Here is a list of canceled events and closings in Lee County due to Hurricane Helene. We'll update this as more cancellations and closings are announced:
Lee County public schools: All schools and district offices will be closed Thursday and Friday, according to the School District of Lee County.
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU): Closed for events, classes and all other activities Thursday and Friday.
Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs: Closed Thursday and Friday.
Fort Myers Roller Derby: Saturday's game has been canceled. Tickets can be refunded or can be used for their Oct. 12 Hallowbout game.
Ceremony Brewing in Bonita Springs: Closed Thursday, reopening Friday.
Point Ybel Brewing Company in Fort Myers: Closed Thursday, reopening Friday.
Nice Guys Pizza in Cape Coral: Closed Thursday, reopening Friday.
Cape Coral Animal Shelter: Closed Thursday. Reopening at 8 a.m. Friday for the clinic, noon for adoptions.
Florida Repertory Theatre: The downtown Fort Myers theater has canceled the Thursday matinee and evening shows of "Forever Plaid." Ticketholders will be contacted.
Hero Trader comic shop in Fort Myers: Closed Thursday, reopening Friday.
Cool Comics and Games: Closed Thursday, reopening at noon Friday.
Millennial Brewing Co. in Fort Myers: Closed Thursday. Tonight's Back to the Future Trivia has been rescheduled for Friday.
CROW (Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife) on Sanibel Island: Closing at noon Thursday. All injured wildlife can be brought to BluePearl Pet Hospital in Fort Myers.
Publix: According to the company's website, most Publix stores in Southwest Florida are open Thursday except for these two: Store 1764 at 5100 Pine Island Road, Bokeelia; and Store 740 at 4791 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach.
Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall: Closed Thursday and Friday, along with the rest of the Florida SouthWestern State College campus.
LeeTran: No fixed-route, paratransit or ULTRA on Demand service Thursday. Regular service resumes Friday.
Bonita Springs Pride: Postponed until Dec. 8. The event was scheduled for Sept. 27-29 at Arts Bonita and two other Bonita Springs locations.
Revolution Records in Cape Coral: Closed Thursday.
BackStreets Sports Bar in Cape Coral: Closed Thursday, reopening Friday.
Howl Gallery in Fort Myers: Closed Thursday, reopening Friday.
BIG ARTS on Sanibel Island: Closed Thursday, reopening Friday for regular hours.
Yngwie Malmsteen at The Ranch: Thursday's heavy metal concert has been rescheduled for Friday, Sept. 27.
Cape Coral parks and recreational facilities: Closed Thursday. All Parks & Recreation programs — both indoors and outdoors — have been canceled after 4 p.m. Wednesday and all day Thursday.
Cape Coral City Hall: Closed Thursday.
Coral Oaks Golf Course in Cape Coral: Closed after 1 p.m. Wednesday and all day Thursday.
Paradise Vintage Market: Closed Thursday.
The Edison & Ford Winter Estates: Closed Thursday, but expected to reopen Friday.
Cool Comics and Games in Cape Coral: Closed Thursday, reopening at noon Friday.
Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium: Closed Thursday.
IMAG History & Science Center in Fort Myers: Closed Thursday.
Lee County Parks & Recreation: All Lee County parks will be closed Thursday. Some facilities are closing at 3 p.m. Wednesday, including all four community pools, North Fort Myers Park and Recreation Center, and Estero Park and Recreation Center. Starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Veterans Park and Recreation Center and Wa-Ke Hatchee Park and Recreation Center will also be closed.
Lovegrove Gallery & Gardens on Matlacha: Closed Wednesday and Thursday. Friday to be determined.
Arts Bonita: Both the visual and performing arts centers will be closed Thursday. They'll reopen Friday, and that night's Sugarhill Gang concert is still happening, according to Arts Bonita's marketing director, Wojciech Jankowski.
Lee County Sheriff's Office: The Lee County Sheriff's Office's main headquarters and all precincts will be closed Thursday. Updates about when they'll reopen will be posted to its social media platforms.
Lee County Library System: All libraries will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. They're expected to reopen Friday.
Cape Coral Museum of History: Closed Thursday. They'll reopen Friday if it's safe to do so.
Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce: Closed Wednesday and Thursday. They hope to reopen Friday.
Fort Myers Beach Town Hall: FMB Town Hall will be closed Thursday in preparation for Hurricane Helene. Officials will determine Friday's operating hours based on the storm's impact, the Town shared in a press release. Officials encouraged residents to stay tuned for further updates.
Island Hopper Songwriter Fest: Thursday and Friday events have been canceled in Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach, except for Thursday's Jeffrey Steele concert with Gulf Coast Symphony. That's been rescheduled for Friday and moved to the Music & Arts Community Center (The MACC). Island Hopper organizers expect to resume the festival this weekend, including Sunday's Pink Shell Pool Party with Scotty McCreery.
Rockstar Harley-Davidson: Closed Thursday.
Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW): Closed for in-person classes and operations Thursday and Friday. Students and staff will transition to remote-learning and work.
Marlon Wayans at B.B. Mann: Postponed until May 3, 2025. The actor/comedian was scheduled to perform Saturday at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. All tickets will be valid for the new show date.
Lee County offices: Lee County government offices will be closed Thursday. Normal operations are expected to resume Friday.
Alliance for the Arts: Closed Thursday, including all classes and campus activities.
Cultural Park Theatre: The Cape Coral theater will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.
Nauti Parrot Oasis: Closing at 6 p.m. Wednesday and all day Thursday. They expect to reopen Friday.
Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center: Closed Thursday. A decision about Friday will be made Thursday afternoon. All scheduled events for Thursday, Friday and Saturday have been canceled or postponed.
Lab Theater's 'Gutenberg! The Musical!': Thursday night's performance has been canceled.
The Collaboratory: Closed Thursday. A decision about Friday will be made Thursday afternoon.
The Center Bar at Promenade at Bonita Bay: The Bonita Springs bar will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.
Stellar Records in Fort Myers: Closed Thursday.
Fort Myers Beach trash pickup: Fort Myers Beach suspended Waste Management collections for Thursday. This includes solid waste, recycling, and brush pickup. Collections are expected to resume on Friday, weather permitting.
Lee Clerk’s offices: All Lee Clerk's office locations will be closed Thursday. All court hearings are suspended until further notice and will be rescheduled.
Sanibel Public Library: Closed Thursday and Friday. "At this time it is undetermined if we will be open on Saturday," the library said on Facebook.
Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach: The resort's Fins Up! Beach Club and St. Somewhere Spa Fort Myers Beach will be closed Thursday.
Punk As Folk, Vol. 1 at Nice Guys Pizza: Friday's concert event has been postponed. A new date will be announced next week.
Pine Island Food Pantry: Closed Thursday.
Cape Coral Caring Center: Closed Thursday.
Fall Craft Fair in Cape Coral: Canceled. The event had been scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Cape Coral City Hall. It was organized by the City of Cape Coral Employee Association.
Florida Department of Health: All Lee County offices will be closed Thursday. They'll reopen Friday for their regularly scheduled hours.
Mound House: The Fort Myers Beach Museum and grounds will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. All tours, programs, and events have been canceled for Wednesday and Thursday. For more information, call 765-0865.
Bay Oaks Park on Fort Myers Beach: Closed Wednesday and Thursday. All programming, including Club Rec, will be canceled, the park said on Facebook. "We hope to reopen on Friday."
— Other News-Press and Naples Daily News staff contributed to this article.
— Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him atcrunnells@gannett.com.
Follow or message him on social media:Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
