Reporter

Is it a Circus? Is it a Fair?
No! It’s the Second Annual Pancake Breakfast
and Southport Parade
It was a day ripe for celebration. Aromatic roses climbed
the white picket fences of Southport against a background
of clear blue skies. In the harbor, boats with colorful flags
strung up their masts lined up for the Blessing of the Fleet.
On the school’s front lawn, teacher Bob Perry, unrecognizable
in full clown make-up and a shaggy wig of bright yellow,
red and blue, amazed visitors as he juggled scarves
and performed magic tricks. Staff member Dede Warner
and her equine companion circled the grass giving rides.
Small children scampered about, their faces painted with
kitten whiskers, their hands sporting turtles or frogs artfully
applied by teachers Megan Aversano and Julie Papp. Many
of those little faces and hands were sticky with maple syrup,
remnants of the tasty treats offered in the common room by
Jeff Ruggiero, Hallie Buckingham, Sharon Plante and John
Robbins and a rotating cast of helpful staff. Over 360
breakfasts were served as current and former students and
members of the community stopped by. Alumni Jackson
Skinner, Andrew Kostin, David Jackson, Brett Doonan,
Kevin Gunderson, Billy Cole, Pasquale Malpeso, Max
DeMonico, Jeffrey Emsweiller, Jason Margaritas, Ben
Rountree, Kathryn Crum and Melissa Morgan were among
those sampling the liberal platefuls of pancakes, bacon and
sausages.
A stirring drumroll signaled the start of the parade – a vision
of small town America as fife and drum corps from around
the region, clothed in colonial garb, marched down Main
Street. The Southport Volunteer Fire Department, with our
own Mario Fiallo in dress blues, was greeted with enthusiastic
applause. Representing Eagle Hill were the McMahon
family mini-horses, led by Joan McMahon carrying the
school banner with Nicholas Pritchard, Eagle Hill staffers
Susie Haydon, Brandon DeMunnick and Steve Sylvestro.
Headmaster Len Tavormina summed up the day in a letter
to the staff, “Balloons, face painting, clowns, real maple
syrup, fruit salad, the best blueberry pancakes and miniature
horses too! What a great day for Southport and the
school and what a beautiful way to bring this fine year to a
close! At a time when your energies were understandably
fading you stepped forward and did a beautiful job welcoming
friends and neighbors and celebrating the generous
spirit at this little school by the harbor.”
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