Yacht Club’s 60th anniversary to be marked
A city staple is celebrating its 60th anniversary next Friday evening.
The Cape Coral Museum of History is honoring the Cape Coral Yacht Club with a 60th anniversary dinner and dance party sponsored by the Gunterberg Charitable Foundation. The event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Yacht Club and, as a special treat, Waltzing Waters will be showcased on the pool deck.
“The Cape Coral Yacht Club is the only historic building or icon remaining in our city,” said Cape Coral Councilmember Gloria Tate, who also serves as president of the museum’s board. “The celebration is a reminder for not just the pioneer families, but the hundreds of people who have celebrated events in their lives in this building.”
Attendees can expect to enjoy a 1960s music and dance party, with some dressing in ’60s style clothing (including a few special guests in costume).
There will be a barbecue dinner courtesy of Mission BBQ and ice cream sundae bar from Sidecar Treats. The event is BYOB with the event sponsors providing ice, water, and sodas. The Waltzing Waters (now known as Liquid Fireworks) will perform poolside at 9 p.m. to ’60s tunes.
The Cape Coral Museum of History will provide a commemorative medallion with the Yacht Club imprint to each person/couple attending, and a stemless wine glass beautifully engraved for their favorite beverage. There will be T-shirts with the Cape Coral Yacht Club logo for sale, along with the museum’s 50th anniversary photo books put out by the Cape Coral Breeze.
“It should be a night to remember and enjoy celebrating our Cape Coral Yacht Club, a building inspired by Jack and Leonard Rosen to be enjoyed by the residents of our Community and 60 years later is enjoyed by 200,000 residents,” Tate added.
The Cape Coral Yacht and Racquet Club is one of the oldest original amenities still standing in the Cape. It has been used as a community gathering spot for the past 60 years and is a location near and dear to so many of Cape Coral’s residents. Museum Executive Director Janel Trull said the museum had already planned to do a 60th anniversary exhibition on both the Yacht Club and the Teen Club in the fall of 2022. As she researched, Trull noted the Yacht Club facility opened the weekend of June 9 – 10, 1962 with a full weekend of activities, culminating with a barbecue dinner and dance.
“When the Yacht Club did not close as planned in April, we knew we had the opportunity to celebrate the Yacht Club’s official 60th anniversary.” Trull said. “As luck would have it, June 10 falls on a Friday this year so we decided to repeat history by putting on our own barbecue dinner and dance.”
Tate said she remembers playing the organ for the St. Andrews Catholic Church on Sunday mornings. She remembers celebrating birthdays, weddings and funerals in the iconic Yacht Club building, as well as so many different meetings.
“This was the location of the Cape Coral Civic Association meetings deciding whether to incorporate, disagreeing over bridges and so many other important moments that have happened in our city’s history,” Tate said. “For me, the fact that we are celebrating this anniversary on the exact day, and recreating a dinner dance/barbecue is very nostalgic. We all care about this building and its rich history — that is why it is worth celebrating.”
Trull said attendees have the chance to learn about the history of the building, the story behind the original Yacht Club logo, and what the Yacht Club has meant to our earliest residents who were there when it opened.
“I hope attendees come away with a renewed passion for the history and preservation of our city, as well as an understanding of the sense of community Cape Coral was founded on,” she said.
Due to the construction on Cultural Park as part of the $60 million Parks Master Plan this year, the museum was once again unable to host its music festival, which is its main fundraiser. This dinner and dance will serve as a fundraiser for the museum, which allows them to continue their mission of welcoming all generations to share the unique history of Cape Coral and Southwest Florida through collections, exhibitions, educational initiatives, programs, and research.
Tickets are $50 and can be found on the museum website: capecoralmuseum.org.
The Cape Coral Yacht Club is at 5819 Driftwood Parkway.
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