The Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse have exceeded the half-way point with their effort to sell 900 lighthouse license plates depicting the historic structure.

As of Tuesday, it said nearly 550 license plate orders have been received by the group after only four weeks of the campaign.

Gov. Carcieri signed into law the bill allowing the group to sell the license plates but the requirements also call for a minimum initial order of 900 before the Department of Motor Vehicles will commit to making the plates.

The plates are being sold to raise funds to repaint the historic lighthouse seven years after it was renovated. The lighthouse had sat abandoned and neglected for 62 years before the Friends saved the structure.

Friends president David Zapatka said the group was hoping to reach 900 orders by spring which would mean the plates could be on cars by summer.

The plate depicts the lighthouse with against a pink/purple background with a small fishing boat. The plate design still awaits final approval from the DMV, the plate manufacture 3M, and the RI State Police.

Each set of plates cost $41.50; $20 goes to the repainting, $21.50 goes toward the production of the plates. The plates are restricted to passenger vehicles and cannot exceed 5 characters.

Applications for the plates can be found at any branch of the Washington Trust Bank, the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce and at various merchants throughout North Kingstown.

For more information, contact Friends Vice President Dee Hoebbel at 295-7665 or go to:
www.pblplate.org.