Current News
Pottawatomie Lighthouse featured on Wisconsin Public Television in April 2011
The "Rock Island Lighthouse Docent" segment produced for In
Wisconsin by Joel Waldinger of Wisconsin Public TV aired on April 21st,
2011. It was featured on the Wisconsin Public Television website the
following week along with the "Lighthouse Tour" report. These
reports feature FORI Board Member Tim Sweet and Ranger Randy Holm.
On May 5th, 2011, the segment on
Chester Thordarson was aired again. It recently won a best writing award from the
Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.
2011 Docent Applications Now Closed
Docent applications for the 2011 park season are no longer available. A 2012 docent application form will be posted here later in the year.
The deadline for submitting docent applications is February 1st each year.
Applicants who are members of the Friends of Rock Island are considered ahead of other applicants. To become a FORI member, see our Membership page. See the Lighthouse Tours page for more information on being a docent at the Pottawatomie Lighthouse.
In the News Again!
Rock Island is featured as one of 7 car-free islands in North America in a 10-18-2010 article on the Huffington Post web site.
Rock Island State Park in the News
An article appeared in the Sunday, July 25th edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel which described what being a docent at the Pottawatomie Lighthouse is all about. The Stehlow family of docents hosted journalist Meg Jones of the Sentinel as a guest at the Lighthouse recently. Be sure to look at the photos that accompany the article. They are some candid shots of docent life that give the feel for what life in the Pottawatomie Lighthouse can be.
July 3rd, 2010 Cookout at Rock Island State Park
We hope you joined us for the cookout, craft demonstrations, free concert in the Boathouse and silent auction on Saturday, July 3rd at the state park. This was our second annual July 4th fundraiser at Rock Island State Park and it was very successful! The Karfi ferry ran non-stop from 9am-5pm and had never been more busy. We arranged for perfect weather for our event which brought so many visitors to the park that day.
About 400 lunches were sold under the big tent. Picnickers enjoyed their meals in the Pagoda or on the lawn.
New 2010 T-shirts, fleece vests and postcards were on sale, along with hats, sweatshirts, Christmas ornaments, mugs, pens and pencils and Lighthouse pins. Many visitors took home park souvenirs to remember this perfect day at our favorite state park.
A Norwegian carver, a birch bark basket weaver and civil war re-enactors entertained park visitors to the accompaniment of a violinist and a dulcimer player near the picnic area.
Galynne and Markondrums performed their acoustic tunes at noon in the Boathouse. Their show included songs about the Washington Island Ferry Line as well as the Pottawatomie Lighthouse which were written by FORI member, Rick Simmons.
The second annual Silent Auction took place inside the Viking Hall of the Boathouse. Auction items included lighthouse collectibles, Pottawatomie Lighthouse picture quilts, nautical items, camping gear, beach and picnic paraphernalia, artworks, photo collections, fun baskets for kids, games, wine and cheese baskets, and much more. There was something for everyone who loves Rock Island State Park and the Pottawatomie Lighthouse. The auction raised a boatload of money for the park!
Proceeds from the day will be used for maintenance of the Boathouse and ongoing restoration of the Lighthouse along with other needy park projects.
In Wisconsin TV Show about Pottawatomie Lighthouse and Chester Thordarson
Tim Sweet, FORI Board member and Past President, stars in episodes of recent In Wisconsin segments talking about the Pottawatomie Lighthouse and Chester Thordarson's contributions to Rock Island. Ranger Randy Holm and Naturalist Paul King share the history of Rock Island and information about the Park in the third episode. Shows were broadcast weekly from Feb 11th through Feb 25th, 2010. A link to each one is listed below:
http://www.wpt2.org/npa/IW815lighthousedocent.cfm - This segment shows what it entails to be a docent at the Pottawatomie Lighthouse
http://wpt2.org/npa/IW816lighthousetour.cfm - This segment is a tour of the inside of the Pottawatomie Lighthouse
http://wpt2.org/npa/IW817thordarson.cfm - This segment shares information about Chester Thordarson and the history of Rock Island.
Click here to read archived news.