Prepare to see the black flag fly as pirates and landlubbers gather this weekend for the Olcott Pirate Festival. A treasure trove of entertainment, midway attractions, canteens, and sweet rides collide at Krull Park and the Olcott Fire Company Grounds starting Friday evening and continuing through Sunday.
Colin Gordon of Pirates of Fortune’s Folly in Philadelphia will set up camp with his crew of sea dogs for the weekend. A non-profit entertainment production company, the Pirates of Fortune’s Folly will be joined by the Pirates at Large of Long Island in presenting free costumed shows starting at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Gordon said the dozen rowdy pirates will start off with a sword fight show, and then lead children through the event in search of hidden treasure.
“We have our maps and clues,” Gordon said. “The children help us solve the puzzles along the way. We go back to camp and open it up. All the little nippers that help us find the treasure get a piece of what we will find.”
Pirate costume contests begin at 3:30 p.m. for kids, teens and adults both days.
Gordon said today’s pirates seek out vendors for their big hats and boots.
“I joke that my gear came off of a dead Frenchman,” he said. “We’ve got all the movie stereotypes — the tricorn hat, the buckle shoes. I personally wear a pair of bucket boots. Other pirates wear rope sandals.”
When asked how the pirates will arrive, Gordon said, “Our ship is nebulously docked at sea. How we ended up in the Great Lakes is not clear.”
Gordon ended up a pirate after being a cowboy.
“I started out in the Old West,” he said. “I went out to an old west town and worked as a gunfighter (character) for a while. When I moved back east, I found a pirate crew that did that sort of thing. I joined up with them and learned the ways of piracy and then struck out on my own.”
The pirate code included a range of beliefs, Gordon said.
“Pirates have very clear rules. These were not the laws of the king; they were the laws of survival. The rules of living your life, you had all sorts of options and freedom.” Important pirate beliefs include: there’s not so much rules as guidelines; take all you can; Jack Sparrow owes me money; one hand for the ship; and if you don’t know your port from your starboard, it’s time to go back to your bunk.
“Historical pirates were not nice people,” Gordon said. “What they stand for in the popular imagination is freedom, adventure, and romance. It’s an image these children can look up to. We don’t try to emulate the historical evil pirates. We try to be the fantasy adventure pirates that everyone imagines. We’re all well versed in the history, but we call what we do edutainment. We understand that sometimes the history has to inform the entertainment.”
For a complete weekend event schedule, visit https://tinyurl.com/2vn9a76n.