Lighthouses have been guiding ships on the Great Lakes since 1818. Many light the way for ships to find the safety of ports. Others warn vessels of dangerous reefs that have destroyed hundreds of ships over the years. Ric Mixter is the former president of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association and producer of "Offshore Outposts," a PBS documentary showcasing several remote lighthouses that were nearly impossible to build and man over the last century. With eyewitness interviews, rare footage and answers to some of the biggest mysteries on the lakes, Ric's in-depth class shares not only what it took to build the lights, but also introduces a man who went on duty for over three months. Ric also shares the invention of the lightship, and how Michigan is home to the last mobile sentinel on the inland seas, the Huron Lightship museum in Port Huron. Of 388 lights that have illuminated the lakes, roughly one-third are gone, and still more are in need of repairs as antiquated aids to navigation. Ric will share the most endangered on the lakes and some of the stories that are keeping their value alive. From the genius of interlocking limestone block construction to the current cleanup and renovations at offshore lights, to the explosion at America's most remote lighthouse, this is a class not to be missed!

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