Cape 50th logo

If you drive down Cultural Park Boulevard after sunset, you’ll notice something a little bit different at City Hall. That’s because every day in 2020, beginning at sunset, the Cape Coral 50th Anniversary logo will be projected on the outside of the council chambers building for residents to take in.

“As we embark on the 50th anniversary celebration, the year 2020 holds special significance for the city of Cape Coral,” said Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coviello. “Fifty years since incorporation on Aug. 18, 1970. Our city’s 50th anniversary is a time to honor its unique history, many of the challenges that the city has overcome, our diverse residents — which is growing in leaps and bounds and those who laid the foundation for incorporation.”

The logo, created by Matt Connar of Boost Creative, can also be seen on city vehicles. Connar and his team deliberated with the city on the logo and now, it will be a familiar sight for residents throughout the year. The logo features a blue “5” and an orange “O” with a burrowing owl perched along the bottom of the “5” and a sailboat with a current in the “O.”

“We decided that the city needed something special to represent its 50th anniversary,” Connar said. “Something that was clean and modern, but still had a unique connection to the city. Water was very important, the connection to the burrowing owl was very important, but most importantly, it needed to feel like something new and something fresh — something that could be built upon.”

Todd King, special events director for the city, said he hopes people will enjoy seeing the logo projected onto city hall, to especially “pop” during the evening hours. He also said it’s a way to remember the history of a city that has rapidly flourished in a short amount of time.

“We started to talk about a way to let folks know that we’re celebrating 50 years of accomplishments, positive change, growth — and we started to come up with ways to expose the community to our anniversary,” King said. “We’ve come through down times, upswings and I just think it was a real good way to get it out to the community. It’s an important thing. It’s a milestone.”

King and Connar, with help from Brand 1 Ink, watched as workers — assembly line-style, placed decals uniformly on the side of trucks, cars, SUVs and more.

“I think it really stands out and identifies the city vehicles even more so than our city logo,” King said. “We’re looking forward to a great year.”

King said the city has been planning the logo and for the city’s golden anniversary since last year, and that the special 50th anniversary logo will be incorporated into the events throughout 2020.

The city thought about hanging a banner up, but decided the vibrancy of the projected logo would create a better look, as well as not having to worry about the wear and tear/fading of a banner throughout the year.

Connar said being able to put this design together for the city has been an honor.

“It’s a total privilege to work with the city on this,” Connar said. “It’s something that makes me feel special as a Cape resident, a Cape business. I’m filled with pride and gratitude. It was a rewarding experience.

“I love the city. I like having a business in the Cape, I like being close to home. I love this city and everything about it, so I try to contribute when I can.”

King also noted the sizeable amount of growth the city has seen since incorporation — most notably the development across the city.

“It’s just amazing the amount of building that has taken place,” King said.

Gloria Tate, whose family was one of the first to settle in Cape Coral, read a quote from Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist entrepreneur and orator, Marcus Garvey, that captured what it means to preserve ones history.

“People without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”

“I think in Cape Coral, it’s really important that people do understand how we became one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, how we became one of the safest cities in the United States and why we’re such a great place for families and retirees,” Tate said.

Tate is now the president of the Cape Coral Historical Society and Museum, and has deep, deep roots in the community that go beyond her family being pioneers.

Tate believes preserving the history of Cape Coral is crucial task so that another 50 years from now, those here will know where they came from, and how.

“It’s so important that we keep all of these documents and archive all of these special moments,” Tate said. “Because 50 years from now, our children will be looking at us to see what we did and how we arrived here.”

As part of the anniversary celebration, there will be a re-enactment of the city’s incorporation papers being signed on Aug. 18, at the old City Hall building on Nicolas Parkway. Tate is hopeful to have any original members present, or family of those who were involved in the incorporation papers being signed.

50th anniversary pins are also available to the public, as well as stickers. Decals will be given to all local businesses to display.

Decals can found, for free, at the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce building, the historical museum or at Raso Realty.

“We want you to be proud of the city’s birthday,” Tate said.

-Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj

(Editor’s note: We invite you to check out all of the Jubilee Kickoff stories grouped together in a special 50th anniversary section under News. Stories on upcoming events, and history highlights, will be posted throughout the year.)