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Get RSS FeedMaties, we be needin' more pirate progress
By GARTH BISHOP, COMMENTARY EDITOR
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Ye be makin' progress, Central Ohio. Though that progress may be slow -- or, at least, slower than I would like -- ye be makin' it nonetheless. And I encourage ye to make more of it, and smartly, lest yer progress so far come to naught.
Sunday, Sept. 19 marks yet another International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and I be as pleased as an untrained sprog counting the doubloons from his very first plunder.
This holiday o' holidays was established 15 years ago by John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur and Mark "Cap'n Slappy" Summers, known together as the Pirate Guys.
Since 1995, when they first placed the holiday on the calendar -- Sept. 19 is Cap'n Slappy's ex-wife's birthday, a date he could easily remember that was not already tied up by some major event or holiday -- they have worked to spread the word and fill the air with ahoys, avasts and salty chuckles on one glorious day a year.
Sunday, Sept. 19 marks yet another International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and I be as pleased as an untrained sprog counting the doubloons from his very first plunder.
This holiday o' holidays was established 15 years ago by John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur and Mark "Cap'n Slappy" Summers, known together as the Pirate Guys.
Since 1995, when they first placed the holiday on the calendar -- Sept. 19 is Cap'n Slappy's ex-wife's birthday, a date he could easily remember that was not already tied up by some major event or holiday -- they have worked to spread the word and fill the air with ahoys, avasts and salty chuckles on one glorious day a year.
Since International Talk Like a Pirate Day appeared over me own horizon in 2003, I too have gone on the account for it. And since that wondrous day in 2003, the percentage of unaware landlubbers around me has decreased each Sept. 19.
I don't claim to take credit for any of the major advancements in Central Ohio, but I can most certainly be proud of them.
The Santa Maria certainly deserves a hearty slap on the back, and not with the cat o' nine tails. For the last few years, its daring crew -- er, staff -- has held a swashbuckling celebration the weekend of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and this year be no exception.
I made it out to this motherload of piratical parties last year and was impressed by the dedication of both the Santa Maria's crew and the aspiring sea dogs who stopped by to learn more.
I even got into the spirit by donning an eye patch I keep in my possession for just such an occasion, impressing passers-by and thoroughly embarrassing my wife.
Alack, I did not stay to witness one of the staged "attacks" on the ship, and feel no better than a slimy bilge rat for my failure in this regard.
Also joining the ranks of the scurvily inclined has been the Westerville Public Library, which has held pirate-themed events in recent years on Sept. 19. Children have even been able to collect "treasure" by asking questions in pirate-speak at the library's Youth Services section.
Outside of these organized events, I've heard a thing or two in public and spotted a thing or two on locally centered websites that indicate more and more people are coming to recognize this holiday.
'Tis a good start, for sure, and I'm pleased to see it.
But we can't let up now, me hearties. We can be perfectly satisfied with the individual events that appeal to us scalawags, but we cannot be satisfied with their numbers.
We must prove that we are a lot who take our piracy very seriously -- deadly serious, even -- and that we will come out in droves for opportunities to don a tricorner hat, brandish a cutlass or just sit with a mug o' grog and recount tales of our favorite battles.
Glad will be the day when I find myself pleasantly surprised on International Talk Like a Pirate Day to find the restaurant, store, bar, park or other gathering place I have entered has adopted a pirate theme.
If ye truly appreciate International Talk Like a Pirate Day as I do, and are not just some lily-livered cur who offers no more than an occasional Arrr!" each Sept. 19, then show a leg and support -- by yer presence, if nothing else -- your local pirate enthusiasts.
Even if we can't make Central Ohio the Fiddler's Green of all piratical celebrations, we can at least keep International Talk Like a Pirate Day a safe distance from Davy Jones' Locker.
Garth Bishop is commentary editor for Suburban News Publications.
I don't claim to take credit for any of the major advancements in Central Ohio, but I can most certainly be proud of them.
The Santa Maria certainly deserves a hearty slap on the back, and not with the cat o' nine tails. For the last few years, its daring crew -- er, staff -- has held a swashbuckling celebration the weekend of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and this year be no exception.
I made it out to this motherload of piratical parties last year and was impressed by the dedication of both the Santa Maria's crew and the aspiring sea dogs who stopped by to learn more.
I even got into the spirit by donning an eye patch I keep in my possession for just such an occasion, impressing passers-by and thoroughly embarrassing my wife.
Alack, I did not stay to witness one of the staged "attacks" on the ship, and feel no better than a slimy bilge rat for my failure in this regard.
Also joining the ranks of the scurvily inclined has been the Westerville Public Library, which has held pirate-themed events in recent years on Sept. 19. Children have even been able to collect "treasure" by asking questions in pirate-speak at the library's Youth Services section.
Outside of these organized events, I've heard a thing or two in public and spotted a thing or two on locally centered websites that indicate more and more people are coming to recognize this holiday.
'Tis a good start, for sure, and I'm pleased to see it.
But we can't let up now, me hearties. We can be perfectly satisfied with the individual events that appeal to us scalawags, but we cannot be satisfied with their numbers.
We must prove that we are a lot who take our piracy very seriously -- deadly serious, even -- and that we will come out in droves for opportunities to don a tricorner hat, brandish a cutlass or just sit with a mug o' grog and recount tales of our favorite battles.
Glad will be the day when I find myself pleasantly surprised on International Talk Like a Pirate Day to find the restaurant, store, bar, park or other gathering place I have entered has adopted a pirate theme.
If ye truly appreciate International Talk Like a Pirate Day as I do, and are not just some lily-livered cur who offers no more than an occasional Arrr!" each Sept. 19, then show a leg and support -- by yer presence, if nothing else -- your local pirate enthusiasts.
Even if we can't make Central Ohio the Fiddler's Green of all piratical celebrations, we can at least keep International Talk Like a Pirate Day a safe distance from Davy Jones' Locker.
Garth Bishop is commentary editor for Suburban News Publications.
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Jennie Gist wrote on Sep 15, 2010 7:17 PM: