SEBASTIAN – Last Saturday night, Captain Hiram’s hosted a reunion for its former employees.
Anyone who worked at the resort was welcome to attend the party. T-Shirts were made in advance and worn by former crew members with name tags, stating their name, job description, and years they were employed. People who worked for the hotel, bar, and restaurant were all present.
The resort provided beer & wine, appetizers, and live entertainment by Hypersona during the Old School reunion party.
There were crew members from 10, 20, even almost 30 years ago who joined the party. Some of them remember working at the restaurant while in high school.
Some people flew in from other states, as far away as New Jersey, Virginia, and Texas for the special occasion.
The “Old School Hirams Crew Reunion” was put together by Michelle Mick, Catering Manager, who has been employed at the resort since 2001.
“This is large, completely overwhelming,” Mick told Sebastian Daily. “I’m looking forward to getting another one together in 5 years.”
The turnout surprised everyone. Also present was Martin Carter, who partnered with Tom Collins after he purchased the property in 1986.
“This is absolutely amazing. Astounding! I can’t believe how many people are here,” Carter told Sebastian Daily.
Jan Taylor, well-known as the first public relations and entertainment director for Captain Hiram’s, was also at the reunion. Taylor was Captain Hiram’s spokesperson for several years, appearing in the company’s television and radio ads.
Will Collins, who now runs Captain Hiram’s, thanked everyone for taking time to be at the reunion.
There was a lot of discussion about the two hurricanes, Frances and Jeanne, that devastated the area in 2004. Those who were employed during the storm reminisced about the damage that devastated the property. It took a few years to rebuild the property to what it is today.
It was a time when most of the homes in the area were without roofs, or homes completely totaled. Some of the employees had to move away because of the devastation, not to be seen again until the night of the reunion.
Michelle Mick is planning to schedule these reunions every five years. She’s already getting calls and messages about the next one.
More importantly, friendships made during their employment at Captain Hiram’s are still relative today.
Here are a few more photos from the party.
