Cape Coral Youth Council finalizes plans for large ‘Movie in the Park’ junior project on Feb. 13

The Cape Coral Youth Council spent the bulk of its Jan. 9 meeting preparing for a large junior-project event — "Movie in the Park" — scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13. Members confirmed vendor and safety plans, assigned volunteer duties, and approved a ticketing and outreach strategy aimed at drawing a substantial audience.

Member Sanchez, who led the project updates, said the council met with the fire chief on Dec. 22 and was advised to remove a planned s'mores pit because of dry-season safety concerns. "We were told that we were not gonna be able to do a s'mores pit because of the dry season," Sanchez said, and added the chief suggested inviting Dave's Neapolitan Pizza as a food option. Sanchez said the council secured a fourth food truck and that some vendors have agreed to donate proceeds: "We got a fourth food truck to come...and also give 15% of profits toward the youth council."

City staff involvement and public-safety coordination were discussed. Mrs. Griglin, who attended event-planning meetings with police and city staff, said officers will not rope off the area but will circulate to check wristbands; she explained the plan to control entry: "If they show them their wristband, then they're free to sit back down. If not, then they either have to leave the premises or they have to go purchase a ticket at the front." The council also confirmed a requirement to remove trash after the event and agreed volunteers would transport collected waste to a City Hall dumpster.

Organizers reviewed ticketing options and costs. The flyer distributed to members lists a $5 door price, but Sanchez and staff noted that online-service fees raise the online purchase price. In her update, Mrs. Griglin said the online cost including fees is approximately $7; another staff figure referenced $7.18 when service fees are included. The council will offer an incentive for advance purchases: anyone who buys online will be entered automatically into a drawing for a $50 Chick-fil-A gift card.

Volunteers and roles were assigned by consensus. Members committed to staffing ticket sales, popcorn, parking patrol, and screen monitoring, with an expected arrival time of 3:30 p.m. and an end time around 9:30–9:45 p.m. The council agreed it was unfair to require members to pay for entry when they would be working, and the group recorded a majority decision that council members would not pay admission.

Promotion and outreach will use a mix of school channels and social media. Members said they will distribute posters and QR codes to Google Classrooms and teacher contacts; a school-district communications contact offered to push the updated flyer district-wide once the QR code and link are final. The council also plans a post-event Google survey to collect feedback.

The special-event permit was reported as near completion with staff assistance. Members set final operational tasks (menu screenshots from vendors for advertising, final volunteer rosters, and a trash-removal pick-up plan) and committed to weekly check-ins to monitor ticket sales leading up to the event.

Next steps: finalize the QR-coded flyer for distribution to the school district and community channels, complete vendor menus for promotional material, confirm police detail and trash logistics, and continue weekly ticket-sales updates until Feb. 13.