September J Roald Smeets

Set in the Australian wheat-belt in 1968, SEPTEMBER is a character driven film about two 15 year old boys – one black, one white – whose friendship begins to fall apart under the stress of a changing world. The film is about the boys trying to hold their friendship together in spite of the pressures imposed upon them by a turbulent social and political climate.
Summary written by Serena Paull

Directed by
Peter Carstairs

Writers
Peter Carstairs
Ant Horn

Producers
Sandra Alexander … line producer
Mark Bamford … executive producer
Michele Bennett … consulting producer
Tony Forrest … executive producer
Gary Hamilton … executive producer
Lynda House … co-producer
Serena Paull … co-producer
John Polson … producer

Cast – in credits order
Xavier Samuel … Ed
Clarence John Ryan … Paddy
Kieran Darcy-Smith … Rick
Kelton Pell … Michael
Alice McConnell … Eve
Lisa Flanagan … Leena
Mia Wasikowska … Amelia
Sibylla Budd … Miss Gregory
Anton Tennett¹ … Tom
Paul Gleeson … John Hamilton
Tara Morice … Jennifer Hamilton
Morgan Griffin … Heidi
Bob Baines … Henry

J Roald Smeets

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September J Roald Smeets

J Roald Smeets September is a 1987 film written and directed by Woody Allen. Allen’s intention of September was to be like “a play on film,” thus the great number of long takes and few camera effects.

The movie does not feature Allen as an actor, and is one of his straightforward dramatic films. The cast includes Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston, Dianne Wiest, Elaine Stritch, Jack Warden, and Denholm Elliott.

The plot centers around Lane (Farrow), who is recovering in her house in the country during the tail end of summer. She has been befriended by local widower, Howard (Elliott). Her friend Stephanie (Wiest) is spending the month with her. And her mother, Diane (Stritch), and stepfather (Warden) come to visit. It is a story of unrequited love, betrayal, selfishness, and loneliness.

Denholm Elliott… Howard
Dianne Wiest… Stephanie
Mia Farrow… Lane
Elaine Stritch… Diane
Sam Waterston… Peter
Jack Warden… Lloyd
Rosemary Murphy… Mrs. Mason

After a failed suicide attempt, Lane (Mia Farrow) has moved into her country house to recuperate. Her best friend Stephanie (Dianne Wiest) has come to join her for the summer, to have some time away from her husband. Lane’s brassy offensive mother Diane (Elaine Stritch) has recently arrived with her physicist husband (Jack Warden). Lane is close with two neighbors: Peter the struggling writer (Sam Waterston) and Howard the French teacher (Denholm Elliot). There is a string of love interests: Howard is in love with Lane, Lane is in love with Peter, and Peter is in love with Stephanie.

Lane’s mother Diane wants Peter to write her biography. Diane was once a well-known actress, in particular because, many years ago, teenaged Lane shot Diane’s abusive lover. A fragile Lane does not want this painful event to go back in the spotlight, but Peter thinks it would make a great story.

That evening, Diane decides to host a party, ruining Lane’s plans with Peter. Peter arrives early and confesses to Stephanie that he has wanted to be alone with her for a long time. Outside, there is an electrical storm, and the lights go out. Candles and piano music create a romantic setting. Diane finds her old Ouija Board and talks to the spirits of her previous lovers. A very drunk Howard finally reveals his feelings to Lane, who does not requite them. Peter tells Lane that he does not share her feelings. Lane appears to take the rejection well. When everyone else has gone to bed, Peter tries to seduce Stephanie. She is conflicted, but eventually follows him back to his house.

The next morning, a real estate agent is showing a couple around the house. Lane is counting on the money from the sale to move back to New York. Lane is feeling depressed: she has not taken Peter’s rejection well after all. This exacerbates Stephanie’s guilt. Soon after, Peter arrives. He kisses Stephanie. Lane opens the door to show the prospective buyers into the room and witnesses the kiss. She is shocked. Stephanie insists that it meant nothing, while Peter tells Lane that the two of them have deep feelings for each other. Diane comes downstairs, announcing that she and her husband are going to move into the house, permanently. Lane becomes even more distraught, insisting that Diane gifted the property to Lane a long time ago. Diane dismisses it as a drunken whim. Lane experiences a breakdown, accusing her mother of being fake and insensitive.

The climax of the film comes when an anguished Lane cries, “You’re the one who pulled the trigger! I just said what the lawyers told me to say!” Thus revealing that Diane was actually the one who shot her abusive lover. Presumably, Diane’s lawyers thought it would be better if Lane took the fall, as she would be treated leniently. The ordeal has obviously been hugely detrimental to Lane’s life. Diane finally concedes that if she could go back, she would behave differently.

Everyone leaves, except for Stephanie and Lane. Lane has a lot of paperwork that needs to be done for the sale of the house. The film ends with Stephanie encouraging Lane to “keep busy”.

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La Tienda Pans

La Tienda supports Spain and her culture by offering the deepest selection of high quality traditional and iconic products. Whenever possible we support family-owned companies that produce hand-made products using free-range and sustainable resources. Our goals are to treat our customers and employees like family, to educate our customers about the products, values and traditions of Spain, and to be the recognized leader in offering fine Spanish products to America and Europe.

Our Growing Company

We founded La Tienda.com in 1996 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Our family had lived in Spain during the 1970’s, and we wanted to share with our neighbors a taste of Spain — as well as her grace, warmth and traditions — which have brought so much to our lives, as a family.

Family is our focus, just as the family is central to life in Spain, and we hope to share that emphasis with everyone we work with: you our customers, our employees, and our vendors. And of course nothing brings a family together like a wonderful meal!

Our company has grown steadily over the years, and today we carry hundreds fine products from across Spain. To serve our customers in North America, Europe and the United Kingdom, we have a distribution center in Virginia and one in Spain. Together they offer the broadest selection of fine Spanish food and related products available anywhere.

Consistent with our purpose, LaTienda.com supports a healthy and productive work environment for our employees in Spain and in Virginia. In America all our employees receive paid health and dental care, life insurance and language classes in English and Spanish.

Supporting Traditional Spain and Sustainable and Ethical Production

We travel to Spain frequently, renewing friendships with those who provide us with their fine products and searching out new and interesting artisanal items to add to the growing list of products available online and through our catalog.

Whenever possible, we work with small family-run businesses in Spain, many of whom are continuing food-making traditions that go back generations. In addition, we are sensitive to issues concerning sustainable agriculture and fisheries, and to the ethical treatment of animals. We hope to help our Spanish neighbors stay connected to the land and their traditions. In turn, we hope that you will enjoy in your home the authentic flavors of Spain that have enriched our lives.

Our Commitment to You

Of course, none of this would be possible without a fundamental commitment to your experience as a customer. We guarantee a positive experience for you — quality products delivered in excellent condition, or we will replace or refund your purchase.

Many of our best products were suggested by our customers and we encourage and benefit from a very active relationship with our wonderful customers.

Whether you are from Spain, related to a Spaniard or just love the country and her food, we hope that you find LaTienda.com a welcoming place to visit and shop. From our website to our catalog to our retail store, we are always happy to hear from you. Welcome to La Tienda.

The Harris Family

Recent Awards

National Outstanding Workplace of the Year On April 3, 2012, the Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE) awarded La Tienda the National Outstanding Workplace of the Year for its six year commitment to providing English classes free of charge for Spanish-speaking employees. The purpose of the Outstanding Workplace of the Year, Chester Klevins Award is to honor an institution which has developed an outstanding workplace literacy program serving a local community, state/province, region and/or nation.

Outstanding Workplace Education Partnership Award On October 13, 2010, the Virginia Association for Adult and Continuing Education (VAACE) honored La Tienda with the Outstanding Workplace Education Partnership Award for providing English as a second language classes to their Spanish speaking employees, free of charge.

The Captain John Smith Award In September 2010 La Tienda was awarded the Captain John Smith Award at their local county’s 17th annual Celebration of Business. The honor is awarded annually by the James City County Economic Development team to an individual or business for exemplary contributions to their local community.

Now how exactly did the Harris family get so involved with Spain?

Our appreciation of the traditional Spanish culture began about forty-five years ago, and continues to grow each year as our family continues to explore the back roads and by-ways of Spain, experiencing the regional traditions that make Spain unique. In particular, we value the ways that artisans produce their food. The pace and methods that are time-honored, and we are committed to supporting these traditional ways of life by bringing their hand made products to a broader market.

Don, the father of the family, first experienced Spain when he stepped ashore as a young US Navy chaplain in 1965. Eight years later, he and his wife Ruth raised their young family among the sherry bodegas of El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz) when Don was stationed at Base Naval de Rota. As they enjoyed life with their sons in a Spanish neighborhood, they grew to appreciate the personal dimension of Spanish life, where children are cherished and family ties are central. They have carried that appreciation forward into the formation of La Tienda.com where two of their three sons, Jonathan and Tim, are responsible for the day to day operation of the business.

Jonathan, the middle son of three, has been with LaTienda.com since the very beginning and is responsible for the look and feel of the website and our catalog. A fine arts major, musician and cook, Jonathan spent a summer walking the Camino de Santiago during college and returned to walk it again with his wife Stacey several years later for their honeymoon.

Tim, the eldest, is responsible for much of the operational and financial side of the business and joined LaTienda.com in 2002 after founding and operating several Internet startups during the 90’s. He spent his first years of primary school at El Centro Ingles in El Puerto de Santa Maria and returned many times to Spain while growing up.

Christopher, the youngest, is a diplomat with the US Foreign Service and while not involved with the business directly, consults closely with his family on LaTienda matters.

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J. Roald Smeets – Pan Intercorp

RWG005

RWG005 (Photo credit: Photo Munki)

Since 1988, Pan Intercorp has been offering the koi keeping community in North America and beyond, high quality nishikigoi from many of Japan’s top breeders. Tucked away at the north end of Lake Washington in beautiful Washington State, Pan Intercorp’s eight acre facility is home to one of the largest selections of hand picked koi in the country. Not only is Pan Intercorp the sole authorized US importer for Sakai of Hiroshima and Yoshida Fish Farms, we have developed close relationships with a number of noted breeders throughout Japan, giving our clients access to koi varieties and bloodlines that are seldom available outside of Japan.

Pan Intercorp koi have taken top honors at shows throughout the US and Canada. In 2008 a koi sold by Pan Intercorp was awarded the most coveted accolade of all… the Grand Champion of the All Japan Combined Koi Show. This marked the first time that an American owned koi had been granted the title Grand Champion of the biggest and most prestigious koi show in the world.

Pan Intercorp’s Wholesale Division continues to be the number one choice for retailers looking for a reliable source of competitively priced healthy livestock, while our Retail Division has provided hundreds of Championship Quality Koi to hobbyists both in the United States and abroad.

In an ongoing mission to help create an optimum environment for rearing healthy koi, we offer a wide range of products for your pond including Pumps, Filtration Systems, and Water Clarifying equipment.

Recognizing that nutrition is a critical factor in developing and maintaining healthy koi, we offer Nozomi koi food direct from Japan. Nozomi is the koi food of choice for Japan’s leading breeders, including Sakai of Hiroshima.

With its launch in 1996, Pan Intercorp’s koi.com became the first commercial koi-related website on the Internet. Through the years koi.com has strived to provide the koi keeping community with the highest level of information, service and quality in both koi and koi related products.

Pan Intercorp is dedicated to serving all of your koi needs.

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Peter Pan

Tinker Bell and the Mysterious Winter Woods

Tinker Bell and the Mysterious Winter Woods (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A mischievous boy who can fly and who never ages, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with mermaids, Indians, fairies, pirates, and occasionally ordinary children from the world outside of Neverland. In addition to two distinct works by Barrie, the character has been featured in a variety of media and merchandise, both adapting and expanding on Barrie’s works.

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Pan’s Labyrinth – J Roald Smeets

Cover of "Pan's Labyrinth [Blu-ray]"

Cover of Pan’s Labyrinth [Blu-ray]

Pan’s Labyrinth (Spanish: El laberinto del fauno, “The Faun’s Labyrinth”) is a 2006 Mexican dark fantasy film written and directed by Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by the Mexican film company Esperanto Films.

Pan’s Labyrinth takes place in Spain in May–June 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War, during the early Francoist period. The narrative of the film interweaves this real world with a fantasy world centered around an overgrown abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with which the main character, Ofelia, interacts. Ofelia’s stepfather, the Falangist Captain Vidal, hunts the Spanish Maquis who fight against the Fascist reign in the region, while Ofelia’s pregnant mother grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become central to her story, leading her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden. The film employs make-up, animatronics and CGI effects to bring life to its creatures.

Del Toro stated that he considers the story to be a parable, influenced by fairy tales, and that it addresses and continues themes related to his earlier film The Devil’s Backbone (2001), to which Pan’s Labyrinth is a spiritual successor, according to del Toro in his director’s commentary on the DVD. The original Spanish title refers to the mythological fauns of Roman mythology, while the English, German, and French titles refer specifically to the faun-like Greek character Pan. However, del Toro has stated that the faun in the film is not Pan.

The film premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. It was released in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2006. In the United States and Canada, the film was given a limited release on December 29, 2006, with a wide release on January 19, 2007. Pan’s Labyrinth has won numerous international awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards including Best Film Not in the English Language, the Ariel Award for Best Picture, the Saturn Awards for Best International Film and Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Ivana Baquero and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form.

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Peter Pan Bus Company

The company’s founder, Peter Carmine Picknelly, began his love for transportation in the early 1900’s as a chauffeur. In 1920, he went out on his own and started a small transit company called Orange Valley Bus Company in East Orange, NJ. Then, in 1925, Peter and three other Jitney operators decided to pool their resources and relocate to New England to start a larger transportation service in Hartford, CT, named Interstate Buses Corporation. After successfully launching and establishing that company, in 1932 he sold his interest in Interstate Buses Corporation to his partners and formed his own bus company in Springfield, MA … Peter Pan Bus Lines… in 1933. Peter Pan Bus Lines got its name from our founder’s children’s favorite bedtime story, Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie.

1933 JitneyPeter Pan started with just four 1933 Buick Jitney vehicles. Peter Pan’s first route, Northampton to Boston via Stafford Springs, CT, was a circuitous route that took over 3 1/2 hours with a round trip fare of $3.50!

After years of battling with the State of Massachusetts, in 1940 Peter Pan finally won approval from the State to operate from Springfield direct to Boston via Route 20, cutting travel time to under 2 ½ hours.

In 1942, Peter’s younger brother, Bill Picknelly, joined the bus company; followed by Bill’s son, Carmen Picknelly, who took over the management of Peter Pan’s Maintenance Department. Today, Carmen’s son, Tom Picknelly, is our Senior Vice President of Maintenance; and Tom’s son, Joe Picknelly, the 4th generation of the Picknelly family to enter the business, is Manager of Inventory Control & Fleet Maintenance.

In 1957, when the Massachusetts Turnpike opened, the company gained authority to travel on this new express route between Springfield, MA and Boston, decreasing the travel time to less than 2 hours… as quick as the automobile and faster than the train… giving birth to the concept of affordable, convenient mass transit. During this time, the company’s routes expanded to include many more communities throughout Massachusetts.

1963 marked a milestone for Peter Pan Bus Lines as the company achieved $1 million in annual sales. At this point, Peter Pan’s fleet consisted of 28 buses.

In January of 1964, founder Peter C. Picknelly died leaving the company’s helm to his 33-year old son, Peter Louis Picknelly.

The next few years brought tremendous success and growth to Peter Pan, particularly due to the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York City. Peter Pan offered “all-expense-included” tours from western Massachusetts and Connecticut to the New York World’s Fair. The tours were a phenomenal success for the newly formed Peter Pan World Travel Service, a division that brought substantial financial growth to the company.

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Pan Pan Theatre

Since Pan Pan was established by co-directors Gavin Quinn and Aedín Cosgrove, the company has constantly examined and challenged the nature of its work and has resisted settling into well tried formulas. Developing new performance ideas is at the centre of the company’s raison d’être which is born from a desire to be individual and provide innovation in the development of theatre art. All the works created are original, either through the writing (original plays) or through the totally unique expression of established writings. Pan Pan tries to approach theatre as an open form of expression and has developed an individual aesthetic that has grown from making performances in a host of different situations and conditions.

Pan Pan is committed to presenting performances nationally and internationally and developing links for co-productions and collaborations. The company has toured in Ireland, UK, Europe, USA, Canada, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and China.
Gavin Quinn Co-Director

I began making theatre when I was five years old in the back garden of the house, where I grew up in Dublin. My first works involved choreographing my sisters to the relevant pop music of the time. Circa 1974.

I suppose even then I wanted to be a boy/man of my time. To be simply concerned with breathing in and out and attend the task of making theatre performances that I am engaged in, without being lascivious nor affected nor posing for the audience.

For the past fifteen years I have mainly collaborated with the designer, Aedín Cosgrove under the working name of Pan Pan.

The theatre that Pan Pan creates is of a contemporary attitude with a lot of personal feelings attached.

Pan Pan is willing to use any language of the theatre to express an intended meaning. Conventions, attitudes and barriers that are both psychological and physical are always limiting performance. Pan Pan tries to approach theatre as an open form of expression. Pan Pan has developed an individual aesthetic that has simply grown from making performances in a host of different situations and conditions.

We work on the exploration of new forms, new approaches and experiments with time, space, music and performance. Our objective has always been to be idiosyncratic, to find the individual step.

There are primary characteristics to our work: authenticity of the performer, humility of purpose, the world as a place of chaos and disorder full of oppositions, conflicts and complexities of existence.

Selected productions include A Bronze Twist of Your Serpent Muscles by Gavin Quinn (winner of Best Overall Production, Dublin Fringe Festival, 1995), Cartoon (1997), Standoffish by Gavin Quinn (Best Production, Advertiser, Adelaide 2000), Deflowerfucked (2001), Mac-Beth 7 (2004), One: Healing with Theatre (2005), The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge (in both Beijing and Dublin, in Mandarin and with a Chinese cast, 2006), Oedipus Loves You by Gavin Quinn and Simon Doyle (2006), The Crumb Trail by Gina Moxley (2009), The Rehearsal, Playing the Dane (Winner of Best Production and Best Set Design Irish Times Theatre Awards 2010), All That Fall by Samuel Beckett (Winner of Best Sound Design and Best Lighting Design, Irish Times Theatre Awards 2011).

Outside of his work with Pan Pan, Gavin has directed for opera, including The 4 Note Opera (Tom Johnson, 2000), The Magic Flute and Hamelin for OTC (Ian Wilson, 2003), The Abduction from the Seraglio for ETO (Hackney Empire, London 2007), and Così Fan Tutte for Opera Ireland (2007).

Aedín Cosgrove co-founded Pan Pan in 1991 with Gavin Quinn. Designs for Pan Pan include A Bronze Twist of Your Serpent Muscles (winner of Best Overall Production, Dublin Fringe Festival, 1995), Standoffish, Cartoon, Mac-Beth 7 (nominated for Best Lighting, Irish Times Theatre Awards, 2004), One: Healing with Theatre, Oedipus Loves You, The Idiots, Playboy of the Western World, (Beijing), The Crumb Trail (nominated for Best Lighting, Irish Times Theatre Awards, 2010), The Rehearsal Playing the Dane, at Dublin Theatre Festival 2010 (winner Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Set Design & Best Production 2011), Do Di Zhu for Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and Irish Pavillion at Shanghai Expo and All That Fall by Samuel Beckett , August 2011 (winner Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Lighting Design).

In 2006, Cosgrove travelled with director Sarah-Jane Scaife to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Athens, Greece, to the Samuel Beckett Centenary Residency program during which time they produced Come and Go, Rough for Theatre I, Act Without Words II, Footfalls, and Nacht und Träume. Later, they travelled to Bei Wei University Beijing to work on translation into Mandrain of Marina Carr’s By the Bog of Cats, which was published in 2011 and the readings were presented at Shanghai Expo. In 2009 they produced Act Without Words II at ABSOLUT Fringe which was then presented at Dublin Theatre Festival 2010 as part of the Re-viewed programme.

From 1994 to 1996 she aslo worked with Corcadorca designing all aspects of the original productions of Disco Pigs and Misterman by Enda Walsh. At this time Cosgrove has also designed lighting for Abbey Theatre productions including The Mai by Marina Carr. More recently, Aedín had designed for theatre, dance and opera productions including No Worst There Is None (The Stomach Box, 2010, Winner of Best Production, Irish Times Theatre Awards), Five Ways to Drown (junk ensemble, 2010), Don Pasquale (Opera Theatre Company, 2012), and Man of Valour (The Corn Exchange Theatre Company, 2011, Winner Best Overall Design ABSOLUT Fringe 2011 and Best Lighting Design, Irish Times Theatre Awards).

Aoife has worked as the General Manager of Pan Pan Theatre since 1999 and in that time has produced all of their many and varied productions as well as the Dublin International Theatre Symposium in 2001 & 2003, numerous international tours and the ONE…Healing with Theatre project.

In addition to her work with Pan Pan, Aoife works as an independent producer under the title of Lily Productions. Her company has produced Gavin Kostick’s Heart of Darkness (Dublin Fringe Festival 2007, Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival in 2008 & Southbank Centre in 2009 – Winner of Spirit of the Fringe Award, DFF), Michelle Read’s Snakelight (Dun Laoghaire Mountain to the Sea Literary Festival) and Diet of Worms’ Strollinstown (Absolut Fringe 2010) & Cult (Absolut Fringe 2011).

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Ferrara Pan Candy Company

English: A pile of Red Hots candies, made by F...

English: A pile of Red Hots candies, made by Ferrara Pan Candy Company. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Salvatore Ferrara came to America from Nola, Italy in 1900 and founded Ferrara Pan Candy Company in 1908 in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of his immigration from Italy, Mr. Ferrara was skilled in the art of making Italian pastries and sugar coated candy almonds. Sugar coated candy almonds, otherwise known as “confetti”, continues to be a tradition at Italian weddings.

By 1904, Salvatore Ferrara had become proficient in the English language. Since he was fluent in both English and Italian the Santa Fe Railroad hired him as an interpreter between crews and their foreman. He worked at the Santa Fe Railroad for four years. In 1908 he came to Chicago and opened a retail pastry and confection shop. From 1908 to 1919 the sugar coated almond business experienced substantial growth and Mr. Ferrara was shipping to an extensive market in the Midwest.

In 1919, Salvatore Ferrara, Salvatore Buffardi and Anello Pagano, brothers-in-law, formed a partnership to engage in the manufacturing of a wide variety of confections. Upon the formation of the partnership they had constructed a manufacturing facility located at 2200 West Taylor Street in the City of Chicago. This is the same site in which the original Ferrara Bakery is still located. The same families, Ferrara, Buffardi and Pagano, continue to own and manage the Ferrara Pan Candy Company.

The word “pan” in the company name indicates that some of the candy we make is “panned”. This process involves building candy pieces from single units, such as grains of sugar, nuts or candy centers, tossing them in revolving pans while adding the flavor, color and other candy ingredients. This process continues until the pieces become the desired size. Finally, the candy gets a high polish with an edible vegetable wax, which gives it an attractive appearance. You can view this process on our virtual tours of “How Panned Candy Is Made”.

The Ferrara Pan Candy Company is equipped with the latest of automatic manufacturing and packaging equipment. All confections are made from the very finest of pure, wholesome ingredients and a continuous program of research is employed for the development of new products. J. Roald Smeets

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Lightship “Frying Pan

Frying Pan Lightship and Light Tower

Frying Pan Lightship and Light Tower (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

J. Roald Smeets – Lightship “Frying Pan” is listed on both the New York State and Federal Registers of Historic Places, as it is one of 13 lightships remaining from more than 100 built.  The US Coast Guard used lightships as floating lighthouses to guard other ships from running aground on shoals, or submerged rocks, that were too far from land to be served by a lighthouse on shore.  Many were also used to mark the entrances to harbors.  New Yorkers may be familiar with the Lightship Ambrose, which marked the entrance of New York Harbor, and it is currently docked at the South Street Seaport Museum.

Built in 1929, Lightship #115 “Frying Pan” guarded its namesake, Frying Pan Shoals, 30 miles off of Cape Fear, NC, from 1930 to 1965.  She is 133 feet and 3 inches in length with a 30 foot beam, and she is 632 gross tons.  The unique shape of lightship hulls were designed to withstand the numerous storms and even hurricanes that would send other ships to safer harbors.  15 men lived aboard ship to keep the light atop the mast burning and the foghorn sounding regardless of the weather, season, or time of day.  The crew were stationed aboard ship for three months, followed by two months of shore leave.  It was said to be a job “filled with months of boredom followed by minutes of pure fear”.

Docked at Southport Maritime Museum in Southport, NCLightship Frying Pan has led a remarkable life.  After being abandoned for 10  years while docked at an old oyster cannery in the Chesapeake Bay, we believe she sank due to a broken pipe.  She was underwater for three years before being raised by salvors.  Instead of going to the scrapyard, the ship was sold to its present owners.  After tons of silt and shells were removed from the hull, the ship was outfitted with a new engine and, in 1989, was sailed to New York City.  Frying Pan is now docked at Pier 66 Maritime which is located on Pier 66a in the Hudson River Park at West 26th Street and 12th Ave. in Manhattan, NY.  While the outside of the ship has been restored to her original appearance, the inside retains the barnacle-encrusted, sunken-ship motif that acknowledges her storied past.

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