Every year my hometown celebrates the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival the first weekend of June. Legend has it that the pirate Billy Bowlegs once stormed the city and buried his treasure somewhere along the shoreline. He returns every year to capture the city once again and search for his hidden treasure.
My kids love this tradition as much as I do and we try to never miss it!
There are numerous events that stretch out for about 4 days which include fireworks, parades, parties, treasure hunt and the landing.
Our favorite is the landing where the pirates come in by boat in full costume and have a skirmish with the Mayor and his crew in an attempt to take over the city. There are concerts all day long, fair food, craft vendors, and numerous activities to keep the kiddies entertained.
The reenactment is hilarious, entertaining, and LOUD~ complete with cannons!
Once the crew makes land, the real fun begins.
Here is Captain Billy Bowlegs claiming the city and raising his flag.
Tyson excitedly exclaimed "Dede, Dede" when he found her in the crowd of people and pirates. That does a grandma's heart good!
The pirate crew began throwing out their beads, cups, and coins to the crowd.
This was Tyson's first Billy Bowlegs experience and he was trying to take it all in. I thought he did great considering there was gunfire and cannons going off the whole time!
Check out that crowd! Literally, thousands of people gather for this event.
Here is Brian and Micah with their "loot" ~ did you notice that Mr. Fashion only collected SILVER beads? Merciful Heavens!
Micah was thrilled to score a few of the coveted coins.
And Savanna was equally excited about her souvenir cup.
Here is Brian and Micah with their "loot" ~ did you notice that Mr. Fashion only collected SILVER beads? Merciful Heavens!
Micah was thrilled to score a few of the coveted coins.
And Savanna was equally excited about her souvenir cup.We had a wonderful day carrying on the long standing family tradition of Bowlegs.
Grab your pirate gear and join us next year!
Oh Girl! I remember your Mom telling us about this...it looks like SO much fun!!! Maybe next year. By the way...how's the oil situation?
ReplyDeleteMary~ We would LOVE to have you join us next year. I think it is always the first weekend of June. As for the oil...it is NOT GOOD! Blobs of oil are landing on our beaches as well as many, many dead animals. It is terrible! For now, my uncle and cousin at least have work because BP has hired them and their boats to do patrol work. I can't even wrap my mind around the long term damage it is going to have for our area.
ReplyDeleteI hate to hear this....REALLY REALLY HATE IT! ;( So sad.
ReplyDeleteMicah is too cute to only collect silver beads! Hee!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I always assumed the Billy Bowlegs festivities were full of drunken idiots. It's nice to hear it's more family-friendly than that!
I just saw your comment above. I share your horror at the oil situation. It breaks my heart!