Lighthouses have served humanity as protective sentinels guiding us home for nearly two centuries. Since the mid-1800s, when Santa Cruz served as a bustling port for lime, redwood and other ...

GHENT, N.Y. — Until Saturday morning I hadn’t given a lot of thought to lighthouses. That makes sense because I live nowhere near an ocean. And our property in Columbia County is severely landlocked.

At 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 at the Santa Cruz Harbor, the Derek Walton Lighthouse’s holiday lights will be switched on, then the 33rd annual Lighted Boat Parade will get underway. What will be different ...