PiP Fort Taylor Pyrate Invasion

[Fayma Callahan]

Fort Taylor Pyrate Invasion 2010

Changes in the Wind

1. The Friends of Fort Taylor will be running the Fort Taylor Pyrate Invasion this year. I have been asked to be the Event Coordinator on their behalf and will be the person in charge of this year's event. There will be some very familiar faces to help me accomplish creating this festival and I will have a list of these folks and their duties shortly. On behalf of the Friends of Fort Taylor, we wish to thank the Bone Island Buccaneers for their hard work and efforts in past events, but the Friends must take the festival back without a third party contractor, to stay in compliance with the State Park regulations as a non-profit organization.

2. The dates of the Fort Taylor Pyrate Invasion are December 3-5. Pirates in Paradise will run from November 27-December 5. Set up will be Thursday, December 2nd beginning at 8:00 am. Teardown will be by the close of the park Monday, December 6th. Special arrangements will need to be made for early and later arrivals. Please contact me directly, so that we can work things out.

3. All camping will take place in the Fort this year. There will not be a beach encampment. This decision will allow us to present a more cohesive festival with living history demonstrations and vendors all in one location for the paying public. The ultimate goal of the Fort Taylor Pyrate Invasion has always been to present a historically accurate event to the public. This year’s event will focus on a period correct time-line approach. We will not be limited to just portraying the Golden Age but piracy from the Buccaneer era all the way through the early 19th Century and Florida's Pirate history as well. All groups will be required to present demonstrations from their chosen era.

4. We will be allowed only 100 participants to CAMP this year. Due to the size of some of our encampments in the past, we will all need to work on making our footprints count, so that everyone will be comfortable. Anyone who is not physically sleeping at the Fort, is not included in this number, and we may have unlimited participants each day. These folks MUST still have a registration on file and check into the Fort, so that they can receive their passes for entry to the park. There will be two types of participants, as we have always had, but they will be designated by different passes for admission this year. Deadline for registration is Monday, November 1st.

5. Due to the space limitations, we will only have a select group of vendors inside the fort, most of them will be returning vendors, but all will be period. We have been working to relocate the non-period vendors to a new venue on Truman Waterfront, adjacent to the Fort, to make it a larger component in the overall Pirates in Paradise Festival, and also to relocate some of the events to make it easier to attend events from the Fort. There will be more information specifically for vendors as soon as I have some confirmations from the Truman Annex. Anyone who has vended in the past at the Fort will be given preference to keeping their booth space inside the Fort. Please email me with questions or concerns.

6. All funds from the Fort Taylor Pyrate Invasion will be going to the Friends of Fort Taylor, to aid in the restoration and preservation of the Fort. Any donations from auctions or meals are also going to the Friends. The Friends are paying the costs to have us at the Fort, so there are no fees for re-enactors to participate. The end of Festival Dinner will be a donation request, to offset the cost of the meal and to donate to the Friends. We have received a grant for advertising for the festival this year, so we will be putting together the marketing materials to "spread the word", so that the public will be aware of the festival. This has been a tough thing to accomplish in the past, so hopefully these funds from the TDC will allow for better advertising.

7. I am negotiating the return of the "Buccaneer Bus", that will run from 10am-10pm between downtown Key West and the Waterfront and Fort areas. There will be several stops to allow both re-enactors and visitors to catch a ride to and from events and locations. I am hopeful that this will increase our traffic and make the crowds larger for the trial and the battles. Transportation was cited as an issue last year without the bus. This will be provided as a service to re-enactors that have their Fort pass at no charge. Patrons may or may not have a nominal fee, depending on the level of sponsorship the bus/trolley company is willing to provide.

8. Chris Liddle, Owner of Pirate Tours of Key West has signed on as a partner to the Pirates in Paradise Festival. He does several historical pirate tours of Key West each night, citing all the rich history that the island has to offer. He ends each night with a Rum Tasting at the Rum Barrel, and there is always a lively discussion of all things piratical there. He has committed to help bring a deeper visibility to the historical aspects of piracy in the Keys and welcomes all re-enactors for his tours. We are working together to have promotional tours during the week of Pirates in Paradise, to bring attention to our presence and encourage the public to visit the Fort and the Truman Waterfront. More information to come.

9. There will be lots more information in the next few weeks, including the registration process and encampment information, as well as the rules and regulations that we have all come to expect with Black Powder Demonstrations. Please, please, please be PATIENT with me as I am in uncharted waters with this event. I welcome all input and ideas to make this the most successful pirate event in the United States. With our Pyrate Family, our PiP Family, we can do great things!

Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions or concerns:

Fayma Callahan a.k.a. Momma Ratsey

(812) 290-6056

Email: faymacallahan@aol.com

Fair Winds and Full Holds,

[William Brand]

I am so glad to hear that the Friends of the fort are in charge of the event this year. Especially since that will mean working directly through you at the fort. good luck with all of your efforts. The bus was a great addition.

[Hawkyns]

Excellent news. I'm looking forward to it and will definitely be bringing the sutlery.

Hawkyns

[Capt. Sterling]

Tent footprints are a must folks... pm them my direction as soon as you can...thank ye kindly

[callenish gunner]

You have our full support in all your efforts Fayma! We will bring our full encampment and as always there is the availability of those who need to share our tents, the extra space for those flying in who cannot bring tents. Which means we will have space for at least 8 travelers. This means we'll also have a full kitchen compliment to provide meals for quite a few extra folks as well.

So count us in for the event:

Callenish

Salty

Hamish

PS will be good to see more of the funds in the hands of the fort to help preserve it for future generations of Pyrates!!! HUZZAH! HUZZAH!! HUZZAH!!!

Edited May 27, 2010 by callenish gunner

[callenish gunner]

Will the fort allow use of the structure after hours this year as they have in the past? It would keep the noise levels inside the fort contained for shanty sings or other late-night gatherings.

[Lily Alexander]

I believe so :)

[Animal]

Fayma, as Susi and I will be relocated back in Florida, I and possibly Susi are planning to attend (work Schedule permitting). Since there will be no camping on the beach, will the Buccaneer encampment be allowed to have a fire pit for doing a presentation on Boucan cooking?

Keep up the good work,

Animal

[Lily Alexander]

I'm not Fayma, but I can sort of answer your question. There will be a fire pit in the Fort. The issue that's being looked into is the fire, or possibly fires, in relation to the distance away from all the tents. The other issue, as always, will be getting fire wood for the fires. Some details are still being worked out but will try to get a better answer for you soon.

[lady constance]

100 participants to camp----

does this include the vendors? or did i mis-read faymas post?

is it 100 vendors and 100 pirates? or 100 TOTAL?

whom decides Period correct standards on the part of vendors AND participants....

everything changes.... that is part of life....

the difficult part is that part of deciding who is "in" and who is not.

i know this event has been touted as the be all end all king of pirate events..... but that too, is all in the advertising of the folks involved....( and honestly , when we could camp on the beach, truly it was the best cheapest event for the amount of days... you only had to get there to pariticpate--and i assume that is the biggest draw for the event)

[Black Hearted Pearl]

Ms. Callahan, I've sent an email to your aol account. Cordially, V.Wagner

[Capt. Sterling]

100 participants to camp----

does this include the vendors? or did i mis-read faymas post?

is it 100 vendors and 100 pirates? or 100 TOTAL?

whom decides Period correct standards on the part of vendors AND participants....

everything changes.... that is part of life....

the difficult part is that part of deciding who is "in" and who is not.

i know this event has been touted as the be all end all king of pirate events..... but that too, is all in the advertising of the folks involved....( and honestly , when we could camp on the beach, truly it was the best cheapest event for the amount of days... you only had to get there to pariticpate--and i assume that is the biggest draw for the event)

Well I can answer the numbers question...100 Total = Participants + Vendor...not 100 of each.

Fayma will have to answer the rest, but the goal of the Fort has always been to try and make the fort event as historically accurate as possible...I would be surprised if they did not allow us to continue to grow toward that goal.

Edited June 8, 2010 by Capt. Sterling

[Capt. Sterling]

Well actually I'm judging every stitch...

Edited June 8, 2010 by Capt. Sterling

[Capt. Sterling]

Only kidding...

[michaelsbagley]

100 participants to camp----

does this include the vendors? or did i mis-read faymas post?

is it 100 vendors and 100 pirates? or 100 TOTAL?

whom decides Period correct standards on the part of vendors AND participants....

everything changes.... that is part of life....

the difficult part is that part of deciding who is "in" and who is not.

i know this event has been touted as the be all end all king of pirate events..... but that too, is all in the advertising of the folks involved....( and honestly , when we could camp on the beach, truly it was the best cheapest event for the amount of days... you only had to get there to pariticpate--and i assume that is the biggest draw for the event)

Well I can answer the numbers question...100 Total = Participants + Vendor...not 100 of each.

Fayma will have to answer the rest, but the goal of the Fort has always been to try and make the fort event as historically accurate as possible...I would be surprised if they did not allow us to continue to grow toward that goal.

There is also the rumour that the festival will now be a timeline, and include 1800s (I've heard this from other sources as well) and other eras... So the number of GAoP/Buccaneer re-enactors may further be restricted by this.

So if the rumour is true, the formula may actually look more like.... 100 Total = Vendors + other era participants + GAoP/Buccaneer participants. If memory serves me well, last year there were about 130 participants doing GAoP and/or Buccaneers, and about 90 the year before that... So I think under the new guidelines, we have already outgrown the event. Or are my numbers and information very incorrect?

[William Brand]

Quoting from Fayma. "This year’s event will focus on a period correct time-line approach. We will not be limited to just portraying the Golden Age but piracy from the Buccaneer era all the way through the early 19th Century and Florida's Pirate history as well."

There were over 130 pirates, but not all of them were camping. Lily and I discussed that very thing this morning and it looks like we have some wiggle room this year.

[Capt. Sterling]

Mickey truly has a very valid point though.. IF we are limited to only 100 PERSONS in the fort, how do we break that down when say 90 GAoP/buccaneers want to attend and 100 19th century folk want to attend???

[William Brand]

We keep the event a secret. No more advertising!

[Lily Alexander]

There is also the rumour that the festival will now be a timeline, and include 1800s (I've heard this from other sources as well) and other eras... So the number of GAoP/Buccaneer re-enactors may further be restricted by this.

So if the rumour is true, the formula may actually look more like.... 100 Total = Vendors + other era participants + GAoP/Buccaneer participants. If memory serves me well, last year there were about 130 participants doing GAoP and/or Buccaneers, and about 90 the year before that... So I think under the new guidelines, we have already outgrown the event. Or are my numbers and information very incorrect?

Michael, as Fayma stated in her post above, the focus will be a time line, so it's not a rumor.

I think your numbers are a little off. According to registration, last year we had 85, give or take a few, on the beach and the year before was somewhere in the 60's range.

As of today, between the Buccaneers, GAOP, 1800's & vendors, we have about 85 with the intention of coming. Intentions are one thing, actual registrants are another.

According to my records, there were 137 total participants not including vendors. But that includes all the pirates from PIP staying at hotels, other, fort and beach camping.

Edited June 8, 2010 by Haunting Lily Alexander

[William Brand]

We keep the event a secret. No more advertising!

Wait...wait. I should rephrase. We advertise for the fort, as we want to help the park as long as we may. We just don't tell any other groups about camping.

[Sea Horse]

100 participants to camp----

does this include the vendors? or did i mis-read faymas post?

is it 100 vendors and 100 pirates? or 100 TOTAL?

whom decides Period correct standards on the part of vendors AND participants....

everything changes.... that is part of life....

the difficult part is that part of deciding who is "in" and who is not.

i know this event has been touted as the be all end all king of pirate events..... but that too, is all in the advertising of the folks involved....( and honestly , when we could camp on the beach, truly it was the best cheapest event for the amount of days... you only had to get there to pariticpate--and i assume that is the biggest draw for the event)

Well I can answer the numbers question...100 Total = Participants + Vendor...not 100 of each.

Fayma will have to answer the rest, but the goal of the Fort has always been to try and make the fort event as historically accurate as possible...I would be surprised if they did not allow us to continue to grow toward that goal.

There is also the rumour that the festival will now be a timeline, and include 1800s (I've heard this from other sources as well) and other eras... So the number of GAoP/Buccaneer re-enactors may further be restricted by this.

So if the rumour is true, the formula may actually look more like.... 100 Total = Vendors + other era participants + GAoP/Buccaneer participants. If memory serves me well, last year there were about 130 participants doing GAoP and/or Buccaneers, and about 90 the year before that... So I think under the new guidelines, we have already outgrown the event. Or are my numbers and information very incorrect?

Mr. Bagley, it seems that your numbers also tell another story which I want to weigh in on. It seems to me that with the event growing the mindset would be to expand the beach encampment, or an alternative site, along with providing more encampment space in the fort.

I don’t know the reason behind the decision to not allow the beach encamp this year. The rationale behind the faire being too spread out seems to be contradicted by wanting to move the non-period vendors outside to the Truman Annex.

Each year I have seen the excitement grow and more people want to attend and participate as re-enactors. As Lady Constance stated, the ability to camp on the beach along with it being the cheapest way was a huge draw for people to come.

I also need to point out the obvious: As far as I know this is an all volunteer festival. The sutlery, food, beverage, cannon, muskets, pistols, black powder, and effort are all donated. Then there is the issue of travel expenses as well. It seems that allowing so few to camp in the fort will force so many the burden of expense that may cause them to rethink participating. After all, the economy is not in good shape and people are hurting. Last year the allowed number for the encampment was 150 plus those in the fort. Mr. Bagley seems to be correct, the numbers stand a good chance of trending down and not up.

[Capt. Sterling]

We keep the event a secret. No more advertising!

Wait...wait. I should rephrase. We advertise for the fort, as we want to help the park as long as we may. We just don't tell any other groups about camping.

[theM.A.dDogge]

The Fort Staff felt that the "Fort itself" should be more a center piece than a backdrop....and origianally wanted to limit the entire festival to ONLY the years the Fort was built...ie 1800's...a timeline was the only solutuon to encorporate all that have and will want to attend....the desiscion to move the ENCAMPMENT back into the fort (it was there originally) was due to increased security concerns from the public beach...had several issues of "stray" public wandering in...and this was the compromise to ease the Fort Staff concerns.....

100 Campers....not limited participants....many stay in town as it is....the number came from the FORT Staff based on open tent space to safley accommodate everyone camping(and will be most likely adjusted in the years to come)...the only alternative was to use the annex instead...which was thought to be even more inconvient to participants

some of the attendees previously attended as GAoP or Buccaneers have already volunteered to be some of the 1800ls impresions as they already have the kit.....to placate the fort...this of course also opens up those who want to do earlier or later (tho somali would probably be frowned on)...so this should not vary the total of participants form the past years...as their numbers already counted....this is .(as of yetU...not a closed event....all are welcomed and encouraged to participate...but will continue to have a limited number of campsites available(until that number can be proven to Fort Staff)....considering the the past years numbers...this should not be an issue this year.

..Fayma is working dilegentlyon changing the event to include the requests/demads of the Fort Staff as well as keeping that "it" factor which made this event what it was...a truly enjoyable event for everyone.

please continue to voice opinions and suggestions....any and all concerns will be addressed in turn.....

[Sea Horse]

The Fort Staff felt that the "Fort itself" should be more a center piece than a backdrop....and origianally wanted to limit the entire festival to ONLY the years the Fort was built...ie 1800's...a timeline was the only solutuon to encorporate all that have and will want to attend....the desiscion to move the ENCAMPMENT back into the fort (it was there originally) was due to increased security concerns from the public beach...had several issues of "stray" public wandering in...and this was the compromise to ease the Fort Staff concerns.....

100 Campers....not limited participants....many stay in town as it is....the number came from the FORT Staff based on open tent space to safley accommodate everyone camping(and will be most likely adjusted in the years to come)...the only alternative was to use the annex instead...which was thought to be even more inconvient to participants

some of the attendees previously attended as GAoP or Buccaneers have already volunteered to be some of the 1800ls impresions as they already have the kit.....to placate the fort...this of course also opens up those who want to do earlier or later (tho somali would probably be frowned on)...so this should not vary the total of participants form the past years...as their numbers already counted....this is .(as of yetU...not a closed event....all are welcomed and encouraged to participate...but will continue to have a limited number of campsites available(until that number can be proven to Fort Staff)....considering the the past years numbers...this should not be an issue this year.

..Fayma is working dilegentlyon changing the event to include the requests/demads of the Fort Staff as well as keeping that "it" factor which made this event what it was...a truly enjoyable event for everyone.

please continue to voice opinions and suggestions....any and all concerns will be addressed in turn.....

I appreciate the expanation on how and why the decision was arrived at about the encampment. Thank you. It seems there are numerous concerns about the festival as well as the fort itself. The importance of working with the FORT staff cannot be understated.

Hopefully a solution can be found for those with economic concerns who may now have to reconsider their participation.

[theM.A.dDogge]

Camping Registration will (or so I was told) still remain on a first REGISTERED first served baisis...same as last year...and their was (like in all the years) several openings due to last minute cancelations....at this time there is no reason to think otherwise...we'll push Fayma to post as soon as Regerstrations are being accepted so folks can start planning and finalising the trip arraigments....so any and all who are on the fence or considering this event are encouraged to decide and register early.

tho the 100 head count for camping...does NOT Effect @d@a@y @partipants...those who have alternate sleeping araingments are still required to register to receive a Participant pass