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The Pelican Bend restaurant on the Isle of Capri serving family and friends for the first time since Ian. (CREDIT: WINK News) The Isles of Capri may have been damaged by Hurricane Ian, but what the storm couldn’t damage was the spirit and resilience of the people who live there. Thursday night the community came together to enjoy each other’s company and a drink. Everyone who calls the island home was hit hard by the hurricane. The island and the people are one big family, literally. Gramps, his friend Spriggy and the rest of the family back at the Pelican Bend are back open. Stephen Cooper’s family owns the bar and restaurant, and Thursday night they served up a sense of normalcy. “Just to be able to get everyone together get the friends the family the neighbors together to give them a little bit of hope that we’re going to be okay is, is there’s a feeling nothing like I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Cooper said. Food served at Pelican Bend. (CREDIT: WINK News) There’s just nothing better than to forget about everything for just a couple hours and come out and hang out and just enjoy the night, enjoy the breeze, enjoy the sunset,” Cooper said. Smiles all around and as an added bonus, dinner was on the house, donated by a family friend. “Everything we have is all because of them and it’s so nice to be able to give it back to the community and you know give it all away and make it to where the community feels like they have somewhere to go and hang out at least just for a couple hours to get away from all the craziness we’ve had going on,” Cooper said. Only three weeks after Hurricane Ian devastated the island, Pelican Bend is back in action. “This community is our family that’s the whole reason why we want to do this kind of stuff and try to give back as much as we can because without these people we have nothing you know nothing at all,” Cooper said. Dishes given by Pelican Bend were on the house. (CREDIT: WINK News) WINK News asked Gramps what it means to him to be back having a nice time with the boys, and his answer was refreshingly honest. “It means a typical Friday night. It means a lot, it means a lot because that’s what it’s all about it’s about the community and the friends and the people,” Gramps said. Gramps told WINK News a lot of people at Pelican Bend on Thursday lost everything but you wouldn’t know it with the number of smiles you could see. On Friday, Pelican Bend opens back up to the public.