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Show September 9, 2011 PREVIEW • WHAT: The Utah Pirate Festival • WHEN: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 16 and 17 • WHERE: Willard Bay South Marina, off Interstate 15's Exit 351 • ADMISSION: $6, $3/age 6-12, free/5-younger; www. utahrenfest.com There'll be plenty of thirsty pirates at Willard Bay South Marina on Sept. 16 and 17 at the Utah Pirate Festival. Photo courtesy Rudy van Bree Don an eye patch and play with pirates By BECKY WRIGHT Standard-Examiner staff bwright@standard.net Ahoy, me hearties! Do you yearn for the feel of ocean spray on your face, and a ship under your feet? On occasion, while looking in the mirror, do you wonder how you'd look with an eye patch or cutlass? Do you wonder if a pirate's life is for you? You can find out at "The Utah Pirate Festival, Invasion of Willard Bay," 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 16 and 17. "The 19th of September is National Talk Like a Pirate Day, so this will give everyone a chance to practice their 'aar- rrs" and 'ahoys,' " said Sue Bodily, captain of the festival. The festival, at Willard Bay's South Marina, features pirate war games, with three crews battling to capture the most treasure. There will also be vendors selling food and goods, as well as street entertainers. Festival admission is $6, whether you're a landlubber or an old salt. Lads and lassies, from age 6 to 12, get in for $3, and kids age 5 and younger are admitted for free. Unlike some pirates, these ones aren't keeping all the booty — proceeds benefit Pack N' Pounce Animal Rescue, and Utah State Parks. Maiden voyage The Pirate Festival is on its maiden voyage, just testing the waters. "People love pirates, and this is a chance to do something fun after Labor Day when everything is dying down," said Bodily. "We think this is going to be a riot." Bodily was approached about putting on an event at Willard Bay State Park back during the Utah Renaissance Festi val, held in Marriott-Slaterville in May. "It's very flattering," said Bodily, who is executive director of the Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire. If the pirate event catches on, she hopes future festivals will include locals decking out their sailboats like pirate ships, and racing for prizes. For now, all the action will be on land, with lots of pirates, a couple of ships in dry dock (one of which looks a bit like The Black Pearl), a marketplace and some educational displays about pirates. "People are familiar with Johnny Depp and 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' but the real history of piracy and privateering is really fascinating," said Bodily. For instance, unlike on navy ships, pirate captains were elected. "They were far more democratic than people realize," she said. Pirates as mentors Pirate wannabes are welcome to come dressed for the part, and learn the ropes. "If you want pirate mentors to show you how to act, we'll have bunches of them there," said Bodily. "All we have is the Great Salt Lake and a couple of beautiful reservoirs — there's not a lot of water, but there are a shocking number of pirates in Utah." Pirates recruited by Captain Bodily (including X-96 radio's Richie T.) will be competing against each other as three crews. "We want to invite people to come out and see what develops as these guys see who can get the most loot from each other," Bodily said. Sure, they'll be trying to acquire, requisition or commandeer gold and jewels, but they'll also be looking for household items. "For example, bolts of calico cloth — pirates could go nuts for it," said Bodily, explaining that many pirates made fortunes "acquiring" household goods and selling them without the high government tariffs. Plunder and such The Utah Pirate Festival will have a pirate marketplace. "We will have some people selling different types of goods," said Bodily. There will be face painting, and impromptu singing and dancing in the streets. "We've got some folks providing Asian fare," Bodily said, adding that Asian food is a good match for the festival because Asia produced quite a number of pirates. "We'll also have good standbys like hot dogs and hamburgers," she said, adding that they're more edible than traditional pirate food. "We're selling them instead of hardtack and moldy bread." Captain Bodily invites anybody interested in the pirate life to come to the event. "Bring the family, including the kids, and bring your mother-in-law because you might be able to barter her off to a pirate," she said with a laugh. "We tend to be more clean and civilized than traditional pirates — we don't have any with scurvy, although we do have one with a peg leg." You don't need a treasure map and compass to find the Utah Pirate Festival. Organizers offer these directions: Take Exit 351 off Interstate 15, then go south on State Route 126. From there, head west on 4000 North until you get to 2000 West, then turn north and follow the signs to the marina. For more information, visit the Utah Renaissance Festival website, www. 24C utahrenfest.com. |