Hi Scott, 

     You hit the nail on the head with your comment:   “Another problem:  All of the various entities are ISLANDS. They do NOT play well together. …”  Each entity works against the other; from the Village to Chamber of Commerce, to Fire Dept., Historical Society, Rotary, Schools and all the rest. But it wasn’t always that way. 

     Let’s use Pancake Breakfasts as an example, as told to me by a woman who was instrumental in starting them. Years ago the Fire Dept. needed to raise funds and approached the Historical Society about jointly starting the breakfasts and sharing the profits. When the first breakfast came not one person from the Historical Society showed up to help, so the Fire Dept. ran it, keeping the profits. Apparently the breakfasts proved to be profitable as the Fire Dept. continued to hold them for many years afterwards. As their popularity grew the community became involved with many organizations helping out - girl & boy scout troops would be there every year (perhaps to earn a badge), the Junior class helped, friends of our volunteer firefighters, other local groups. As a youngster, into my teen and adult years, I helped my parents serve, cook, and clean-up at Pancakes. And to thank those who put in time there was a Pancake Thank You Party for adults. It was a community effort which provided much needed funds for the Fire Department; the breakfasts were a unique idea and very well attended by folks from all over. At some time the Fire Department must have had enough money and stopped serving pancakes and other organizations took up the venture. Now, every group in Burton and surrounding communities hold Pancake Breakfasts. I would venture to say that not one of them realizes the profits the Fire Dept. saw. 

     Just imagine what it would be like if all our organizations would work together, to plan their events with a common calendar (a few years ago Beautify Burton was held on Mothers Day as was Spring Clean-up – Nice Image!), help promote and support each other; what a sense of community there would be! Ah, to dream! Unfortunately so many involved in these groups are there just for the feeling of self importance, to toot their own horns if you will, and do not have the village or residents best interest at heart. 

     So Scott, please start that Merchants Association soon, before our village dries up and blows away in the wind.

Name Withheld

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NW:  Good example with the Pancakes.  Yes, Burtonites can work together.  Part of the problem is every one of these entities - the school, the townships, the village councils are soooo very afraid their part of the tax pie will be taken by some other entity...  Witness the huge fight over the proposal of annexation in past years...  BIG TIME FIGHT! 

     Right now there's one helluva fight between BPA and Burton Village Council.  Council doesn't negotiate well with the townships...  The Claridon Township trustees are STILL in lawsuits even though Mary Briggs isn't there any longer...  That was REALLY a tense situation over there...  Lou Mucci raised quite a bit of hell before he left as Burton Trustee...  LOTS OF TENSION.  LOTS OF INFIGHTING.  LOTS OF DISTRUST.  Bushwacking.  Lies.  Turf battles. 

     Look at today's Berkshire School Board - lots of distrust from the voters and lots of distrust from the teachers, parents, etc.  I remember 20 years ago when Hornak, Bates, Jeminson, etc. ran the board.  NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER.  They only spent the money they had.  I don't remember special interest groups like the Athletic Supporters horning in with their demands and gripes.  It was total harmony.  My how times have changed!

     It's going to take a "water-walker" to get all of these groups together and pulling the SAME wagon...  It looks impossible now.  As a merchant, I feel we are left out by every group.  I've been a Main Street merchant for going on ten years now and I've seen LOTS of people come and go...  Some merchants tried really hard, but were not helped by the Chamber or the various entities that could have rescused them to some extent. 

     I believe the merchants should pull together here and plan some GOOD festivals that will bring people into Burton.  One of my ideas was to block off North Cheshire at my store and then roadblock it down by the high school.  We could have a competiton car show and/or massive flea market/street sale and set up vendors on the street as well as the sidewalk and really get the merchants' stores open and thriving with customers.  We could give prizes for the best car or booth or something to get everyone participating.  We could put big rib and chicken grills out on the streets.  Bands on the street.  BLOW THE PLACE DOWN on a nice summer day.  Start a new tradition!  Then when it's night fall, put a HUGE white screen up that stretches across the street and have a GREAT movie like "Gone With Wind" or something.  You can laugh at this idea all you want, but a group of us did on the MAIN STREET of Dublin, Ohio (when I'm from) AND IT WAS SUBLIME!  The movie played way into the night and the whole town turned out and put lawn chairs on the street and watched the movie "Yankee Doodle Dandy".  They ate TWO meals there as well as snacks and beverages from the vendors.  IT WAS MAGICAL! 

     Know where we got the idea?  During the Depression people in Dubin has NO MONEY.  Everyone was into farming, so they have plenty to eat, but NO MONEY.  So one day the town fathers had an idea to bring all of the farmers and their familes into town for cheap entertainment, so they blocked off the Main Street of Dublin and put a large sheet from one side of the street to the other and showed black and white movies way into the night.  All of the farmers brought something to eat and placed the food on large tables.  No one went hungry! 

     This is just one idea I have brainstormed.  It would be new and exciting for Burton!  I haven't seen that street blocked off for a party in the 20 years I've been here, so let's give it a whirl!  I guarantee it would be successful!   Perhaps this should be the first project of the NEW Main Street Merchants' Association!