David Zapatka, president of the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, writes to say the organization recently passed the 3,000-plate application plateau.

"The lighthouse repainting project was finished last month and is all paid for because of Rhode Islander's support for the plate," he writes.

"We successfully raised the $50,000 needed for the repainting, and late last month held a repainting and flag-raising ceremony at the lighthouse. Where a smokestack once was we've placed a flagpole and Old Glory now proudly flies above the lighthouse. We have in place a solar-powered LED light to illuminate the flag at night.

"We couldn't have done this project without the support of RI's drivers. To date, we've delivered almost 2,500 plate sets through the DMV, and just today they are releasing to applicants over 360 orders that came to us in September.

"Combined with the October orders, this week we surpassed 3,000 total orders to date. We are now raising funds to maintain the lighthouse for years to come. In the past, we really didn't have much of an annual maintenance budget, and profits from any additional orders will keep the lighthouse in good shape.

"People are always asking if the plates are still available. They are, and we hope to be offering them for years to come."