Beaver Island Michigan

Dan and Carol,
In reading your post here and on the sale's forum I'm sensing that this might be: Bye, Bye Miss American Pie; The Day The Music Died. That would be a tragedy for BI. I know you have been cheerleaders for BI and have done more for the economy and the island way of live than many others without your due recognition.
You are exactly the people BI needs for moving forward. Please say, "it ain't so".

We don't know what we will be doing! BIMF will not end yet. Hopefully not at all! Looking for someone who wants to be the new property owner of the Burton place or find a solution to helping us keeping the property for that purpose. Open to all things that may make things work out even better than before.

Thank you for the response, not sure it is making me feel any better. What I do know is that Dan and Carol deserve a 21 gun salute for all they have done to make BI a better place. Don't let the short sighted naysayers get you down, power bases are shrinking.

Tell me it isn't over!! No one will be able to put on the show that you have over the years. What will the people do without you.

Sigh..... Say it isn't so! All the good you two have done for the Island will be sorely missed. You've been an incredible asset and I wish you well in your future endeavors.

Brad

Donâ??t talk to Pike on real estate advice. As he has quoted earlier, we as Islanders have caused our property values to plummet.

John McCafferty

John,
I've always thought a lot of you, your construction skills, teaching yourself to play the fiddle, hobo dinners in the arena, entertaining on the porch, mushing, a great B&B but now your posts sound very bitter and all about poor YOU. If and I say if the Burtons are leaving, your post is tarnishing your reputation not Pike's or anyone else and not helping the Burtons at this time stress. This is about the Burtons and not about YOU. You're better than that, be the person we think you are.

I agree it will be sad to lose you guys for sure, i do believe the music fest if not your,s someone else,s would go on, i remind people before music fest were real big, beans Keech I as another put on the hickory beaver flat tail fest, it was done by mostly kids and we all grew up, but some of us are back and beans still gets involved even with your,s! I am shocked as i think you guys kept getting better show,s each year, yes there is no doubt property values have dove, thus me going west to work as it slows down winters, WHAT EVER YOU DO YOU WILL DO WELL! sending heart felt thoughts that you figure it out!

My family will truly miss the Burtons if this comes about. Please consider staying and putting up a good fight.

I write this to the Burtons, and to Carol, who has expressed that she is just tired of the fight. My wife and I own a small place on the island, but are not there a great deal. Therefore, I have not been to the Music Festival, but it is on my bucket list. The Festival has, in my opinion, been a great thing for the island, and I thank you for all your work in putting it together. That must be huge.

I have not purchased a handcrafted boat or any of Dan's other handiwork, but I have admired it, and it just embodies the spirit and rich heritage of the island, and I am grateful for that.

So, I have not personally contributed to your efforts, yet I have benefited from them, intangibly at least. But beyond these things, I want to tell you what I consider your main contribution to my island experience -- a few years ago, I was just out wandering Main St one evening, and I encountered Dan and the kids out in front of the shop. We sat and talked for a time, shared a few stories, and I felt welcome and included. Carol, you appeared a few minutes later, and joined the conversation and I came away feeling like I had just encountered a really special family.

Beyond all the other things, it is the people who make the island a magical place. I know that not everyone contributes to that magic, and I know you are feeling burned out, and maybe you do need to make some adjustments to your commitments, but please know that I believe that you are a part of the fiber of Beaver Island - part of what makes it a special place.

From facebook
Dan Burton Thanks Adam. We are getting tired. If certain people (st. James township) cant understand that we are trying to keep this town alive. The boat shop is more of a museum than a business. Itâ??s sad. They have solutions that only cost Carol and I thousands of dollars.

It would be great if we could get everyone to post on the forum "Thank you Dan and Carol" for the massive effort you have made to make Beaver Island a fun place to go. It is going to hurt everyone losing the hundreds, if not thousands of visitors, that you have brought to Beaver or made their stay so great they returned another year.