FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –

Contacts:    Aaron Tuell, Director of Public Relations     

                   Outer Banks Visitors Bureau                           

                   252-473-2138 office                                          

tuell@outerbanks.org

Cast Your Vote Online For Bodie Island Lighthouse!

Outer Banks Lighthouse Is Among 12 Finalists For Much Needed Repairs And Upgrades

OUTER BANKS, NC (July 25, 2008) The Bodie Island Lighthouse is competing for funding through the JELD-WEN Reliable Lighthouse Restoration Initiative.  The winner of the competition will receive new JELD-WEN windows and doors and the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau is encouraging everyone to vote on line at http://www.jeld-wen.com/lighthouse/

In late spring of 2008, Bodie Island Lighthouse was named one of 12 lighthouse finalists from among 49 nominees in the national competition.  If voted the winner, the Bodie Island Lighthouse would receive eight new windows and a door.  This replacement effort would be a much needed boost to critical aspects of the Lighthouse which are in need of repairs.

“This could be a crucial step forward in the eventual re-opening of the Bodie Island Lighthouse for climbing,” says Carolyn McCormick, Managing Director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.  “The pristine setting of this lighthouse in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, just south of Nags Head, is celebrated among lighthouse fans for its classic layout and lack of visible encroachment by development like you have in many other coastal regions.”

Bodie Island shares the Outer Banks with three other coastal lighthouses; the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, and the Ocracoke Lighthouse in Ocracoke.  A replica of the Roanoke Marshes screwpile navigational lighthouse is accessible by the Manteo waterfront on Roanoke Island.

Those interested in assisting with the preservation and restoration of the Bodie Island Lighthouse should cast their vote online.  The winning lighthouse will be posted on the Jeld-Wen website on September 7, 2008.  For more information, call 252-473-2111 ext. 148.

UPDATE! (AUGUST 8, 2008)

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About The Outer Banks

The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a 130 mile chain of barrier islands located midway on the Atlantic Coast.  The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau is a public authority and the lead marketing and promotional agency for Dare County's Outer Banks. www.outerbanks.org