Who is that man behind the curtain?

No, not in the Wizard of Oz. Nor is it a “man”nequin in the window of the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse.

Turned out it was a mannequin – actually a pair of uniformed officer mannequins – that had been placed there to help scare off those with bad intent who might try to enter the aging, 64-foot-tall lighthouse situated where the Maumee Bay meets western Lake Erie.

Today, only one remains.  She has a blond wig and is fondly known as Sarah. She’s not the only one watching over the lighthouse. 

Sandcastle-building fun is one of the highlights of the annual Toledo Lighthouse Waterfront Festival. (Press photo by Ken Grosjean)

The nonprofit Toledo Lighthouse Society was organized 100 years after the lighthouse was dedicated in 1904 to help preserve and promote the 4,000-square-foot buff brick structure with a rolled steel roof. It has grown from a dozen members initially to nearly 600 in 14 states.

To help finance their ongoing preservation efforts, the society will hold its eighth annual Toledo Lighthouse Festival July 9 and 10 just west of the main lodge at Maumee Bay State Park along Lake Erie in Jerusalem Township. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 9 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 10. Admission and parking are free.

Festival-goers can buy boat rides around the lighthouse and Grassy and Turtle islands for $25 each, shop at some 50 nautical arts and crafts booths, feast on food, enter a lighthouse photo contest, participate in a sandcastle-building contest on Saturday, bid at a huge silent auction of hundreds of items that ends at 4 p.m. Sunday, and enjoy a variety of entertainment.

The entertainment schedule includes: Island music by Dick McCarthy at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday; Genoa American Legion Band from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Andrew the Magician at 1 p.m. Saturday; Toledo School of Arts Steel Drums from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday; River/Boat music by Russ Franzen at 4 p.m. Saturday, and the Eddie Boggs Band from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Randy and the Reef Sharks will be the headline music act at 7 p.m. Saturday,  presenting a tribute to the Beach Boys at the park amphitheater.

Proceeds from the festival help the society, which now is the deed owner of the lighthouse and leases the original Fresnel light lens that is on display in the lodge at Maumee Bay. The group has completed specifications for a $1.5 million restoration project at the lighthouse, and has received a $500,000 grant toward phase one work that includes brick tucking and installation of new windows, doors and shutters.

The society has a capital campaign now underway called "My Lighthouse Window," whereby donors can sponsor one of the 100 windows. Sponsorship levels range from $750 to $2,500, said Bihn, who is president of the society.

For more information about the campaign or to become a member of the society, visit www.toledolighthouse.org.

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