Port Orchard has it's share of fun and interesting festivals and events throughout the year. Car shows, 4th of July fireworks, a Christmas tree lighting festival, this summer's celebration of Cedar Cove, all of which help to keep the locals busy and entertained all around the calendar. One of the more interesting events to come on the scene in recent years has been The Murder Mystery Weekend, which was turned into a wonderfully fun event once the pirate theme was tied into it. I can't remember whether or not the first one had that cool twist going for it, but the last three years has brought in a large number of variously costumed folk into town, and an equally large number of people who like to come by to play the murder mystery game, watch buccaneer antics and dream about donning pirate gear next year.
You have to have a certain amount of self confidence to walk about on the street in pirate finery when it's not Halloween. There is a particular, or maybe peculiar, gene or another that gets employed, that gets put to the test. It has nothing to do with being able to talk like Robert Newton, the famous star of Disney's Treasure Island, and it certainly has nothing to do with the authenticity of your costume (but it helps). No, it's more the ability to be able to live and breathe in those clothes in a way that says you do this every day. That is an old mind trick left over from my Ren Faire days, I am sure, but it gets me out the door and down the street and keeps me in character without having a speck of self conciousness about me. I just think it's alot of fun, and I'm sure, deep down inside, given the right opportunity, the right look and a little bit tomfoolery, there'd be a lot more adults who would get into it, too.
One of this year's truly fun features was a pirate camp set up out by the Waterfront Park gazebo. Prior to the the B.O.O.M. Pirates being on the scene the most interesting part of the weekend was the pirate costume contest. This year we had not only that but a great "gentlemen (and ladies!) of fortune" reenactment troupe on hand who not only ran a tight ship but were also a lot of fun to watch and listen to. I suppose the term "listening" could be taken two ways, for while their lectures and tidbits on pirate lore were both solid and informative, it was the close up and in your ear explosive madness during their cannon shows that really dialed in your listening skills! Wow! They brought along a number of black powder cannons, miniatures, of course, but also a number of swivel guns and flintlock pistols and smoothbore muskets to shoot off as well. Twice a day for fifteen minutes or so you could get a taste of black powder shock and awe, a feel for the rush of seventeenth century warfare, play acting style. Sure, they were small guns, small arms but they were LOUD. After sitting there grooving on their show in the peaceful September sunlight I could only imagine what the noise and mayhem and cacaphony was like below decks on a ship of the line with all those larger, bigger and badder guns all going off at once, all letting loose during a well timed broadside, not only giving but receiving as well.
Well, back to present day Port Orchard. The event proved to be a enjoyable time all the way around. The "pirate market" was well attended and built in rather nicely into our regularly scheduled weekend Farmer's Market. There were a lot of downtown merchants tied into the event as well due to the scavenger hunt and the placing of mystery clues around town that went along with the murder mystery theme. The town once was truly able to tap into the local zeitgeist and found yet another way to let imagination and gawkery rule the day. Even if you couldn't find that gene in youself that allowed for you to don a tricorn and swagger about with a "arrgh, matey!" and "yo, ho, ho!" on your lips you could at least stoll about town, play the mystery game and indulge in a bit of voyeurism. It was always the thing that got me to Ren Faire, being able to stoll about in costume in that mix of participants and turkeys..er, turkey legs. Now it's something I can look forward to seeing happen here, too, even if it's just for a weekend, once a year. How grand.
Salud!
Couldn't quite get your fill of piratey activity this last weekend? Here's a list that'll have you chasing pirates all over the country! Oh, and there's a link to next weekend's Portland Pirate Festival in the mix as well!
http://www.piratefestivals.com/
Official B.O.O.M. Pirates site:
http://www.boompirates.com/
You have to have a certain amount of self confidence to walk about on the street in pirate finery when it's not Halloween. There is a particular, or maybe peculiar, gene or another that gets employed, that gets put to the test. It has nothing to do with being able to talk like Robert Newton, the famous star of Disney's Treasure Island, and it certainly has nothing to do with the authenticity of your costume (but it helps). No, it's more the ability to be able to live and breathe in those clothes in a way that says you do this every day. That is an old mind trick left over from my Ren Faire days, I am sure, but it gets me out the door and down the street and keeps me in character without having a speck of self conciousness about me. I just think it's alot of fun, and I'm sure, deep down inside, given the right opportunity, the right look and a little bit tomfoolery, there'd be a lot more adults who would get into it, too.
One of this year's truly fun features was a pirate camp set up out by the Waterfront Park gazebo. Prior to the the B.O.O.M. Pirates being on the scene the most interesting part of the weekend was the pirate costume contest. This year we had not only that but a great "gentlemen (and ladies!) of fortune" reenactment troupe on hand who not only ran a tight ship but were also a lot of fun to watch and listen to. I suppose the term "listening" could be taken two ways, for while their lectures and tidbits on pirate lore were both solid and informative, it was the close up and in your ear explosive madness during their cannon shows that really dialed in your listening skills! Wow! They brought along a number of black powder cannons, miniatures, of course, but also a number of swivel guns and flintlock pistols and smoothbore muskets to shoot off as well. Twice a day for fifteen minutes or so you could get a taste of black powder shock and awe, a feel for the rush of seventeenth century warfare, play acting style. Sure, they were small guns, small arms but they were LOUD. After sitting there grooving on their show in the peaceful September sunlight I could only imagine what the noise and mayhem and cacaphony was like below decks on a ship of the line with all those larger, bigger and badder guns all going off at once, all letting loose during a well timed broadside, not only giving but receiving as well.
Well, back to present day Port Orchard. The event proved to be a enjoyable time all the way around. The "pirate market" was well attended and built in rather nicely into our regularly scheduled weekend Farmer's Market. There were a lot of downtown merchants tied into the event as well due to the scavenger hunt and the placing of mystery clues around town that went along with the murder mystery theme. The town once was truly able to tap into the local zeitgeist and found yet another way to let imagination and gawkery rule the day. Even if you couldn't find that gene in youself that allowed for you to don a tricorn and swagger about with a "arrgh, matey!" and "yo, ho, ho!" on your lips you could at least stoll about town, play the mystery game and indulge in a bit of voyeurism. It was always the thing that got me to Ren Faire, being able to stoll about in costume in that mix of participants and turkeys..er, turkey legs. Now it's something I can look forward to seeing happen here, too, even if it's just for a weekend, once a year. How grand.
Salud!
Couldn't quite get your fill of piratey activity this last weekend? Here's a list that'll have you chasing pirates all over the country! Oh, and there's a link to next weekend's Portland Pirate Festival in the mix as well!
http://www.piratefestivals.com/
Official B.O.O.M. Pirates site:
http://www.boompirates.com/
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