Island Hopper Songwriter Festival Returns as BMI Songwriters Help Local Businesses Reopen After Hurricane

Posted in News on October 2, 2023
Pictured at the Island Hopper Songwriter Festival VIP party on Captiva Island (L to R): Standing- The Green Flash Waterfront Restaurant owner Tim McGowan, BMI songwriter Frank Myers, Key Lime Bistro, Sunshine Café, Captiva Cantina and RC Otter’s owner Sandy Stilwell, Royal Shell Owner Relations Manager Laurel Burnsed, Royal Shell Director of Operations for Sanibel & Captiva Siggi Ahrens, BMI songwriter Tim James, Tween Waters Island Resort President Doug Babcock, BMI songwriter Sonia Leigh. Sitting- BMI’s Dan Spears.
Pictured at the Island Hopper Songwriter Festival VIP party on Captiva Island (L to R): Standing- The Green Flash Waterfront Restaurant owner Tim McGowan, BMI songwriter Frank Myers, Key Lime Bistro, Sunshine Café, Captiva Cantina and RC Otter’s owner Sandy Stilwell, Royal Shell Owner Relations Manager Laurel Burnsed, Royal Shell Director of Operations for Sanibel & Captiva Siggi Ahrens, BMI songwriter Tim James, Tween Waters Island Resort President Doug Babcock, BMI songwriter Sonia Leigh. Sitting- BMI’s Dan Spears.

The 9th annual Island Hopper Songwriter Festival wrapped up recently and was deemed a huge success as BMI, iHeart Media and the Lee County Visitors and Convention Bureau partnered to help boost the economies of Captiva Island, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Fort Myers Beach. All these communities were hard hit by hurricane Ian last year and many of the festival venues and hotels have remained closed for renovations until just recently.  Seventy-five BMI songwriters made there way down to Southwest Florida to help provide their support to the many business owners who have faced an extraordinarily challenging 12 months as the local restaurants, bars and hotels have worked hard to rebuild their properties to be open in time for this year’s festival. Even though many of locations still have much work to be done, thousands of music fans flocked to the area to connect with the songwriters and help support the many businesses and their employees who have suffered so much this past year. The festival concluded at the Pink Shell Resort in Fort Myers Beach with a high energy performance by award winning BMI songwriter Chris Janson that was witnessed by a record-breaking crowd.

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