Paul Drum, who was awarded the key to Greenport Friday night and was dubbed Mayor for the Day by Villlage Mayor David Nyce, capped off a fun-filled weekend on Sunday with an inaugural “fun-raiser,” A Mermaid and Pirate Experience.
The event was held at Front Street Station, owned by Drum’s mother Sharon and grandfather David Sailor.
The buffet featured “colorful characters straight from a seadog’s log and . .salty tales told by snarly pirates,” as well as a full cast of mermaids, according to the East End Seaport Museum and Marine Foundation.
The breakfast will fund the newly formed Paul Drum Nautical Education Program, aimed at raising funds to support children in the safety and enjoyment of the area’s surrounding waters.
Sharon Sailor, Drum’s mom, said since the family left DoLittle’s in Mattituck and took over Front Street Station last year, her son, who has Down’s Syndrome, has blossomed in Greenport.
Not only does he work with Sailor and her dad at Front Street Station, but he’s paired up with the East End Seaport Foundation Museum and Marine Foundation after the recent Chowder Fest.
“It has really snowballed,” Sailor said.
The experience has been exciting “on so many levels, but especially for handicapped individuals and their families to see that everyone can count and make a difference,” Sailor said.
Her son’s name is now listed in the links section of the East End Seaport Museum’s homepage, with information on his program, his breakfast, and a blog about his life. “Not bad for less than two short years since he lost his DoLittle’s job!” Sailor said.
Drum’s free program, presented in cooperation with the East End Seaport Museum and Marine Foundation, will teach kids boating safety from Power Squadron and Coast Guard Auxiliary members; ecological theories and practices through uniquely designed programs and present lectures given by experts; the educational focus will be guided with hands-on experiences.
Sailor said her son is “really into” his new program and loved planning the fundraiser breakfast. “It’s great,” she said.
His new program, Sailor said, gives her son joy. And, she said, he’s made new friends since coming to Front Street Station after the family sold DoLittle’s, where longtime customers were like a family to him.
At the breakfast, vocalist Meredit O’Connor performed and prefaced her song by saying she speaks out against bullying, and she believes everyone, including those with disablitiies, should be celebrated for their diversity and unique and special differences.
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