BRISTOL – This year Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, the lighthouse on the 2003 quarter issued for the state of Maine, is one of the 12 finalists in a window and door company’s contest for new windows and doors installed in a lighthouse.

Winning this challenge would be a fitting tribute to the lighthouse on the quarter, said Marty Welt, president of the Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, according to a press release.

Pemaquid is now in sixth place in the contest and needs the help of everyone in Maine to help push it over the top.

In first place is Grand Traverse Lighthouse in Michigan, the state with the most lighthouses in the United States. Michigan has strong support for its lighthouses. Virtually every newspaper in the state has publicized the efforts to gain new windows and doors.

“But that doesn’t mean Pemaquid doesn’t have a chance,” said Welt. “Let’s show that Maine also supports its lighthouses,” he said.

Residents may cast their ballots for Pemaquid on the Web at www.jeld-wen.com/lighthouse. One ballot will be counted from each e-mail address. Voting ends Sept. 7.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, a local all-volunteer chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, manages the tower and keeps it open for visitors.

For more information, e-mail Marty Welt, FPPL president, at backlog@tidewater.net.