Category: Programs & Events

Coastal Blessing 2022

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Jack Parker @beesandfishing

The community is invited to the Crooked River Lighthouse in Carrabelle, FL on Sunday, May 29 from 3:00-3:30 pm for the annual Coastal Blessing. Faith leaders from the Carrabelle area community will share a prayer for the coast at the lighthouse.

Those who would like to gather with positive hearts for a safe hurricane season are welcome at this event which has become an important, annual tradition at the lighthouse.

Since 2010, the Crooked River Lighthouse has conducted a ceremony on the Sunday before the start of hurricane season where church leaders in the community unite in shared positive intentions; that our coastal communities be safe from hurricane damage.

All are welcome to attend this free event. Light refreshments will be available after the ceremony. Guests are welcome to come early or stay after and explore the Keeper's House Museum (open 1:00-5:00 pm).

Full Moon Climbs

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MONDAY, MAY 16, from 8 - 10 p.m.

Enjoy this opportunity to see the gorgeous natural surroundings of the St. George Sound and Carrabelle Beach under the glow of the rising full moon. Visit the free Keeper's House Museum and browse inside the Lighthouse Gift Shop for unique nautical gifts and souvenirs.  Feel the warmth of a firepit (weather permitting). Bring a chair and enjoy the evening with us.

The climb to the top of the tallest Forgotten Coast lighthouse rewards bold climbers with breathtaking views of the bay. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for kids. All climbers must be at least 44 inches tall. Advance reservations are required for those who wish to climb the lighthouse tower during this event by calling the Lighthouse gift shop,  850-697-2732.  A limited number of climbers (max of 7) are allowed at one time. There will be a time limit for viewing from the top. Guests who would like a more leisurely climbing experience are welcome to enjoy one of the daytime climbs available every Wednesday through Sunday. Masks are welcome but not required.

TUESDAY, JUNE 14 and WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 8 - 10 p.m.

Join us for our Full Moon Lighthouse Climb, this month with live music. Visitors can enjoy this opportunity to see the gorgeous natural surroundings of the St. George Sound and Carrabelle Beach under the glow of the rising full moon.

For the June and July Full Moon events, there will be live music by Kevin Andrew and the talented young musicians from the Rockulla Music School. Guests are sure to enjoy these gifted performers as they share a variety of classic country, modern songs, and favorite oldies.

Country Market

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FIRST AND THIRD SATURDAYS 9AM - 1PM

The Markets feature local vendors from the community with handmade goods, small-batch roasted coffee, delicious baked goods like artisan bread and cinnamon rolls, locally-sourced veggies, handcrafted soaps, balms and candles, exotic starter plants, gorgeous art and photography, craft items, plus unique maritime items inside. 

Guests can also browse inside the free Museum and visit the Lighthouse Gift Shop. In addition, shoppers and visitors have the unique opportunity to climb to the top of the lighthouse for a breathtaking view of the Bay.

Some markets feature live music, poetry readings, and book signings. Check the Crooked River Lighthouse Facebook page for details as they become available.

The Country Market is held every first and third Saturday from 9 am - 1 pm at the Crooked River Lighthouse.  

BE A MARKET VENDOR!

The Market is growing steadily and is encouraging vendors to join and may sign up at any time. The cost to be a vendor is $10 a market. If you are interested or have questions, please contact the lighthouse at 850-697-2732 or carrabellelighthouse@gmail.com.

Museum Day

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Museum Day

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Honoring Our Military 

Back by popular demand all three of Carrabelle’s wonderful museums will open their doors on Saturday, May 1, 2021 as part of a special rescheduled Museum Day. In salute to this day, Carrabelle History Museum, Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum, and Crooked River Lighthouse Museum will have special activities and displays.

This year, the Carrabelle museums will use Museum Day to pay tribute to the members of our country’s Armed Forces past and present as part of National Military Appreciation Month. Military Appreciation Month was officially designated by Congress in 1999. Every year, the president issues a proclamation reminding Americans to celebrate this patriotic month by honoring those who have served in all branches of service. May was chosen because it has many individual days marked to note our military's achievements, including Memorial Day, Loyalty Day (established in 1921), Victory in Europe (VE) Day commemorating the end of WWII in Europe in 1945, Children of Fallen Patriots Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day and Armed Forces Day.

The Crooked River Lighthouse will be paying tribute to veterans and heroes of the U. S. Lighthouse Service and U. S. Coast Guard and featuring the service of Carrabelle's Lighthouse Keepers including a story of local heroism. We will also be honoring the crew of a U.S. Coast Guard HU-16E Airplane who died in a crash at sea just off of Carrabelle during a search and rescue mission in the 1960s. In addition, all active-duty military and veterans can also climb the lighthouse tower for free on Saturday. Join us Saturday, May 1 from 9 am - 5 pm for Museum Day.

Crab Cook-off Benefits ‘Carrabella’

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By Laurel Newman Special to the Times (apalachtimes.com article link)

The fourth annual Crab Cake Cook-off, sponsored by the Carrabelle Lighthouse Association (CLA) and the good folk at Harry’s Bar/Marine Street Grill, once again brought seafood lovers out for a warm evening of food, music, and silent auction fun.

The annual event is a fundraiser for the Crooked River Lighthouse Park’s replacement efforts for the “Carrabella,” a 60-foot “pirate ship” playground structure. The popular play platform, a visitor magnet that children of all ages enjoyed daily, was destroyed by arson on May 11, 2015.

Lighthouse society members and volunteers held brainstorming sessions, and volunteer Kathleen Oman came up with the Crab Cake Cook off. Over the years, the event has grown, and Oman, with the help of lighthouse people and community members, has continued to make it a popular event, drawing supporters from as far away as Pensacola, Tallahassee, Bainbridge and other areas.

This year’s event featured six local chefs vying for the coveted title: Jamie Messer, Renee Boudrey, Sean O’Shea, Selena Winchester, Jon Johnson and Brian Genard. Each chef prepared 150 bite-sized crab cakes, plus a few for the judges. Each of the ticket holders received a plate of six crab cakes, each with a numbered bamboo forklet, to be used to cast votes for their favorites.

While the visitors were enjoying their treats and determining their favorites, they had the opportunity to inspect and place bids on the items, donated by local merchants and artists, offered in the silent auction. Meanwhile, CLA’s curator and event specialist Joan Matey, appropriately garbed in one of her “Fishy Fashion” ensembles, updated everyone on the progress of the new “Carrabella” project, now in its first phase of site preparation.

Once the popular votes were tallied, the winners were announced. The Judges’ Choice Award went to Johnson, a local wildlife photographer, and the People’s Choice to O’Shea, of the Marine Street Grill.

The evening was further enhanced by the incredible vocals and guitar music from Cat Braaten, a gifted musician who kept the crowd entertained with her spirited tunes.

Once again, the cook-off was declared a success, and the CLA thanks all those who made it so, from the hard-working volunteers to the generous supporters.


Carrabelle Lighthouse Association’s Joan Matey, sporting a crab trap hat, with Jon Johnson, winner of the Judges’ Choice award for his excellent crab cakes at the cookoff. [ photo by Jim Smith | Harry’s Bar ]

Crab Cake Cook Off – THANKS!

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We wanted to take this opportunity to say a very special THANK YOU to all the people who made this year's Crab Cake Cook-Off a sell-out success!! Because of you, an estimated $2000+ was raised for the Crooked River Lighthouse!

•Kathleen Oman, Marian Morris and Joan Matey for organizing and planning this wonderful event
•Six wonderful cooks: Jamie Messer, Renee Boudrey, Sean O’Shea, Selena Winchester, Jon Johnson and Brian Genard.
•Hardworking event volunteers & staff - Tamara Allen, Robin Gibson, Eva Gombas, Teresa Jackson, Lisa Keith-Lucas, Serge Latour, Laurel Newman, Mike Pace, Pat Tabuchi and others.
•Sean O'Shea and the Marine Street Grill / Harry's Bar staff for doing a fabulous job of hosting again
•Chip Klaus for taking photos on behalf of the Carrabelle Lighthouse Association as well as actively seeking donations with the collection jars
•Greg Kristofferson for MC duty
•The volunteer judges – Greg Kristofferson, Mayor Brenda La Paz, and Serge LaTour
•Numerous local merchants and artists for their generous donations for the silent auction
•Carrabelle Lighthouse Association (CLA) board, members & staff
•Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce, Carrabelle History Museum, Carrabelle United Methodist Church, City of Carrabelle, and Bill Owen for use of tables, chairs and tents for the comfort of our guests
•All our generous supporters, donors & attendees

This would not have been possible without your support and help!