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| The Portland Pirate Festival Challenges Guinness Record |
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 | | | September 19-20, the Portland Pirate Festival will come ashore at Cathedral Park under the St. Johns Bridge |
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We often read about some new development in boating described as a "yachtsman's dream." But are thoughts of a new GPS or a superior varnish really sufficient to fill the sailor's dreams? Surely, a real sailor must dream of the desire to be free to sail the seven seas far from the stifling conformity of modern society? Crazy-perhaps. But for some modern daydreamers, even that image doesn't go far enough-they want to be pirates!
Ironically, modern pirates are back in the news with a vengeance, reminding us that real-life piracy is no laughing matter. But coincidentally (or maybe not?) Hollywood has in the last few years re-created its own seagoing myth of the good-hearted pirate made popular in the movies of the 1930s. That image has taken root and flowered into a mass movement in a way that no one could have predicted!
Last year I wrote about my first encounter with the "weekend pirates" who attend historical re-enactments, renaissance fairs and nautical events, where they dress and act the part of swashbuckling heroes. I quickly realized that the dream of being a "pirate for day" had taken root in the suburbs and resulted in entire families being transformed for the afternoon.
It seemed as if adults and children who spend their time in a world filled with computer-generated thrills had decided to take a time-out from virtual reality and dive into the strange and seductive world of the pirate festival and live out their fantasies. Of course, there are plenty of web sites that help you dress in style and even one that keep track of these events--about 100 across the US every year. There are several in the northwest, where nautical traditions and the long rugged coastline (perfect for smuggling) have made it a hotbed of weekend piracy.
So this year, the Portland Pirate Festival has challenged all northwest pirates, young and old, male and female, to stop dreaming, free you an inner pirate, and get dressed in your piratical best. Then gather at the St Johns Bridge site on Sunday, Sept 20 and stand up and be counted. The goal--to become a part of pirate history by beating the Guinness World Record for "The Most Pirates Gathered in one Place."
They need 1,500+ "fully dressed" pirates, which means wearing:
o pirate style hat or head scarf
o an eye patch
o sword or other weapon
o period trousers & shirt/waistcoat or dress
Participants must:
o Sign the official Log Book
o Agree to be photographed/video taped
o Be gathered for a full 15 minutes after count is finished (Expect to be there for an hour or more)
The fictional pirates of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island might be turning in their graves, but perhaps not. They were, after all, literary inventions of the author along with treasure maps with an "X", schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen with parrots on their shoulders. And Stevenson was also the author of the first book about a man with a secret identity--The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I think if he were alive today and encountered the pirate phenomenon, Stevenson would be inspired to write a sequel to his immortal adventire tale.
The Portland Pirate Festival is an annual family-oriented event that promotes fun and education through historical re-enactment, music, dance, and interactive theater along with cultural awareness. At the festival you will find Cathedral Park recreated as a pirate village, peopled by costumed attendees and featuring a 19th-century privateer, cannon and sword fights, and all sorts of talented buskers. Music, entertainment, food and drink, and a market featuring all things nautical, historical, and pirate-related. There will be eclectic musical performers, juggling, and puppetry in a village atmosphere full of wandering buccaneers, redcoats, clowns and balladeers. Kids' activities add a family-friendly quality, and good-natured revelry is widespread. More at http://www.portlandpiratefestival.com
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