CAMDEN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- It's one of Maine's most beautiful holiday sights: the big, bright star, blazing from the top of Mount Battie has become a cherished holiday tradition.
And for the past 40 years, Bob Oxton has been the star's primary caretaker.
He has worked each year with the Lions Club to set up the star and make repairs when needed. And make sure it is lit. For 40 Christmas seasons, Oxton has been the guy driving up Mount Battie to fill the generator and turn on the star.
"Do i like it? I love it," says Oxton. "When I started lighting this, everyone said what a pain it must bem to come up here every night. But it was a blessing really, because the sun sets over there behind those mountains, and its beautiful. You can see the whole town lit up at Christmastime."
He says the trip up the mountain can sometimes be scary, when the road gets covered with ice or snow. Oxton says he's had to get pulled out of the ditch a few times, but with the help from a few others, the star has been amazingly dependable.
And after 40 years, Oxton will be backing away a bit. Tom Jackson has done many of the star trips this year, along with Randy Stearns. Oxton says its time for him to hand off the work to the next generation of star lighters.
The Camden star will be lit from now until New Years Eve. If you want to see it, go anywhere in downtown Camden and look up.
NEWS CENTER