Bilgemunky

I was just talking with a representative from Front Porch Classics, and he mentioned that this summer will see the release of two more pirate games - League of Pirates, and Dread Pirate: Buccaneer's Revenge! If these are anywhere near the quality of Dread Pirate, then these will be incredible games, I'll wager! I should be getting photos and more info soon, and will share as soon as I do.

Why thankyou I promise more updates and reviews soon - right now I'm still bogged down in a computer upgrade (gotta be ready for Pirates of the Burning Sea and Age of Pirates!)

Works for me with Internet Explorer.

If you're looking for just a normal campsite, as a means of inexpensive lodging - I believe some campsites were listed earlier in this thread. However, my guess is that you're asking about "historical" camping, onsite and such. This is in the works, and I believe permission has been granted by the city for an encampment of a limited basis. At this time, it's open to those directly affiliated with the local group we've hired to do the bulk of the "invasion." It's hoped we can open that up a bit to other interested (and qualified) parties - meaning pirate reenactors capable of occupying a more or less period encampment. But at this time, this is one of those things about which I'd rather not make any promises.

Ooh! Which hat you order, mate? I have (and love) the Barbossa. And now I have a new "Buccaneer" enroute.

Oi mates! Let me first apologize for not providin' up to the minute coverage as this event develops - my pirate plate overfloweth, as this festival is only one of many things I'm juggling at the moment. Also, while there are several things I'd love to announce, as they're "as good as finalized" - in my experience, that's not the same as "finalized", and I don't want to inadvertantly spread false info. Very shortly I should have all sorts of stuff to share. And meantime, you can of course check out the event's website at www.portpiratefestival.com.

Yeah - I just found out they're doing some tech work on the trailer. Editing or something. Anyways, it should be back up in a couple of days. Be patient - the trailer is well worth the wait!

Oh sure - everyone's spelled out a true recipe for box office success.... MORE lady pirates, FEWER lady pirates... and don't forget the slaves and the humor (the two go SO well together.) Hey, how about an absolutely truly historical account of a day in a pirate's life? Call it "The Doldrums" and just film some half starved skallywagg grousin' about how thirsty he is for two or so hours while mending sails. Make sure he's not wearing bucket boots, cuz that's just blasphemous.

The trailer's up!

don't yet know, mate. It's yet to be picked up for distribution, which is kinda key.

The MacKay, of Captain Jack's Pirate Hats, was lucky enough to catch a sneak preview of the new indie pirate film, Pirates of the Great Salt Lake. You can read all about it here!

The author of "victory in Tripoli", a book about America's war with the Barbary Pirates, is scheduled to be interviewed on the Dennis Prager show at 1 pm est today (essentially, NOW, or at least very very soon.) You can listen live at http://www2.krla870.com/listen/

Ah, the Fenandina Shrimp Fest - that be one of my very first pirate memories. Don't even know how young I was, but I remember pirates kidnapping the dads and ransoming them for charity. It's also where I tried my first corndog. I must have considered corndogs to be pirate food for years following (still do, kinda.)

BlackJohn, Historical ain't the only piracy, mate. You're quite right, that coat is about as historical as a palm pilot. But it clearly spawns from pirate influences.

I doubt you'll see much of it around town - the pricetag will ensure that :) But still, I'm all for seeing pirate-influenced fashion become trendy!

Yes, it's now plain that Gwen Stefani has a soft spot for pirates. We all remember her "Rich Girl" pirate video (or at least we should), but I don't think too many have noticed that she has a line of clothing out that borrows heavily from pirate style. Consider: These are just a few. To be perfectly honest, the pictures don't do them justice. In stores the piratey flare is much more distinctive (and then you can see the label, which is a foot long silk ribbon adorned with flags and ships

I don't know - chocolate puffs and marshmellows? The first three ingredients are probably sugar. But that's why it's so perfect - eat a few boxes of the stuff, and you can get some gold teeth, just like Captain Jack Sparrow! Yarrr!!!

That would be "The Dreadnought", under construction this winter to be opened next summer. Look for more details with the next Bilgemunky update (falling a bit behind due to the holidays.) The owner's been keeping in contact with me - I even have a scale drawing to share with ya lot! But alas, regarding my original question, a Ren faire, no matter how pirate friendly, is a different beast from a true pirate festival. Bristol is actually very pirate friendly, and will only grow moreso with the new ship :)

I don't think I have the books anymore, but this might help: WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS by Shel Silverstein. (Harper & Row, 1974). - "Captain Hook", page 18 - "Pirate Captain Jim", page 144 A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC by Shel Silverstein. (Harper & Row, 1974). - "The Pirate", page 49 - "Captain Blackbeard Did What?", page 104

There's another about captain hook - somethin' like: Captain Hook must be careful when putting on his clothes Captain Hook must remember not to pick his nose There's more, but like I remember it?

I'm sorry if I made it sound like authenticity-oriented pirates are uneeded/unwelcome - neither is the case. If you come dressed as a period buccaneer, I assure you that no one will come up to you and insist you install an eyepatch and hook before entering the festival. And if you're willing and able to educate some of the locals about historical piracy, so much the better. It's a tricky balance we're playing with. Last year's (the first) festival had very few pirate performers or vendors. Most of the "Thieves Market" was in fact made up of local, non-piratey businesses. This is something that needs to be improved upon, but we can't attract the big-name pirate vendors until we can attract the sort of audience that's willing to buy a $150 pirate hat (just as an example.) So we need to take steps to ensure a bigger, more appropriately piratey festival, while also maintaining the participation of the local populace who surely love pirates (it's a very nautical town), but who won't necessarily be satisfied dancing the weekend away to a sqeezebox while drinking rum. In short, this festival will be a work in progress for the next several years, and full-fledged piratey is the goal. If you're looking to attend a historical event and buy some new items for your pirate wardrobe, this really ain't the place. Not yet, anyways. But if you're willing and able to come in full pirate garb and lend a hand towards making this event more piratey than it would otherwise be without you, then please do so - you're wanted and needed. Or if you simply live nearby and want to come see an entire town participate in a pirate festival (which I think is the neatest part - watching the local stores try to find their own ways to "piratify" themselves, hearing the school marching band play excerpts from PotC, etc) then this should be a lot of fun for you.

Lady Barbossa - I'll do my very best to answer all your questions and keep everyone posted. I should start, though, by elaborating on the event itself. First and formost, although there's some disagreement on the matter, it's largely believed the bulk of the attendies will be "normal" folks - families and such who don't eat, drink, and sleep pirates the rest of the year - therefore much of the festival will be catering to this audience. Authenticity and full pirate emersion are fine goals to work towards, but that won't be the goal of this year's festival. I feel this is an important point so folks know what to expect, as I'd hate for any hardcore reenactors to book cross-country plane tickets in the hopes of a midwest Pirates in Paradise. Consider this festival for what it is - a small Wisconsin town's effort at a fun pirate-themed event. We have plenty of folks eager to lend a more authentic aspect and I support those efforts, but we also need to consider what's appropriate for our audience, and what will make this year's festival a financial success (so's we can build on it next year!) Second item worth mentioning is the opening night's Buccaneer's Bash. This is the only part of the festival in which I have direct control, so it's the part of the festival in which I can go into the most detail (as details solidify, that is.) Due to the aforementioned concerns this will NOT be an authentic "pub night" or such. We'll endeavour to make it piratey, but there will also be a DJ spinning music that we hope will have mainstream appeal - mixed in with some pirate-themed music of a more fun nature. Pirate clothing will earn attendeed a discount on admission, jolly rogers will be flying and you can dance the night away overlooking the pier. VFW members will serve your beer, and I'm hoping they'll be wearing pirate hats and eyepatches as they do so On to your questions: Camping is turning into quite an issue. There are no actual campsites anywhere near town, and the town itself is being very finicky about allowing camping in the vacinity. This holds true even for fully historical sites that could be considered part of the attraction. I realize that an inability to stay in a tent, period or no, could certainly limit some people's ability to attend. The committee is working on this, and I'll let you know once things solidify. Another town issue. They've not had to deal with weapon questions in the past, so this has yet to be addressed. Obviously we want our pirates to be able to bring weapons, but the green light isn't yet official. The town invasion is being carefully planned by folks more able to do so than myself. There is a local reenactment group that will be manning all artillery during the invasion, and it will all be timed and planned out. Pirate "extras" will be placed on the boat (the boat is still being negotiated, so I won't say it's name. But if you'd like to know the contendor, look to the Chicago area,) and perhaps more on land. The only actual hand to hand combat will take place between the pirate captain and the head of the town militia, both trained combat actors. If you'd like to participate on any level, please email me privately stating what you'd like to do, and any special qualifications, and I'll ensure the proper parties get the info. See the previous answer. If you have a gun and would like to offer demos, contact me (unless you've already contacted the festival through other means, of course.) If you don't contact the festival, I recommend leaving the black powder at home. Port Washington's park just doesn't have the space for any shooting range type of activities. It's strange to me too, and seems an odd fit. Apparently geocaching has it's own group of fans, and this event is intended to attract them in the hopes of getting them to also spend their hardearned cash in the local stores and bars. This is very much a whole-town event, rather than something out in a field somewhere. Suffice to say, those who are into geocaching can do so, those who aren't shouldn't even know it's happening. Ah, now this one was my own humble brainchild, and I hope it proves successful. However, my own intention was for it to be a way to help encourage participation with the youngins, and I'm not sure it will translate well for adults (although wiser folks may decide different.) The idea is this: participate in an event, get a doubloon. Buy something from a local store, get a doubloon with your change. Talk to a pirate and learn to say "yarrr", get a doubloon. Then at the end of your stay, go to the doubloon station and cash them in for a prize, anything from stickers to t-shirts to who-knows. All prizes will be pirate themed, of course. I guess that's it for now!

Thanks Patrick! Yes, I'm definately looking for pirate festivals, not renn faires that welcome pirates. Surely there are more on this forum that could provide a wealth of thoughts? Where ye be?

I'm playing my own small part in helping with this festival. What I can offer at this time is a tentative schedule of events: Friday Night -Buccaneer Bash Kick off party 7-11pm DJ with piratey music thrown in the mix of classic rock beer, snacks and door prizes -Pirate Ship voyage Saturday -Invasion at noon Pirates come off of ship Military reenactors defend city lots of booms and cannons -Thieves Marketplace 11-6 -Beer/Comedy & non-musical acts tent -Food and Music tent -Children's tent -Pirate Ship tours and sails -various acts running around town -geocaching -Doubloon reward station Sunday -Kids parade at 1:00 -Thieves Marketplace 12-4 -Beer/Comedy & non-musical acts tent -Food and Music tent -doubloon reward station -Children's tent -Pirate Ship tours and sails -various acts running around town -geocaching There are discussions underway regarding activities for Saturday night - I'll make sure and post as things get more defined. If anyone has any specific questions, please feel free to post them or pm me.

I'd have to say fiction, unless it's the best kept secret in town. Oshkosh (about 1.5 hours north) had a splendid temporary pirate exhibit last summer, but other than that you got me stumped.