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Organization

Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce

Also Chamber of Commerce · BI Chamber of Commerce · Beaver Island Chamber

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Within Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypeOrganization
Founded1988
Coordinates45.7474° N, 85.5196° WGoogle MapsDownload KML
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Within Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Organization
Founded
1988
Coordinates
45.7474° N, 85.5196° WGoogle MapsDownload KML
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
tourismcommunitycommerceeconomycelebrationfoodways
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

The Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce is the island’s business and tourism-promotion body, established in 1988 to replace the Beaver Island Civic Association and now a Michigan 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation led by a board of directors and an executive director.12 Since its formation it has been the island’s principal producer of public events: it inherited the Fourth of July carnival and parade from the Civic Association in 1988, ran a “Taste of Beaver Island” food event from 1989, founded the Bite of Beaver Island food festival in 2002, sponsored the Emerald Isle Irish Féile from its first season in 2019 until the Beaver Island Irish Heritage Group incorporated in 2023, and created Harvest on the Harbor in the 2020s.34562 It also publishes the island’s visitor guide and a master events calendar that several festival articles here draw on for reference.27

Origins

Before 1988 the island had no chamber of commerce. The June 1955 Beaver Beacon records Lloyd McDonough correcting a mainland news release that had named him secretary of one: “We have only a Commerce Committee” — a committee of the Civic Association.8 That arrangement lasted three decades. In February 1985 the Civic Association discussed reorganising itself into paid “Chamber of Commerce” and “Beacon” directorships with unpaid directors of festivals and fundraising, and by June 1986 its board slate lists “Chamber of Commerce: Gay Works” as a two-year directorship.9

The separate body was constituted two years later. The Beaver Beacon of 26 May 1988 reports: “The Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce Incorporation Committee was formed on Feb. 13, 1988. They will replace the Beaver Island Civic Association. Therefore, the Beaver Beacon that was published by the Civic Association was to be sold.” Richie Gillespie was elected chairman at that open meeting, with Edie Wilmot as secretary and Marilyn Damstra as treasurer. The committee intended to be “an independent body” while operating publicly as “The Charlevoix-Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce,” with Charlevoix dedicating two board seats to Beaver Island in exchange for staff support and exposure.1

The Chamber’s own 2025 account agrees: “The Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce was established in 1988 and is a 501(c)6 not for profit corporation in the State of Michigan.”2 Two independent sources thirty-seven years apart give the same year, which is why start_date is '1988' rather than the 'undated' this article previously carried. The held sources date the incorporation committee to 13 February 1988; no articles of incorporation or filing date is held, and the “Charlevoix-Beaver Island” joint identity does not appear in any later held source.

Programme and events

Fourth of July. The Chamber took over the carnival and fireworks immediately. The July 1988 issue records a Chamber of Commerce booth selling carnival and raffle tickets and lists booths the Chamber sponsored;4 in 1989 and 1990 the Chamber ran the parade, issuing the public invitation, entering its own “Proud as a Peacock” float, and appealing for “many volunteers to continue sponsoring this event.”1011 See Beaver Island Fourth of July celebration — whose editions table is written only to 1976 — for the series.

Taste of Beaver Island (1989–). The Chamber’s 1989 programme includes “A Taste of Beaver Island … featuring food booths, music, arts and crafts,” dated August 18–19 on that year’s calendar.312 It reappears attached to the autumn Fly-In: in October 1997 “The Taste of Beaver Island was a hit! Gross sales of $1,885 netted the Beaver Island Fire Department and the Chamber of Commerce $493,” and the 1998 Fly-In advertisement bills it as lunch stands with $1.00 food tickets — “Come and sample the best of our food service establishments.”13 This is recorded because it is chronologically awkward: the founding coverage of Bite of Beaver Island in October 2002 calls that event Beaver Island’s “first ever event of its kind.” The held record shows a Chamber-run island food-sampling event under a different name thirteen years earlier. No held source connects the two, and this article does not assert that they are the same event or that either claim is wrong.

Bite of Beaver Island (2002–). The Chamber founded and ran the October food festival; chef Deborah Harwood coordinated the first one and Chamber Director Steve West handled marketing, and West is still named as organiser in the 2008 coverage, with vendor table fees “which assists the Chamber with festival expenses.”5 By 2018–2021 it had a Chamber committee co-chaired by Frank D’Andraia and MaryJean Pike. The full series record, including the question of whether the event has been renamed or absorbed, is at Bite of Beaver Island.

Harvest on the Harbor. The Chamber’s March 2025 annual account states that “A new event, Harvest on the Harbor (HOTH), was created in October to expand on the existing ‘Bite of Beaver Island’ event,” and that it “has grown each year and is well attended.”2 The Chamber’s 2026 master calendar lists Harvest on the Harbor for 9–10 October 2026 and does not list Bite of Beaver Island by name; no article exists here for Harvest on the Harbor yet.7

Emerald Isle Irish Féile (2019–2023). The Chamber sponsored the Féile from its first season in September 2019 and ran it through an “Emerald Isle Irish Féile Steering Committee”; local reporting says the 2023 festival was still operating as a Chamber committee before the group incorporated as the Beaver Island Irish Heritage Group.14 See Emerald Isle Irish Féile and Beaver Island Irish Heritage Group.

Other recurring events. The 1989 calendar shows the Chamber’s early breadth: a members’ Gala, a wine-tasting seminar at the Shamrock, a fashion show, a sunset cruise, the Fireman’s Ball, the Fly-In, a Hunter’s Dinner and a Big Buck Contest.12 The Hunter’s Dinner was a Chamber event at Holy Cross Church Hall with proceeds to a “Wildlife Fund” for walleye plantings and winter feed.15 The same calendar lists “Homecoming Weekend, August 11-13” — the Chamber carries the Homecoming on its public calendar, as it still did for 2026, without running the parish dinner that is the event’s core; see Beaver Island Homecoming.

Organisation

The Chamber is governed by a board with a president and an executive director managing daily operations.2 Officers named in held sources: Richie Gillespie, chairman of the 1988 incorporation committee, with Edie Wilmot and Marilyn Damstra;1 Kathy Speck as president and Steve West as executive director in 2009;16 and in 2025 Carol Burton as president, Theresa McDonough as vice-president, Vicki Fingeroot as treasurer, Angel Welke as secretary, with Paul Cole as executive director.2 The Chamber reports a 2022 strategic plan, updated and approved in January 2025, and claims “ninety-nine percent of Island businesses participate in the Chamber” — its own figure, not independently verified here.

Evidence limits

Held Beaver Beacon coverage of the Chamber runs from its 1988 formation to April 2011, where the held run of the paper ends: about 594 raw matches for “Chamber of Commerce” across the 1988–2011 issues, against 12 in the whole of 1955–1987, most of those referring to the Charlevoix chamber. The counts are string matches, not a verified mention-by-mention tally. 2011-05 through 2023-12 is a hole with no held periodical, so the Chamber’s activity across those twelve years — including the Féile’s founding season in 2019 and its whole pre-BIIHG run — is documented only by later retrospectives, the community forum archive, and the Chamber’s own web material. Held Northern Islander and Northern Light issues resume in 2024. No incorporation filing, minutes, membership roll, budget, or audited financial statement is held for any year; the officers, member counts and event outcomes above are newspaper reports and the Chamber’s own statements.

Open questions

  • When was the Chamber actually incorporated? Held sources date the incorporation committee to 13 February 1988 and the Chamber’s own account says “established in 1988”; the Michigan corporate filing is not held.
  • Did the “Charlevoix-Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce” joint identity ever operate? It is stated as the 1988 plan and appears in no later held source.
  • Is the 1989–1998 “Taste of Beaver Island” related to the 2002 “Bite of Beaver Island”? Both are Chamber food-sampling events; no held source links them, and the 2002 coverage calls its event the first of its kind.
  • What is the Chamber’s relationship to the Fourth of July celebration today? It ran the parade and carnival from 1988; the 2024 Northern Islander post-event account names no organiser.
  • Which minutes or agreements document the Féile committee’s transition to BIIHG?
  • Has the Chamber ever formally succeeded to the Civic Association’s assets, or did the Civic simply wind up alongside it?

See also

Footnotes

  1. Beaver Beacon, 26 May 1988, “Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce Incorporation Committee.” ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Angel LaFevre-Welke, “What Is the Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce?,” Northern Light, March 2025. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  3. Beaver Beacon, January 1989, Chamber 1989 programme and membership form. ↩ ↩2

  4. Beaver Beacon, July 1988, Fourth of July carnival report. ↩ ↩2

  5. Beaver Beacon, October 2008, Bite of Beaver Island weekend notice. ↩ ↩2

  6. Northern Islander, June 2024, Beaver Island Irish Heritage Group announcement (and January 2024, “Emerald Isle Irish Féile Sponsorship Opportunities”). ↩

  7. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce, master events calendar, accessed 3 August 2026. ↩ ↩2

  8. Beaver Beacon, June 1955, Jet Air Base correction notice. ↩

  9. Beaver Beacon, June 1986, Civic Association board and directorships (with the February 1985 reorganisation minutes). ↩

  10. Beaver Beacon, May–August 1989, Fourth of July parade notices and reports. ↩

  11. Beaver Beacon, February 1990, Fourth of July carnival appeal. ↩

  12. Beaver Beacon, March 1989, 1989 island events calendar. ↩ ↩2

  13. Beaver Beacon, October 1997, Fly-In report (and the September 1998 Fly-In advertisement). ↩

  14. Northern Islander, January and June 2024. ↩

  15. Beaver Beacon, November 1990, Hunter’s Dinner report. ↩

  16. Beaver Beacon, November 2009, Beaver Island Marathon letter from the Chamber. ↩

The dated record

107 dated events · 1988–2022 · peak 11 in 2015These years on the timeline →

Read the document

36 pages, rendered from the held scan.

Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1
Page 1 of 36Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce, “Biz After Hours 5/16 Circle M 6-8,” Beaver Island Forum, May 11–17, 2018.Open the page image · Download this page
All 36 pages
  1. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 11
  2. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 22
  3. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 33
  4. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 44
  5. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 55
  6. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 66
  7. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 77
  8. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 88
  9. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 99
  10. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1010
  11. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1111
  12. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1212
  13. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1313
  14. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1414
  15. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1515
  16. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1616
  17. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1717
  18. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1818
  19. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 1919
  20. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 2020
  21. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 2121
  22. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 2222
  23. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 2323
  24. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 2424
  25. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 2525
  26. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 2626
  27. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 2727
  28. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 2828
  29. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 2929
  30. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 3030
  31. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 3131
  32. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 3232
  33. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 3333
  34. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 3434
  35. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 3535
  36. Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce — p. 3636

Sources

  1. The Chamber invited current and prospective members to a May 16 Business After Hours to discuss its direction, mission, possible shoulder-season events, marketing, and the search for a successor to an executive director retiring in fall 2018. Later replies said the meeting was informative and that the 2018 brochure was in print. This documents an organizational transition and consultation effort, not the eventual hiring outcome or a completed strategy.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 13 · t013065
  2. The Chamber solicited public input on five proposed brochure-cover designs and reported that its associated Facebook post had reached 4,200 people and received more than 100 comments in its first 21 hours. These are self-reported platform metrics, not an independent reach or tourism-impact audit.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 12 · t012777
  3. The Chamber promoted a 30-second Beaver Island television commercial running in selected northern Michigan markets and reported view/share totals from its social-media post. The figures are self-reported promotional metrics, not independent audience or tourism-impact evidence.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007517
  4. The Chamber promoted Frank Solle's spring-ice sunset photograph and reported more than 500 views in one hour. This documents a promotional post and self-reported platform metric, not an independent audience or tourism-impact measure.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007293
  5. Nicholas described creating an original song and a Chamber-produced pictorial video, with Chamber advice and community-donated photographs. The post is an artist's account of the collaboration and includes an explicit copyright reservation; it does not establish later distribution, licensing, or audience reach.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007299
  6. Chamber posts promoted Friends of Beaver Island winter photography and invited sharing as part of its marketing program; related February posts identified specific photographers, a winter-wedding story, and self-reported view totals. The totals are platform/promoter claims, not an independent audience or tourism-impact measure.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007180
  7. Notice encouraged voting for Beaver Island people and businesses in Traverse, Northern Michigan's Best of Northern Michigan contest through March 14. It documents promotional participation, not nominations, votes, rankings, or award results.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007220
  8. The Chamber promoted a 9&10 News and FOX 32 feature about Beaver Island and thanked photojournalist Corey Adkins. This records a Chamber media-promotion notice, not the broadcast’s full content, audience, or tourism effect.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 03 · t003276
  9. The Chamber promoted Beaver Island photographs and businesses on fly-fishing guide Bob Clouser’s Facebook page and said plans were underway to host outdoor writers with Indigo Guide Service and other Chamber members. This documents planned organizational promotion, not completed coverage or tourism results.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 03 · t003114
  10. The Chamber reposted a Detroit News article about Pure Michigan tourism-marketing returns and discussed the fit between state tourism promotion and its own mission. The repost is not independent proof of the article’s dollar figures or Beaver Island-specific impact.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 03 · t003133
  11. The Chamber posted its 2011 membership form, mission statement, year-round marketing message, and links to tourism media. This is an organizational communication, not a membership roll, budget, or independent marketing audit.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 03 · t003050
  12. The Chamber’s current contact page identifies the address as “Chamber Office in the Community Center.” The coordinates use the current Community Center label point, so they locate the public office in its host building rather than asserting a separate Chamber-owned property, legal office boundary, or historical address.
  13. The founding notice says the committee formed February 13, 1988 to replace the Civic Association. Richie Gillespie, Edie Wilmot, and Marilyn Damstra were elected officers; the committee planned an independent body operating publicly as "The Charlevoix-Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce" with two Beaver Island seats on the Charlevoix chamber board. It records the committee's formation, not completed incorporation. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1988-05_Beaver-Beacon
  14. The held nineteen-page May issue PDF is paired with the canonical OCR source and confirms the incorporation-committee notice.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1988-05_Beaver-Beacon
  15. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. Lists "Chamber of Commerce: Gay Works" as a two-year directorship of the Beaver Island Civic Association — evidence that a chamber-of-commerce function existed as a Civic Association portfolio before the separate body was formed. The February 1985 issue records the reorganisation discussion that created these directorships. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1986-06_Beaver-Beacon
  16. The held nineteen-page June issue PDF is paired with the canonical OCR source and confirms the Civic Association’s Chamber of Commerce directorship.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1986-06_Beaver-Beacon
  17. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. Records Lloyd McDonough's statement that he is not secretary of a Chamber of Commerce because "We have only a Commerce Committee" — held evidence that no Beaver Island chamber existed in 1955. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1955-06_Beaver-Beacon
  18. The held four-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1955-06_Beaver-Beacon
  19. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. Lists "events the Chamber will be sponsoring in 1989": a wine tasting seminar and the BI Chamber of Commerce Gala in May; the Fourth of July festivities; "A Taste of Beaver Island" in July featuring food booths, music, arts and crafts; and the Sunset Cruise. Prints a membership form with a $120.00 full membership for island businesses at P.O. Box 5, St. James. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1989-01_Beaver-Beacon
  20. The held twenty-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1989-01_Beaver-Beacon
  21. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. Prints the year's calendar: wine tasting seminar May 23, Chamber Member's Gala May 27, Fourth of July Festivities July 2-4, Fashion Show July 10, Sunset Cruise July 28, Homecoming Weekend August 11-13, Taste of Beaver Island August 18-19, Fireman's Ball October 7, Fly-In October 15, Hunter's Dinner November 13, Big Buck Contest November 15-30. A published calendar, not a record that each event occurred. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1989-03_Beaver-Beacon
  22. The held sixteen-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1989-03_Beaver-Beacon
  23. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. "The Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce invites you to join us in the Fourth of July parade," addressed to residents, businesses, summer residents, clubs, organizations and children. The identical notice runs again in the June 1989 issue; the July 1989 issue reports the Chamber's own "Proud as a Peacock" float, designed by Patti Wogan, winning best club/organization entry, and the August 1989 issue prints Ron and Patti Wojan's and the Chamber's thanks to parade participants. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1989-05_Beaver-Beacon
  24. The held twenty-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1989-05_Beaver-Beacon
  25. Reports the carnival with a "Chamber of Commerce Booth" manned by Howard Konetchy and Gus Schmidt selling carnival and raffle tickets, and lists booths the Chamber sponsored, including a helium balloon stand run by Ellen Welke. The first held year in which the Chamber, rather than the Civic Association, appears running the Fourth of July. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1988-07_Beaver-Beacon
  26. The held eighteen-page July issue PDF is paired with the canonical OCR source and confirms the Chamber’s carnival role.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1988-07_Beaver-Beacon
  27. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. Advance notice for the 4 July 1990 carnival: "the Chamber of Commerce needs many volunteers to continue sponsoring this event," and floats a companion art fair. Confirms the Chamber as the carnival's sponsoring body two years after its formation. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1990-02_Beaver-Beacon
  28. The held twenty-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1990-02_Beaver-Beacon
  29. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. Reports the 17 November 1990 Hunter's Dinner at Holy Cross Church Hall, hosted by the Chamber, with proceeds earmarked for a newly established "Wildlife Fund" supporting walleye plantings, wildlife education, and winter feed. The October 1990 issue carries the advance notice. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1990-11_Beaver-Beacon
  30. The held eighteen-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1990-11_Beaver-Beacon
  31. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. "The Taste of Beaver Island was a hit! Gross sales of $1,885 netted the Beaver Island Fire Department and the Chamber of Commerce $493," at the airport Fly-In alongside craft vendors and an aviation quilt raffle. The September 1998 Fly-In advertisement bills "Taste of Beaver Island" lunch stands with $1.00 food tickets: "Come and sample the best of our food service establishments." The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1997-10_Beaver-Beacon
  32. The held sixteen-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1997-10_Beaver-Beacon
  33. Beaver Beacon, October 2008, Bite of Beaver Island weekend notice.
    Read in the in-repo data/ tree. Places the Bite of Beaver Island Food Festival at Holy Cross Hall 1:00-4:00 p.m., with vendor tables at $30 "which assists the Chamber with festival expenses," overflow tables at the Community Center, an Apple Pie Contest with auction, a Beaver Island Community School poster contest, and Chamber Director Steve West as the contact and organiser. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2008-10_Beaver-Beacon
  34. The held forty-eight-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2008-10_Beaver-Beacon
  35. Beaver Beacon, November 2009, Beaver Island Marathon letter from the Chamber.
    Read in the in-repo data/ tree. Signed by "Kathy Speck, president of the Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce, and Steve West, Executive Director," discussing the following year's Beaver Island Marathon and a focus on "extending the Beaver Island visit." Establishes the Chamber's 2009 officers and its season-extension aim. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2009-11_Beaver-Beacon
  36. The held forty-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2009-11_Beaver-Beacon
  37. Angel LaFevre-Welke, “What Is the Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce?,” Northern Light, March 2025.
    Read in the in-repo data/ tree. The Chamber's own account: "The Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce was established in 1988 and is a 501(c)6 not for profit corporation in the State of Michigan," with a stated mission of promoting economic prosperity and natural resources; the 2025 board (Carol Burton president, Theresa McDonough vice-president, Vicki Fingeroot treasurer, Angel Welke secretary, and five directors) and Executive Director Paul Cole; a 2022 strategic plan updated January 2025; "Ninety-nine percent of Island businesses participate in the Chamber"; and "A new event, Harvest on the Harbor (HOTH), was created in October to expand on the existing 'Bite of Beaver Island' event." Self-reported figures, not audited. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · northern_light_2025.03
  38. Web research finding; no local capture of the page is held. Lists the 2026 annual calendar — St. Patrick's Day Weekend, Warblers on the Water, Lilacs & Lyrics, Beaver Island Boodle, Beaver Island Bike Festival, Sustainability Fair, Independence Day, Museum Week, Beaver Island Music Festival, Baroque on Beaver, Summer Gala, Homecoming Weekend (August 7-9), Emerald Isle Irish Féile (September 11-12) and Harvest on the Harbor (October 9-10) — and does not list "Bite of Beaver Island" by that name. A forward-looking calendar, not a record of completed events.
  39. Northern Islander, January 2024, “Emerald Isle Irish Féile Sponsorship Opportunities.”
    States that the Féile began in 2019 with Chamber sponsorship. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · northern_islander_2024.01
  40. Northern Islander, June 2024, Beaver Island Irish Heritage Group announcement.
    Says the 2023 Féile was still operating as a Chamber committee before the organization evolved into BIIHG. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · northern_islander_2024.06

Added 3 August 2026 · revised 4 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/organizations/beaver-island-chamber-of-commerce/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce, “Biz After Hours 5/16 Circle M 6-8,” Beaver Island Forum, May 11–17, 2018. (and 39 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-04. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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