Cape Blanco Heritage Society

Hughes House Christmas

CHRISTMAS AT THE HUGHES HOUSE is in the planning stages with organizers contacting local organizations and businesses to participate in our annual decorating of the pioneer home. Our theme this year is "The Spirit of Community Christmas". Contact CBHS if you would like to get involved!

Hughes House Christmas Concert

COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CONCERT - The musical Jensen family will fill the Hughes House with JOY and MUSIC on December 17th from 2PM to 3PM in a free Christmas Concert and Open House preview preceded by Port Orford Main Street Holiday Teas on the 15th (Friday) and 16th (Saturday). Come celebrate with your friends and loved ones out at Cape Blanco this year.

UPCOMING EVENTS OF THE CAPE BLANCO HERITAGE SOCIETY

  • The Cape Blanco Heritage Society will host a two-day film event on November 11 and 12 at their Annual Membership Meeting featuring the film "Samurai in the Oregon Sky" by archivist and filmmaker, Ilana Sol. The first event will be held in conjunction with a CBHS Annual Membership Meeting and the second event will be a matinee open to the public. Ilana will be joining us virtually via Zoom for a Q&A session about the film and her work. Learn more at her website.
  • The ESA Christmas Bazaar will be held on Friday, December 1st and Saturday, December 2 from 9AM to 3PM. Look for the CBHS Table at the Port Orford Christian Center (936 Washington Street).
  • In Spring 2024, Photographer David Zapatka will be travelling to Cape Blanco to photograph our beautiful lighthouse against the Pacific Northwest sky. If there is enough interest amongst our membership, he has offered to give a presentation. Read more about his delayed 2023 trip on Page 2 of “CBHS News of Note” and contact the Cape Blanco Heritage Society if you would like to attend.

2023 CAPE BLANCO HERITAGE SOCIETY EVENTS

A DUAL VENUE EVENT: August 12th at 10AM to 3:30PM at the Cape Blanco Lighthouse and 3:00PM to just before Sunset at the Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum.

Come Celebrate a new tradition with our First Lighthouse Day featuring Music, Dessert and Docents at the Cape Blanco Lighthouse followed by DANCING at the Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum.

National Lighthouse Day is celebrated annually by lighthouse organizations in the U.S., although Congress has yet to designate a date that we all recognize the importance of America’s lighthouse heritage. The Cape Blanco Heritage Society (CBHS) will be celebrating Lighthouse Day on August 12th to honor ingenuity and inventiveness worldwide. Our lighthouse continues to be a technological wonder to this day as Oregon's oldest continuously working lighthouse and its southernmost major beacon.

AURORA will be performing at the event and the Side of the Tide Morris Dancers will perform at the Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum as part of a nationwide effort to celebrate lighthouses by the U.S. Lighthouse Society. Artwork from supporters of our lighthouse will be on display in the Greeting Center Gift Shop. The concept behind this art exhibit is to raise awareness of the current need for repairs at our lighthouse.

In addition to the festivities of the event, our lighthouse workroom will be open as well as the Greeting Center Gift Shop. Come learn about our lighthouse and meet the volunteers who keep our sites open during the Summer season. We will also have food and designer desserts by Tasty Kate's and our our CBHS members.

The Cape Blanco Lighthouse, so named for the white sands of the geology of the landform, was built as part of an ambitious program to construct lighthouses in California and Oregon to facilitate the economic development of the American West by the U.S. Lighthouse Board in 1870. This era was an incredibly inventive period of time in history which is just one small part of what lighthouses have come to represent culturally in our nation as well as worldwide.

Please come enjoy the day with us as well as the beautiful hiking trails and wonderful ocean views of the surrounding Cape Blanco State Park. From Highway 101, 4.5 miles north of Port Orford or 26 miles south of Bandon and just south of Sixes, Oregon, turn west on Cape Blanco Road. Follow the road past the historic Hughes House and Ranch to the very end. Be aware that the short road from the gate to the lighthouse is closed due its deteriorating condition. If weather conditions are such that the event cannot be held on this date, we will reschedule (note that the weather at Cape Blanco can be unpredictable and not reflect local forecasts). Please watch our Facebook page and website for updates on this event.

For more information, call the Cape Blanco Greeting Center Gift Shop at 541-332-2207 or visit capeblancoheritagesociety.com. ⎈⎈⎈

→ Download our First Annual Lighthouse Day Poster

  • Opening Day: Tentatively April 1 (Cape Blanco Lighthouse); May 1 (Hughes House and Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum). Open until Closing Day from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM, every day except Tuesday (All 3 locations, if we have sufficient volunteers).
  • CBHS Board Meetings: Port Orford City Hall Chambers at 10:00 AM (open to everyone): 2nd Tuesday each month.
  • Oregon State Parks Day: June 3rd (free admission, camping and fishing across the state).
  • Artists at the Hughes House: July 3rd (10AM-3:30PM) and July 4th (1PM-4PM).
  • Jerry Can Races: July 4th, 2PM — [Download 2023 Press Release].
  • Coast Guard Day/Concert in the Park: August 6 — [Download 2023 Poster]
  • Lighthouse Day/Save Our Lighthouse: August 12 — [Download 2023 Poster]
  • Closing Day: September 30 (Hughes House and Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum); October 31 (Cape Blanco Lighthouse). 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM.
  • Christmas Bazaar: Community Building, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, First weekend in December.
  • Hughes House Christmas: "The Spirit of Community Christmas". Concert at 2PM on December 17. Open House from December 18-22, 10AM-3:30PM.
  • Annual Membership Meeting: "Samurai in the Oregon Sky" by Ilana Sol. November 11 and 12. Saturday Evening Screening (6PM) for CBHS Members and Sunday Matinee (Noon) for anyone who would like to attend.

2022 CAPE BLANCO HERITAGE SOCIETY EVENTS

  • 100 Years of Oregon State Parks — Our State Parks Day in 2022 was a joint celebration of 100 Years of Oregon State Parks and 150 Years of the Cape Blanco Lighthouse — [Download 2022 Flyer].
  • July 4th Jubilee: All three locations are open on this day. Our annual tradition, the Jerry Can Races, is held in Port Orford Heads State Park. Prizes awarded to first and second place winners! — [Download 2022 Press Release].
  • Coast Guard Day (& Lighthouse Day) Concert in the Park: In 2022, our annual picnic and concert on the lawn of the Lifeboat Station Museum coincided with Lighthouse Day. Traditionally held in Port Orford Heads State Park. Come enjoy food, friends and local music — [Download 2022 Press Release].
  • Hughes House Christmas: Our theme for 2022, “Christmas Memories at Grandma’s House“, suggested a child’s point of view; stockings stuffed with goodies, dolls , train sets, tricycles, building blocks and mysterious packages in Holiday wrappings. (What do you remember from your childhood?).— [Download 2022 Flyer]