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Photos: Restored Manistee lighthouse opens for public tours.MANISTEE — Those who have long admired the Manistee North Pierhead Lighthouse can now step inside.Dozens gathered on the pier Monday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the newly renovated lighthouse's opening for tours.Advertisement Article continues below this ad In January 2025, Lakeshore Keepers — formerly the Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association — signed a five-year concession agreement with the city of Manistee, becoming the lighthouse's managing entity.Since then, the group has worked to restore the lighthouse, which was built in 1927, by installing solar panels, putting in new handrails and painting."No one said managing a lighthouse would be easy, by any means," said Lakeshore Keepers executive director Jack Greve.It's not one individual that is solely responsible for getting this lighthouse open, or one organization, but many.Thank you so much.We look forward to many tours to come." Advertisement Article continues below this ad The lighthouse will be open for tower climbs daily through Labor Day.Its hours are 1-5 p.m.Mondays and 10 a.m.to 5 p.m.Tuesdays through Sundays.Fall hours will be 10 a.m.to 5 p.m.Thursdays through Sundays Sept.Advertisement Article continues below this ad "The Lakeshore Keepers are doing more than caring for our landmark, they are preserving an important part of Manistee's history and creating opportunities for residents and visitors to experience it firsthand through tours and education opportunities," said Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Carmen Kott."Their work helps ensure this special place can be enjoyed and appreciated for generations to come." Lakeshore Keepers serves to "preserve and promote Michigan's maritime history, educate the public, and make our five lighthouses accessible to all," according to its Facebook page.The nonprofit also operates the White River Lighthouse in Whitehall, Little Sable Lighthouse in Mears, Ludington North Breakwater in Ludington and Big Sable Lighthouse in Ludington.Advertisement Article continues below this ad In 2011, the Manistee County Historical Museum signed a concession agreement with the city of Manistee to manage the lighthouse.Steve Harold, who was executive director of the museum at the time, and the museum's board of directors later signed an agreement with the city under which the city would own the lighthouse but the museum would fundraise and attempt to rehabilitate it.The exterior of the lighthouse was painted in 2016, but due to the museum's limited staff, restoration efforts stalled.Advertisement Article continues below this ad Museum executive director Mark Fedder said a phone call from then-Lakeshore Keepers board member Al Cocconi breathed new life into the project."Three or four years ago, Al cold-called me one sunny, summer afternoon and said, 'Would you want to work together on maybe opening the lighthouse or doing something with it?Because we want to expand our deck,'" Fedder said."I said, 'I'll do you one better: You can have it.' A couple weeks later, we met and got the ball rolling." Manistee County Tourism Authority executive director Sammie Lukaskiewicz thanked Lakeshore Keepers for preserving and restoring the lighthouse and opening it to the public.Advertisement Article continues below this ad "This isn't something that's just about tourism, though.This is a real point of pride for the people who live here," Lukaskiewicz said."I live right down the street and I walk around this lighthouse every day, and I just love it.To be able to see it so well preserved and taken care of for generations, it's really my great pleasure." More information is available at lakeshorekeepers.org.