Save the Weather Beacon!

For 43 years, the Provident Life Weather Beacon has been a prominent landmark in Bismarck.

Operated 24 hours a day and updated by KFYR, the Beacon's colors indicate the forecast for the next 12 hours.

Now, the 60 foot tower is in danger of becoming scrap metal, unless $30,000 is raised to save it. A "Save the Beacon" fund has been established to raise the money needed.
KFYR-AM's Phil and Mark have pledged their full support in helping to raise the money needed to save the Beacon.

10 years ago, the neon lights in the Beacon were replaced with fluorescent lights. Parts for these lights are no longer available, and they don't work as well as neon in the cold anyway. However, to repair, rewire, and refit the beacon will cost $30,000.

Weather Beacon Facts

The Beacon is 60 feet high. Atop the 77 foot Provident Life Building, its height is 137 feet above ground.
The entire Beacon weighs 10 tons and is a part of the building's structure.
The two-foot steel tube contains rungs inside, allowing maintenance from within the Beacon.
The face of the Beacon is plastic, with 90 fluorescent tubes inside. Three sets of 30 tubes give the Beacon its colors.
The colors of the beacon are kept up-to-date by the staff of KFYR TV, where the beacon's color controls are located.

Do you know the Beacon's "code"?

Weather Beacon white as snow, down the temperature will go.

Weather Beacon red as fire, temperature is going higher.

Weather Beacon emerald green, forecast says no change forseen.

When colors blink in agitation, there's going to be precipitation.

You can help Save the Beacon!

The Burleigh County Commission have assured us that if we can raise $30,000 in private funds in partnership with county government, they will refurbish the Beacon and also appropriate tax money to keep it maintained in the years ahead.
A "Save the Beacon" fund has been established at Norwest Bank.

To contribute, contact:

Terry Anderson
Norwest Bank
PO Box 5502
Bismarck, ND 58506