The Ladysmith Maritime Society (LMS) will host its Kids’ Pirate Day this Saturday (May 31), with all local families and friends encouraged to come down to the society’s docks for a few hours of pirating fun.
Activities will get underway at 10 a.m. and run until 4 p.m. at LMS Community Marina, with Captain Jack Sparrow from the famous Pirates of the Caribbean movies returning once again.
“Everybody dresses up as pirates and it’s a totally free day,” said Cliff Fisher from the Ladysmith Maritime Society. “The kids all come down to the docks with their fishing rods and their buckets for the derby that the Kinsmen Club helps us with. We’ll have a pirate slide, face painting, crafts and a petting zoo, as well as free harbour tours where we’ll take people out. There will also be displays at the welcome centre, and the Purple Martin Society will be teaching crafts to the kids.”
Refreshments will also be available on site at the docks.
Fisher says the happiness and memories created by the kids and everyone involved is the main thing that instigates the society into keeping the event going.
“Everybody comes down expecting fun,” he said. “There are so many smiles, and Jack Sparrow and his crew are our main attraction. Last year, we had nobody playing around on their cell phones, and all the parents were involved with their children and had fun. I thought that was remarkable.”
As well as the Pirate Day on May 31, the Maritime Society has also organized a Pirate Walk for this Wednesday (May 28), beginning at 11 a.m. at Aggie Hall.
“We will start off at LAFF at Aggie Hall and then we will walk up to Davis Road School, where Jack Sparrow and all us will meet the kids at recess,” said Fisher. “Then we will walk down through and around Coronation Mall, meeting different people and then go back up and around some of the downtown area.”
Fisher expects the Pirate Walk will be at Coronation Mall around 12:45 p.m.