Buckeye Lake Pirate Fest opens on Friday with ribbon cutting and marketplace opening
The Buckeye Lake Pirate Fest featuring a Pirate Marketplace will be this Friday and Saturday.
The event, which is produced by Buckeye Events, will include treasure hunts and themed tours on May 18.
Buckeye Lake is expecting hundreds of pirates, mermaids and steampunks, fans and members of the public to attend festivities which include a family-friendly Pirate Marketplace. Admission is free.
On May Friday and Saturday, the Pirate Festival will feature a Pirate Marketplace at the Harbor Community Center, 5312 Walnut Road, in Buckeye Lake. It has been renamed to PORT ROYAL during Pirate Fest.
On Saturday, the Buckeye Lake Pirate Fest will host Treasure Hunts by Land and Sea. In addition, on Saturday the Buckeye Lake Pirate Fest will host 13 Specialty Treasure Hunts featuring various themes with Special Treasure Maps and flag giveaways for some tours.
The Pirate Marketplace
The Buckeye Lake Pirate Festival will officially open at 5 p.m. Friday with a special Pirate Fest Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to open the Pirate Marketplace (and be open until 8 p.m.) featuring local officials, area business owners, celebrities, and special guests in attendance. Live music will follow the ceremony with entertainment featuring a local favorite signing Pirate, Sparky Brewer.
The Pirate Marketplace will feature 60 vendors and free family and children’s entertainment throughout the day. As a special attraction the Northern Exposure Landship (Ripley's) "World's Tallest ArrVee" will be 'docked' in front of the Pirate Marketplace and offers retail pirate-themed clothing, accessories, and other items, according to a news release.
A portion of the Marketplace Tradeshow proceeds will benefit the non-profit Harbor Community Center.
Treasure Hunt by Land & Sea
On Saturday, there will be a Pirate Treasure Hunt by Land & Sea. Forty local area businesses are each offering Treasure Chests that will be filled with special prizes valued at $150 or more.
Adults may register to win a Treasure Chest at each location as they work their way around to visit and enjoy local area businesses: many of which will offer special entertainment for the day, and most will be sporting pirate-themed attire.
Special Treasure Hunt Maps for the day will be available at Port Royal and 40 participating businesses (while supplies last). The Treasure Maps show destinations that may be reached by ‘Sea’: that is to say – they may be visited by watercraft on Buckeye Lake. All Treasure Hunt destinations are listed on the Land side of the map.
Themed Treasure Hunt Tours
All Pirate Treasure Hunt Tours will take place on Saturday, at various times. Most tours will provide a special Tour Treasure Hunt Map and feature select locations that offer special or unique features for guests. A limited number of maps are available for these tours; they are available while supply lasts, according to a news release.
Two special-themed costume tours are offered: a Steampunk Whistle Stop Tour and Shop and Dine with a Mermaid.
Tours by Sea for watercraft on Buckeye Lake include events for pontoon boats, personal watercraft, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.
Tours by Land include events for Jeeps, Trucks, Golf Cars, ATV’s Side-by-Sides and Motorcycles.
About The Buckeye Lake Pirate Festival
The Buckeye Lake Pirate Festival is produced by Buckeye Events. It’s a start-up company managed by entrepreneurial partners Kelly and Neena Collins of Hebron. The Collins, and local business owners, were inspired by the economic and fun community success of the Buckeye Lake Winterfest held in January annually hosted by the Buckeye Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, according to a news release.
Please visit the website www.BuckeyeLakePirateFest.com for more information.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Buckeye Lake Pirate Fest to be held Friday and Saturday with themed adventures
