. One of the volunteers, Willie, told me it was his second year volunteering, while there were others who have been doing it for years. I wasn’t expecting the temperature change that happened from bottom to top. I wore a jacket and once I was done climbing, I wished I hadn’t brought it, but after stepping outside I was glad I did. It was windy enough to make it feel like the glasses on top of my head were about to fly right off. The volunteers also take people on tours, giving the tour goers all the history of the lighthouse. One volunteer, Rick Morrison, said, “We will be doing tours in the summer on a 95-degree day, and once we are up and step outside it feels like Nirvana because it’s so windy.” 

One of the most interesting things about the Oak Island lighthouse is the unique LED light used. They don’t let everyone into the very top to see the light, only private tours. However, they were happy to let Jeff and I go check it out. There was no decorating happening at that level, but it was one of the prettiest lights I had ever seen. Mike Heilman, one of the volunteers, took us to the light and gave us the rundown. “The light cost around 40k,” he said. “Carving and sanding the lenses is the most expensive part of it.” The light was made by a company in Finland. It was easy to see how intricate of a job making a light like that must have been. Mike also told us that the light gets changed about every 10 years, which is extremely different from the very short life span that a regular bulb would have. 

Mike, Jeff, and I made our way back down to the decorating and it was all hands on deck. I’m not sure how the volunteer group didn’t get dizzy after the many times they had to circle around to make sure there was an adequate number of decorations. Dizzy or not, these guys were having a great time together and I watched them go around with each decoration about five different times. Once it was done, they plugged it in, and we got to watch the magic happen. Marty Heller, another volunteer, made a phone call to Bob, who was on the bottom, to make sure everyone was on the same page about what the self-timer hours should be. “4:30-11,” Marty announced. So now you know the hours. If you want to see the lighthouse in all its Christmas glory, make sure you go during those times. 

If you are considering climbing the lighthouse, just do it! The breathtaking views and the amazing volunteers that guide you along the way make it easy to forget about any fears you might have. Top tours between now and April are only offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. depending on space. My advice would be to take advantage of going in the off season, considering the smaller crowd and the beautiful weather that we still have. You never know, you might be able to see Santa and the reindeer with a view like that one.