EAST TAWAS — After extensive restoration work, the Tawas Point Lighthouse in Tawas Point State Park is set to reopen soon for the spring/summer season, but the public can get a sneak peek at a grand reopening on Thursday, May 2.
That date marks 147 years since a light first shone from the tower’s lantern room onto Tawas Bay and Lake Huron.
The event, running from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., will kick off with the official reopening ceremony. Following the ceremony, visitors can check out a variety of vendor booths, including the Tawas Bay Art Gallery, Heritage Coast Sailing and Rowing and Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, enjoy live music and lunch from local food trucks, browse the gift shop and take a free tour of the lighthouse.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan History Center and the Friends of Tawas Point Lighthouse and State Park are partnering on this event.
The grand reopening is free of charge, but a Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry to the park grounds.
The restoration work, which started in February 2023, was made possible through $455,500 in federal COVID-19 relief funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and outlined in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Building Michigan Together Plan.
Guided by historic architects at WTA Architects in Saginaw, the project’s primary focus was reversing the exterior deterioration of the lighthouse tower, as well as the lantern room and gallery. Mihm Enterprises, Inc., a contracting company from Hamilton, Michigan, was selected to conduct the work.
