Rebuilding the Fort Myers Beach Pier one popsicle stick at a time
Like so many, the Fort Myers Beach Pier has always had a special place in the hearts of Danny Berton, his wife, Jill, and their family.
Berton vividly remembers the last time he was on the pier before Hurricane Ian destroyed it on Sept. 28, 2022.
"It was also the last morning that I had breakfast with my wife at Pete's Time Out, actually," Berton said. "We tried to get there at least once a weekend to catch a sunrise, and the last time I was on the pier was one of those early mornings. The water was so calm that a fisherman on a boat was able to sit really close to the pillars of back of the pier. I do remember that."
Berton, 48, is originally from Ohio. He has also lived in Michigan. Today, he calls Fort Myers his home. Jill caused a buzz on social media in February when she posted photos of the rendering of the Fort Myers Beach Pier that Berton made out of popsicle sticks.
Not surprisingly, Berton has a background in designing and building tooling and fixturing for the Aerospace production industry. He did that for 25 years in Cincinnati before moving to Southwest Florida. He currently works as a Production Engineer for a local custom cabinetry shop.
"This is incredibly humbling for him," Jill said. "We just wanted to make people smile and warm some hearts."
Here is everything you need to know about Berton's popsicle stick "masterpiece" of the iconic Fort Myers Beach Pier:
Q. How long did it take to build?
BERTON: 100 hours total, but some of that was spent building quick mockups to test out ideas as I was figuring out how to build it...some of which did not work at all!!
Q. When did you start/when did you finish the project?
BERTON: I started this right before New Year's Day, 2023, and all the final hand-sanding was completed Wednesday, Feb. 15. I basically spent two to three hours a night after work on it (and weekends, when time permitted).
Q. What gave you the inspiration to do this?
BERTON: My Mother-in-Law flew down for the holidays a couple months back, and she hadn't been to Fort Myers Beach since the early 90's. And I hadn't been to the beach since the hurricane because I didn't want to be in the way of the heavy clean-up efforts that were initially needed. So right before Christmas my wife (who had already been down there by this time to see everything in-person), my mother-in-law (30 years since seeing our beach), and I (first time seeing in person) go down there. I just couldn't wrap my head around anything (like everyone else). A few days later I just said "I miss the pier. I think I want to make a model of it while it is still fresh in my head. I won't remember it so vividly after too-long". And without any direction or written plans I just started building.
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Q. What did you use as a guide when you were building it?
BERTON: Almost all of it was done by memory. I didn't look at any pictures until it came time to count how many of those straight support pillars there are going around the perimeter of the rear look-out deck. I also had trouble remembering how the windows were situated on that little store. Ultimately that store should come apart, but I glued it as a whole for this as I didn't even know if it would even work. Now that I see it complete I can see how I could have designed that to come apart.
Q. What are the dimensions of your model?
BERTON: It is 50 inches long and 30 inches wide at the rear deck, and 8 inches tall to the peak of those (two) roof caps.
Q. Why popsicle sticks?
BERTON: I purchased a pack of 1,200 a while back and had them on the top shelf of a closet. When my wife's kids come down to visit with their little ones I had them in case I ever ended up on baby-sitting duty, I guess? I actually forgot that I had them until I wanted to build the model of the pier.
Q. Have you ever built anything before with popsicle sticks?
BERTON: No, but I looked at one long enough to imagine it as being a 2 x 6 x12 inch board, and that's what helped me start to visualize it.
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Q. Where did you get the popsicle sticks?
BERTON: Online. These are considered "craft sticks", but hobby shops (I assume) still carry them?
Q. How many sticks did you use?
BERTON: I used 1,400, but if I built another one I know I could do it within one pack of 1,200. I got smarter as I went along with how I was building things, basically. Not to mention I wouldn't have to waste so many building things that ultimately will not work. I can see what works now, so it would be a lot more efficient that's for sure!
Q. How much did the popsicle sticks cost?
BERTON: $15 for a pack of 1,200
Q. How much does the model of the pier weigh?
BERTON: It weighs three pounds. I was curious about this, myself, so I am glad that you asked! I was also hoping that it would have been a little heavier. This means I couldn't take it down to Times Square to set up without attaching it to a plywood base so it won't just blow away. It's rather "stout" in construction, but it is quite light in weight!
Q. Can you put a price tag on the entire project?
BERTON: I'd certainly want to get faster at building one before answering that! This one was built to preserve everything into an object. We don't really realize how much of an impact major events like the hurricane have on our lives as it is happening; it takes time and reflection before it all can be put into a fair perspective. This was designed to be packaged up nicely and sitting in the top shelf of our closet and ready to be set up when the mood strikes.
Q. How are the sticks held together?
BERTON: Gorilla wood glue
Q. What was the most challenging part of the build?
BERTON: The two roofs. I didn't have a plan, other than I wanted to end up with a 1 inch x 1 inch open square at the top, so I guessed my way to achieving the pitch of that portion, but then those pyramid-shaped roof caps could NOT be guessed. They had to match (including the sharp corners). Those roof planes were definitely a challenge for me to flush-trim.
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Q, Any other creative roadblocks?
BERTON:The only other challenges I had were the scale of things as I started building. I would start to see that some things would look out of proportion as I was building, so I'd stop and figure out why.
Q. Where did you build your model?
BERTON: Dining room table
Q. Where are you displaying the model?
BERTON: It was just in my driveway to take pictures, but for right now it is disassembled. Surely my wife would like her dining room table back!
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Q. Where were you when Hurricane Ian hit SWFL?
BERTON: I was here. My wife already had a plane ticket to fly up to Ohio to pick up her Mom to bring back down, so I drove her to Punta Gorda airport the Sunday morning before the hurricane. I mentioned before about her Mom coming down to visit for the holidays, but she didn't come down with my wife after the hurricane. Jill wanted to get here and see what was left before getting her Mom down here to see a beach that she hasn't seen in 30 years. So I was here, and Jill was in Ohio. Of course we all lost contact with everyone down here while my wife is able to watch everything happening in real time safely in Ohio. It was quite an experience with the loss of contact, and assuming the worst from HER end.
Q. What is your next popsicle sticks project?
BERTON: Ha! I'd really like to take a break from it for a while!! But, I'd really like to build another one and see if I can improve upon it. I am also not quite finished with this one, as I'm trying to design a nice little case for all the pieces to fit in when it is disassembled. I have taken it in and out of a box in pieces enough times to see how much of a mess it is to sort the pieces out to even begin to assemble it. A nice folding "something" with all the pieces fitting nicely inside and easily accessible/recognizable would be a clean way to put it away. Also less chance of losing a piece.
Q. What would you want to share about the project that we haven't touched on in this interview?
BERTON: My wife and I got married later in life, and we never took a "proper" honeymoon. So when the opportunity arose to move down here I told her that we can finally have our honeymoon, only we won't have to leave. So we would watch the Pier Side Grill webcam on YouTube from up in Ohio all the time ... it quickly became the "screensaver" for our T when we weren't watching anything. That view of the pier ... and every evening seeing all the people lining up to watch the sunset. That pier became the backdrop for our life down here. So, for me, this is why I wanted to get this model built while I could still vividly see it in my head.
Q. What are your thoughts about the amazing reaction this has gotten on Facebook and other social media?
BERTON: Last Thursday evening I was going to take it down and start figuring out the packaging for it and decided to take some final pictures of it before tearing it down. My wife had been wanting to post pictures of it online to some of the beach groups, and that was the first one that she was able to successfully get to post the pictures. It just took time to be scanned/accepted. By the time I went to bed it still wasn't officially posted. When I woke up I couldn't believe how many people were reacting to it. I thought "wasn't it just over-night?? How did this many people react to this, and it's only 5 in the morning! I was quite surprised, but also very happy to read all the comments and positivity toward it. Just like I mentioned before, you don't realize the impact of what is happing while it is happening, so I really can't explain the feelings in words!! My Mom summed it up as saying it unknowingly provided a glimmer of hope. I guess that's one way of looking at it! It all humbles me.
Facebook comments
What people were saying on Facebook after Danny Berton's wife, Jill, posted photos of his creation:
"This is awesome. Great job. I could see this on display in the library."
"Absolutley amazing!"
"This is a beautiful piece of work. Miss it all so much."
"It's goregous. Your husband did a great job."
"That's awesome. It needs to be on display somewhere."
"Wow! I hope he meets with the city planning committee so they can replciate it, as such on the remodel. Bravo!"
"Amazing. I feel like I could walk on it ... looks so real."
"Wonderful craftsmanship!"
"Hope he didn't gain too much weight eating all of those popsicles. Super awesome job."
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian: Fort Myers Beach Pier replica made from popsicle sticks
