If you save this date you may just help save the Gay Head Lighthouse. The Keep on Shining campaign to relocate and restore the lighthouse will kick off Friday, June 21, with a community open house and solstice celebration.

The Gay Head Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built on Martha’s Vineyard. Since its construction in 1856, the light has guided ships away from the rocky shoreline of the Island. For the past century, the historic clay cliffs where the tower stands have been eroding, now at the rate of two feet per year. The lighthouse is now approximately 50 feet away from the edge of the cliffs and needs to be moved in the next few years in order to be saved.

The U.S. Coast Guard currently owns the beacon and leases it to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. The museum has partnered with the town of Aquinnah to begin preservation efforts and together recently formed the Gay Head Lighthouse Advisory Committee.

The solstice kickoff celebration is from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Gay Head Lighthouse, 9 Aquinnah Circle in Aquinnah. The open house is free. In the case of inclement weather, the event will take place on June 22.

Visit mvmuseum.org for more information.