Four stout glass bottles with secret messages inside are bobbing their way around the Great Lakes, and the finders who eventually discover them will be awarded a stay at one of Michigan’s most remote lighthouses. The bottles were dropped into the Mackinac Straits over Labor Day Weekend from White Shoal Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse on the Great Lakes, as part of the owners' “Message in a Bottle Contest.” Since the offshore lighthouse first began offering overnight guest stays a few years ago, it has become known for hosting creative, adventurous contests. This latest contest is part of a special celebration commemorating the lighthouse’s 113th anniversary. Four descendants of White Shoal’s longest-running lighthouse keeper, George Keller, played a key role, writing personal messages and inserting them into the bottles, along with a note about the prize of an overnight stay. The family acknowledges that the bottle could end up in Canada, or even down the Detroit River, depending on the wind and currents. “We hope everyone has fun with this and that the bottles are eventually found,” said White Shoal co-owner Brent Tompkins.
