‘Dancing in the Street’ returns to the streets of Cape Coral

Residents in Cape Coral are back dancing in the street outside Cork Soakers after Hurricane Ian and city code violations shut down the party.

“I didn’t even realize they were gonna come like this so quick. Look at that crowd. It’s awesome,” said Debra Biela, leader of Deb & The Dynamics, the band that began the Wednesday tradition in Cape Coral.

This is what the crowd looked like at Cork Soakers on Wednesday after getting permission from the city to return the party to the street.

“It’s nice to see things getting back, feeling a little more normal again after the storm, I think even just some of us realize we have been isolating ourselves a little bit more than we normally would have, so it’s nice to just get out, see your friends again, relax, it’s great,” said Elizabeth Garambone.

Several weeks ago, this event looked a little different. That’s because the city didn’t permit them to close the street down for dancing.

The city issued Cork Soakers a code violation after a police officer made a traffic stop nearby and witnessed crowds from the bar and the sidewalk venture out into the street and start dancing during the song ‘Dancing in the Street.’

The officer’s affidavit reads in part, “By the time I cleared from my traffic stop, the song had ended, and the crowd had begun to disperse allowing traffic to flow.”

Deb and The Dynamics posted on their Facebook page, announcing they got their permits.

“I didn’t even plan on being out here. So I posted last minute, about 3:30, and I said we got the permit. We’re gonna dance in the streets,” said Biela.

WINK News spoke to several attendees, like Betty Fox, who said being out feels great.

“It’s phenomenal. The band used to be inside for a long time. We used to go see them inside, but now they’re outside, and this is like great,” said Fox.

“Everybody is excited, having a good time, and so, it’s really gonna make everyone feel better,” said Garambone.

Two weeks ago, the band said the reason they didn’t get the permit was because of debris in the area and some street lights that were not on. Since then, the debris has been cleaned up.