This afternoon, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers are back at the historic Alki Point Lighthouse until 4 pm, for the first of this summer’s final two afternoons of free tours. The video above is a promotional reminder, courtesy of Mark Elliott and Avenue Productions – with a preview of what you’ll see when you go, though nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand.

The tour season began in June with a commemoration of the lighthouse’s centennial. The celebration won’t stop when the tour season ends around 4:01 pm tomorrow – the Southwest Seattle Historical Society has featured a special mini-exhibit at the Log House Museum, and the SWSHS’s Champagne Gala Lunch in November is themed “Tripping the Lighthouse Fantastic“:

That’s the official invitation cover, shown off at a gala-preview gathering Thursday night at The Pacific Institute on Harbor Avenue near Seacrest. SWSHS executive director Clay Eals spoke to a gathering of local civic/historic-preservation champions:

Among the many local luminaries present was (on the couch in our photo above) Earl Cruzen, about whom Eals said, “If there ever was a Mr. West Seattle …” Eals noted that not only did Cruzen lead the way in bringing West Seattle its history-depicting murals and the Walking on Logs sculptures, he also for many years (as also noted here, in 2010) singlehandedly maintained the landscaping around the latter.

Eals previewed a few details of the gala itself, which will include a silent auction – video previews of key items are coming up on the SWSHS/Log House Museum website, he promised – and dessert dash; go here to find out how to get your tickets! (WSB is proud to be a media sponsor for this year’s gala.)

But before then – make sure your calendar is marked for a week from tomorrow, 6:30 pm Sunday, September 8th, when Alki Arts (which remains open until the end of September) will host “The Earth Cried Out,” a one-night-only exhibit of the bags saved from luminarias placed around and near the Alki Statue of Liberty after 9/11. (We’ll feature a more-detailed preview later this weekend.)