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Every “picnic table” was occupied, whether it was the large round ones accommodating 10 people or the tall, small ones where the celebrants either sat on high chairs or stood, enjoying food and drinks.
This was the first “Great American Picnic” presented by the merchants of Cape Harbour. By the look of the large crowd and comments by visitors, there is no doubt it will be repeated next year and become an annual event, as expected — another welcome staple of Cape Coral’s lifestyle.
Cape Harbour is among the newest developments in the Cape, and a welcome addition for many of its neighbors.
“We walked over here,” said Wanda Jones, referring to she and her husband, Rick. “We were here last night to celebrate his birthday.”
The birthday friend was Calvin Chase, who has lived in the Cape for 22 years, and was also standing by the table, along with Paul and Michelle Gatto.
“It is really a nice place to come to,” Mr. Jones continued.
“It is clean and open,” Mrs. Jones said.
“And they have good food,” Mr. Jones added. “It’s really nice to have something like that in the Cape. We came down for the New Year. It’s good for us, we just can walk over.”
Having lived in the area for six years, the couple used to go downtown Cape Coral or Fort Myers for entertainment or dining out, but not in the past few years since Cape Harbour came into existence. For the New Year, a crane still in place for the construction of one building was used to mark the new year with a lighted ball that dropped.
“We like to stay in the Cape,” Mr. Jones said, and his wife likes to look at the shops of Cape Harbour.
Chase was also asked what he particularly likes at Cape Harbour.
“The boats, the atmosphere, the water, the variety of people,” he replied. “They have live music on different nights, three or four nights a week.”
The Gattos said they come to Cape Harbour two or three times a month.
“We live a couple of miles away,” Mr. Gatto said, “but it is not because of the short distance. I like the ambiance, here. It is a very upscale neighborhood. We enjoy coming over here.”
“I like the stores,” Mrs. Gatto said. “They are different.”
Cape Harbour is a Realmark development. Maura Colon of Realmark Realty was asked what makes the shops so “different.”
“There are some unique boutiques with handmade items,” she said. “At the pocketbook shop, for example, there is a lot of one-of-a-kind purses that not everyone has. There is handmade jewelry.”
Her colleague, Heather Moore, added: “The art gallery is the only one of its kind in this area.”
In addition to the shops and restaurants, the residential complex includes 110 units in each of the two, 15-story towers and 58 units in the five-story “Mid-Rise.” The first two floors of the tower are for parking.
“There are still a few units available in the second building,” Colon said. “We call it Marina South II.”
Several visitors walked around with their “best friends” on leashes, wearing tri-color garments. The four-legged friends had their own pet costume contest. This was only one of many activities planned throughout the 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. event.
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Among those entertaining were Patrick & Eric. Patrick Menzies was on the steel drums and Eric Blake was at the microphone, both are from Fort Myers. They had quite an attentive audience, and a group of youths was particularly attentive, obviously appreciative.
“I love it! It’s beautiful, that’s why,” said Ian Clarey, a Mariner High School student who plays percussion in school. “It is Florida lifestyle — steel drum — beautiful rhythm and the singer is awesome. He is like nobody else around here.”
Gary Greenstein, who is also a musician, playing trumpet at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, was swaying to the beat.
“Oh, the music — it feels good,” he said. “It makes you want to dance.”
Greenstein was among several youths working at Rumrunners, which is within Cape Harbour. Demi Busatta, a student at Ida S. Baker High School, also works there.
“I am the food runner,” she said to describe her duties. She used to play clarinet in middle school, but does not now, but her father revealed more about her:
“She was born at Cape Coral Hospital,” he said.
Tom Busatta, who was holding 1-year-old Anthony, said they live across the street from Cape Harbour. Except for Anthony, all his other five children and stepchildren have worked at Rumrunners, even his oldest son, who is now in the military at Fort Sam Houston in Texas.
“And Anthony will too,” he chuckled, but more seriously he added: “Sixteen years ago, I used to bring Demi down here in a (red wagon). It was all dirt down here, and we used to come down by the water and look at the fish and throw rods into the water. We live across the street, we built our home in 1988, and we were one the first houses in the area.”
Busatta said he welcomes the development as a neighbor:
“It’s great. We love it. We have been waiting for something like this for years in Cape Coral. It is kind of micro Fifth Avenue, like in Naples. We need more of it in Cape. We ride our bicycles down here and get an ice cream. It has become a focal point for our family.”
The shops are a wide contrast from most shops anywhere, if only by their sizes. Many have a floor area of 100 square feet, or 10 feet by 10 feet. Some shops have two units, such as Pauline Whalen’s It’s All About Jewels, where the Fourth of July Great American Picnic brought “absolutely thousands” of people into her shop, she said.
She was asked why some people describe the shops at Cape Harbour as “different.”
“Part of the thing is it is a fun place to shop,” she said. “Also, we are all owners of our shops, and usually we work in the shops, and we try to find unique products.”
Whalen pointed to a notice on her wall near the cash register. It said 10 percent of the sales were going to “our military.” She explained why:
“Because we celebrate our Independence, and our military is fighting for us.”
The Cape Harbour merchant noted this was the first Great American Picnic, but quickly added:
“And we are having more events coming, as well.”
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