CAMDEN — The Friends of the Mt. Battie Tower, an all-volunteer group, has announced receipt of a $10,000 challenge grant from the Messler Family Foundation to help support needed repairs and reconstruction of deteriorating portions of the Mt. Battie Tower in Camden Hills State Park. To date, the committee has raised more than $7,000 toward this challenge, and almost $25,000 toward its $100,000 fund-raising goal.

"People have been stepping forward to help us capitalize on this generous donation from the Messler Family Foundation. There are only a few weeks left to reach $10,000," said Randy Stearns, chair of Friends of the Mt. Battie Tower. "This is an opportunity to have your donation doubled, and every dollar counts."

The Save the Tower project's goal is to raise at least half of the $100,000 goal before June 30. Those funds will be used to begin immediate restoration of deteriorating portions of the tower, in order to preserve the popular monument for future generations to enjoy and cherish.

"We are planning a dance and silent auction at Point Lookout, with Creatures of Habit on Saturday, May 2 from 8 to 11 p.m., and we hope it will be another great way we can come together as a community to help to save the tower," said Stearns.

The tower has been an iconic part of a shared community identity throughout the Camden Hills and Penobscot Bay region since the end of World War I. It was constructed in 1920 as a monument to World War I veterans and their families on the home front, and dedicated in 1921. The auto road up Mt. Battie was constructed by the Maine State Park Commission in 1963 and is maintained by the state of Maine, with additional plowing by Camden volunteers. It unofficially opened in October 1964, and was dedicated June 29, 1965. The Mt. Battie Christmas Star has been an annual fixture atop the tower since 1966, lit nightly each holiday season from Thanksgiving eve to New Year's Eve, with generous local donations of supplies and volunteer labor to make that possible. The 50th anniversary of the star on Mt. Battie will be in 2016, making this restoration project historically significant.

Millions of residents and visitors have hiked or driven to the summit of Mt. Battie, and feel a special connection to the mountain, the trails, the summit, the views and the tower. The tower, bricks, stairs and overall structural integrity have been identified by engineers as being at risk, and the need for timely repairs is acute, so as to avoid closure of the structure and loss of the iconic lighted holiday season star.

The Friends of the Mt. Battie Tower committee includes Jim Bowditch, Jim Christie, Dawn Emery, Ronna Emery, Karen Hansen, Jeremy Howard, Jane Lafleur, Heather Moran, Peter Rollins, Anneli Skaar and Randy Stearns. Donations may be mailed to Save the Tower, c/o Town of Camden, P.O. Box 1207, Camden, ME 04843 with "Save the Tower" on the memo line.

For more information, visit the Friends of the Mt. Battie Tower community  Facebook page.