Thursday's Edmund Fitzgerald tribute takes on added meaning

Nov. 1—Lewiston's annual Tribute to the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck will take on a special meaning this year.

In recognition of Gordon Lightfoot, the writer of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" song who passed away on May 1 this year, additional music of his will be played alongside other nautical themed works.

"That is why most people are familiar with the shipwreck because of the song," said Thomas Asklar, a Lewiston artist and described Edmund Fitzgerald enthusiast who puts on this tribute. "You cannot go online and research this without that Gordon Lightfoot song playing."

Asklar has put on the event for the past 10 years, growing out of his own fascination with the disaster, recollections of it and the song from his youth, and an impromptu tribute with some friends.

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald first launched in 1958 carrying iron ore across various Great Lakes ports. She sunk on Nov. 10, 1975 during a severe Lake Superior storm in Canadian waters. Lightfoot would be inspired to write his song after reading about the shipwreck in Newsweek.

Like every year, Asklar will give a presentation, explaining the history of the ship, the timeline of its sinking and theories on what caused its demise. Models of the boat created by John Asklar and Justin Higner will be on display.

A bell will be tolled 29 times to honor the souls of each crew member who died. While an additional toll is normally done for all sailors, this year another one will be done for Lightfoot.

The barbershop quartet French Onion Soup will perform a vocal tribute. Additional music will be performed by Jeremy Hoyle, lead singer of Strictly Hip, Bruce Wojick, Jamie Holka, and Dave Thurman. Alongside Lightfoot's music, acts will perform songs with either a nautical theme or from the year 1975, the year of the shipwreck.

Doug Buell, a member of French Onion Soup, will have a video interview of his perspectives on the shipwreck shown. He is a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, of which Lightfoot was an honorary member.

The Thursday event starts at 7:10 p.m. at Brickyard Barbecue in Lewiston. Admission is $10 and free for Lewiston Council on the Arts members.