Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Hosting Anniversary Fundraising Event Oct. 19 at American Muscle Car Museum

historic lighthouse established in 1848 to warn ships of dangerous shoals that lie off its coast

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is turning 151 years old and the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation is celebrating with a fundraising event on Saturday, Oct. 19, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m, at the American Muscle Car Museum in Melbourne, Florida.

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The American Muscle Car Museum is a stunning 123,000 square foot complex that houses more than 300 American muscle cars ranging from classic 1950s to modern, including rare cars.

The Cape Canaveral Light is a historic lighthouse established in 1848 to warn ships of the dangerous shoals that lie off its coast.

It is located inside the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and managed by the 45th Space Wing of the U.S. Air Force with the assistance of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation.

It is the only fully operational lighthouse that is owned by the United States Air Force.

The current 151-foot lighthouse tower was first erected and lit in 1868 then relocated further inland between 1893-1894.

It was originally equipped with a first-order Fresnel lens that was automated in 1967 and then retired from the tower in 1993.

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Mark Pieloch’s collection encompasses more than 300 muscle cars, and he doesn’t keep his sexy cars to himself. He has parlayed his love of autos into a serious charitable enterprise by lending his valuable museum to a variety of local nonprofits that use the facility to raise funds for their programs.

It is easy to see why Mark Pieloch considers himself an optimist. If you were surrounded by $33 million dollars’ worth of muscle cars, you, too, might be looking at the world through rose-colored glasses.

His collection encompasses more than 300 muscle cars, including 40 Indianapolis 500 pace cars, 30 Shelby vehicles and 24 Yenkos, those highly desirable customized Chevy muscle cars, all of which he keeps in his American Muscle Car Museum next to the Melbourne Greyhound Park.

Pieloch doesn’t keep his sexy cars to himself. He has parlayed his love of autos into a serious charitable enterprise by lending his valuable museum to a variety of local nonprofits that use the facility to raise funds for their programs.

Last year, the 123,000-square-foot museum, which is not open to the public, hosted more than 30 charity events.

When Hurricane Irma roared into town, Pieloch’s museum was untouched, but the neighboring Melbourne Greyhound Park was under a foot of water at the time the facility was needed as the staging area for more than 1,300 utility workers from around the country who had arrived to restore power to the more than 300,000 left without lights.

Pieloch immediately offered his museum property to the workers and overnight the 42 acres of the American Muscle Car Museum turned into at tent city of trailers for the workers.

The self-made pet pharmaceutical entrepreneur is a huge supporter of animal causes. Pieloch donated $1.5 million to the Capital Humane Society of Lincoln, Nebraska, to build a no-kill shelter that saves the lives of more than 6,000 dogs and cats each year.

He also gave $600,000 to support the expansion of the veterinary school at Washington State University and $125,000 to Auburn University’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

The Central Florida Animal Reserve in 2013 benefited from his support to the tune of $12,000 He presented the American Cancer Society with a gift of more than $100,000 last year and donated a 1994 Camaro Z28 to be raffled to an active duty military for free.

Pieloch has launched six human and companion animal health companies. Among his patents is Phycox, a product that treats arthritis in companion animals, helping them to live pain-free lives.

He has developed more than 20 pet pharmaceutical products that have helped millions of dogs, cats and horses. Whenever a good cause knocks at his door, Pieloch is glad to help.

“When people need help, you help,” he said.

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