A delegation of Collingwood residents visiting Japan next month will be leaving behind an image of one of the town’s waterfront icons.
The Nottawasaga Lighthouse Preservation Society has donated prints of a painting of the Nottawasaga Lighthouse done by Andrew Peycha to the group travelling to Katano, Japan, Collingwood’s sister city.
Mayor Brian Saunderson will join about 20 other Collingwood residents on the two-week trip to Japan, which departs Nov. 5.
Saunderson said he’s the only one from town hall taking the trip, and he will be meeting with chambers of commerce as well as the NSG headquarters in Tokyo to discuss trade. NSG is the owner of Collingwood’s glass plant (Pilkington).
The 12 prints donated by the Nottawasaga Lighthouse Preservation Society will be given as gifts while the group is in Japan. Saunderson said he’s also taking Collingwood Mist Double Barrel Whisky samples to give with the prints. When Canadian Mist launched the new whisky, they also made a donation to the Save the Lighthouse campaign and encouraged its customers to do the same.
Currently, the Nottawasaga Lighthouse Preservation Society is working to purchase the lighthouse and island it stands on for the purpose of restoring the tower, lightkeeper’s house, and the island for potential eco-tourism.
The Nottawasaga Lighthouse was built in the 1850s and was decommissioned in 2003. The tower was struck by lightning in 2004 and since then the exterior has been crumbling and falling off the tower. The preservation society paid to have it wrapped to protect the exterior from further exposure to the elements.
In support of the Save the Lighthouse campaign, the Nottawasaga Lighthouse Preservation Society is hosting a charity concert with Adam and Fran Webster performing at the Simcoe Street Theatre.
The concert takes place Nov. 14 beginning at 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and available at Mad Dog’s Vinyl Café (cash only) or online at nlps.info. Tickets are $30 at the door.
