Pirate Fest! Yarrrr! Get me a new cabin boy, this one's torrrrrnnnn.....
Yarrrr! Pirate Fest! Review:
1-3 June in Port Washington, WI. Year two. The show is about 5 hours away, not too far from Saukville. I went with two of my friends for a girl’s weekend out. We had a blast! Bypass downtown Millwauke. It’s a big headache.
Initially my impression was of a kiddie kind of thing with cheap Diz-nee crap, but if you look beyond it, you will find and entertaining afternoon. There are lots of little shows with music, belly dancing, some storytelling, comedic bits. There was a pirate invasion with LOTS of cannon fire! That was really cool, but hard to see as there were more people than the show could accommodate.
The Jolly Rogers were there, and were they good! They even sang “Curvy Girls”! Yay! I have photos and autographs! Mmmmm, pirates in tights……
We made up a list of cool things and one of the top entries was a ship ride. The Windy II out of the port of Chicago (12 hours by diesel motor across the lake) was selling tickets for hour and half cruises. Well worth the $25. We even fired on the town who answered with cannon as well!
One of the coolest things about the short voyage, was they had passengers volounteer to pull the sheets up and down! I did it in pirate gear! I even have photos to prove it! One of the mates we dubbed the Dread Pirate Brian as he squinted into the sun to pull ropes to tighten sheets in non-existent wind. We were becalmed! Sigh. So the captain came round and told us stories and showed us how to tie knots.
Vendors: It’s a new show, free to the public. There is a large kid population showing up, but also many adults. Alas, there is also the strange booze culture that shows up to any of these shows. There is definitely room for games and other bits like horning, spinning, beading and other crafts. They did have a few very large tents available for vendors called The Thieves’ Market. Some jewelry, costumes, cheap pirate joke stuff, one hatter, some swords and books.
Historical folks: There is great possibility here. I wasn’t the only person doing reconnaissance for their groups. I ran into a few different groups from revolutionary and before. Lots of cheap costumes, but also a lot of good stuff. The show definitely needs more decent costuming running around.
If a person got tired of the pirate festivities, there is a very cool light house up the hill with a little museum. The local historical society runs it. They let me play with the sewing machine and the other girls got to listen to the old Victrola in the parlor. This little light house is worth some time if you go to the show.
I wasn’t able to contact any of the staff and was told they had problems with their email, so they didn’t respond to any of my messages. I sent lots since February. I will continue to contact them to get information about next year. When they respond to me, I will forward this information along to the rest of the crew.
My recommendation? It’s a hoot! Cool little small town restaurants, good shows, nice people (even if they are from Wisconsin……). The town is one of the cleanest I have ever seen. When you go make sure you also visit the shops as the local vendors as these are the folks responsible for creating this show.
Camping is available. http://www.portpiratefestival.com/
1-3 June in Port Washington, WI. Year two. The show is about 5 hours away, not too far from Saukville. I went with two of my friends for a girl’s weekend out. We had a blast! Bypass downtown Millwauke. It’s a big headache.
Initially my impression was of a kiddie kind of thing with cheap Diz-nee crap, but if you look beyond it, you will find and entertaining afternoon. There are lots of little shows with music, belly dancing, some storytelling, comedic bits. There was a pirate invasion with LOTS of cannon fire! That was really cool, but hard to see as there were more people than the show could accommodate.
The Jolly Rogers were there, and were they good! They even sang “Curvy Girls”! Yay! I have photos and autographs! Mmmmm, pirates in tights……
We made up a list of cool things and one of the top entries was a ship ride. The Windy II out of the port of Chicago (12 hours by diesel motor across the lake) was selling tickets for hour and half cruises. Well worth the $25. We even fired on the town who answered with cannon as well!
One of the coolest things about the short voyage, was they had passengers volounteer to pull the sheets up and down! I did it in pirate gear! I even have photos to prove it! One of the mates we dubbed the Dread Pirate Brian as he squinted into the sun to pull ropes to tighten sheets in non-existent wind. We were becalmed! Sigh. So the captain came round and told us stories and showed us how to tie knots.
Vendors: It’s a new show, free to the public. There is a large kid population showing up, but also many adults. Alas, there is also the strange booze culture that shows up to any of these shows. There is definitely room for games and other bits like horning, spinning, beading and other crafts. They did have a few very large tents available for vendors called The Thieves’ Market. Some jewelry, costumes, cheap pirate joke stuff, one hatter, some swords and books.
Historical folks: There is great possibility here. I wasn’t the only person doing reconnaissance for their groups. I ran into a few different groups from revolutionary and before. Lots of cheap costumes, but also a lot of good stuff. The show definitely needs more decent costuming running around.
If a person got tired of the pirate festivities, there is a very cool light house up the hill with a little museum. The local historical society runs it. They let me play with the sewing machine and the other girls got to listen to the old Victrola in the parlor. This little light house is worth some time if you go to the show.
I wasn’t able to contact any of the staff and was told they had problems with their email, so they didn’t respond to any of my messages. I sent lots since February. I will continue to contact them to get information about next year. When they respond to me, I will forward this information along to the rest of the crew.
My recommendation? It’s a hoot! Cool little small town restaurants, good shows, nice people (even if they are from Wisconsin……). The town is one of the cleanest I have ever seen. When you go make sure you also visit the shops as the local vendors as these are the folks responsible for creating this show.
Camping is available. http://www.portpiratefestival.com/