Feature

by Joy Huff

One of the major attraction s was Lynx, a vessel modeled after an 1812 privateer ship.

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Pirate Festival Attracts Thousands to Cathedral Park

Freshman Joy Huff and her friend, freshman Janessa Pritchett, dress as pirates to spend the day at Cathedral Park in North Portland, experiencing
Portland's first pirate festival. --Joy Huff, photo

Cannon fire broke the calm as pirates, privateers and Red Coats re-enacted a battle. The pirates won, as expected, at Portland's first Pirate Festival. Under the clear blue sky Sept. 23, 2006, people milled around in their finest pirate attire.

Coordinators expected between 5,000 and 7,000 to attend the festival. "It went even better than expected; there were about 8,000 people out for the festival," coordinator Shuhe Hawkins said.

"We believed a pirate festival would have universal appeal, unique presence, and a lot of fans and enthusiasts. It was a potentially fun opportunity; so we went with it," Mr. Hawkins said.

No matter the reason, all came together at Cathedral Park for a day of piracy. One of the major attractions was Lynx, a vessel modeled after an 1812 privateer ship. Visitors toured the decks, and the cannons fired in the staged ship-to-shore battle re-enactments.

"At first I thought that this festival was not worth the $15 gate fee, but once I got to go on the ship and be part of the cannon battle, it was so worth it," Multnomah Bible College freshman Janessa Pritchett said.

Portland Limited Liability Corporation organized the event. Those involved had all been in pirate entertainment and had talked for years about bringing a pirate festival to Portland. "We found a tall ship, Lynx, to be a part of the activities, and that lent credibility to the event," Mr. Hawkins said.

Later in the day, a large crowd watched Captain Bogg and Salty put on a pirate rock show. With songs titled "Pegleg Tango" and "Scurvy," the tunes kept the attention of young and old alike. The lead singer said, "Let's have the Fischer Price mosh pit down in front," and as they began to sing "Ellie the Elephant," young kids took the cue and began to jump around.

While children stood in line to jump in pirate bounce-houses, adults waited for drinks. One man said, "After an hour and 20 minutes in line, I can't help but buy five drinks."

Another participant said she firmly believed that "it was the rum" that made her willing to be a pirate for the day.

Those who were completely dressed in pirate clothes mixed with those in jeans and T-shirts. Alec Reeve was one of those wearing jeans. "I was ill-prepared and drug down here by my friend," he said.

Although making a vest in anticipation of the Pirate Festival, Sherrie Vanhine was wearing street clothes as well. "My pirate outfit is on my daughter, Devin, today. That is why I'm not dressed for the occasion," Ms. Vanhine said.

"There is a limited opportunity for piracy," one woman said. "You have to come when you get the chance." She was wearing a Renaissance-style dress.

Keegan Hansen said he will be a pirate when he grows up. John Hansen, his father, added, "Plundering has a lot of perks."

Whether brandishing cell phones or swords, all fit in, except for two fairies, Heather Conti, 18, and Mitra Abab, 15, wearing tights and wings. The fairies are friends with the B.O.O.M. Pirates, another group of singers on stage that day. Abab said, "There's a tendency to meet really hot guys wearing kilts and no shirts at these Renaissance events. But there aren't any here today."

Merchants hawked their wares from tents as people strolled from booth to booth. Many handcrafted and pirate items were for sale such as swords, Renaissance-style dresses, eye patches and metal jewelry.

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