79 Arrested During Pirate Festival

[SirBlackFox]

Pretty Sad for an "alcohol-free" Pirate Event:

TAMPA (Bay News 9) -- The Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa Saturday resulted in 79 arrests.

Two of the arrests were for felonies and four were for boating under the influence.

During the day, parade police made 57 arrests for underage possession of alcohol.

Tampa Fire Rescue said they responded to about 80 calls for medical service.

Full story: http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2009/2/8/79_arrested_during_pirate_festival.html

[NoBill Lurker]

Having grown up in Tampa, that's pretty average for that event, sad to say. 

[Welsh Wench]

That's all?

Last year it was 107.

If anyone was expecting an 'alcohol-free' invasion, might I suggest Fantasyland?

[Seamus Ex Machina]

That's all?

Last year it was 107.

If anyone was expecting an 'alcohol-free' invasion, might I suggest Fantasyland?

The Gasparilla Pirate Invasion has been attended by Myself and the Lady Red for prolly the last 30 years.  It used to be a fun little pirate show and parade on a Monday afternoon.  Now, not so much.......


The Invasion in now a month long celebration in the spirit of Mardi Gras, from which we have shamelessly copied.  There are three separate parades, kiddie, the Ybor City Night parade, and the main Invasion parade.  Members of me krewe and Myself were at the massive Tampa Convention Center at around 8 AM for the buffet.  From our ridiculously convenient vantage point, we watched as the 'Jose Gasparilla' warped in and the pirates invaded, throwing  beads and swag.  They headed out towards the city, where they jumped on the floats and started the parade that lasts 3 or 4 hours.  There are, my friends, around 500,000 people in Tampa downtown on that Saturday.  The beer flows at ridiculous amounts all day long,  and the vast majority of people that I have seen over the years behave themselves pretty well.  Oh, and don't forget the post-Invasion revelry that lasts well into the wee hours the following morning......

Sorry, kiddies, this is not your father's pirate fest.   And I'll never know where 'alcohol-free' came from.   It was being sold on every street corner, in full view of Tampa's finest.  As the story said, 57 out of 79 arrests resulted from kids stupid enough to drink in front of one of our fine police officers, who I am quite proud of.  They had a tremendously difficult job with crowd control, and they handled it with professionalism and a sense of humor. 

Let's not forget our friends on the water, either.  There were no less than 200 small craft in the harbor that morning.  The potential for problems out there was real, and it went off without a hitch.  Again, tip o' the hat to Tampa and their well oiled machine for running this event smoothly.   You know, like the Super Bowl the week before.......

79 arrests?  With a crowd of a half million?

I say we did OK......

[Blackjack Roberts]

'Prolly would have been 80, Mate. But the scuttle butt be they were 'a frightened 'a what Wenchie would have done ta decorate the hold'n cells! 

[Seamus Ex Machina]

This will give ye an idea of the size of the Invasion......

http://gasparillapiratefest.com/photo_gallery.shtml

[Welsh Wench]

'Prolly would have been 80, Mate. But the scuttle butt be they were 'a frightened 'a what Wenchie would have done ta decorate the hold'n cells! 

I see soft mauve walls with ivory accents...deep pile carpeting, Jimmy Buffett piped in and lobster bisque every Wednesday.

I want to make it so they never want to leave.
Cuts down on the rioting and the prison breaks, you know. 

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

Damn!  Count me in!  Incarceration never sounded so good! 

[Welsh Wench]

79 arrests?  With a crowd of a half million?

I say we did OK......

I'd say it was MORE than OK!  Tampa and the festival should be right proud!

[RumbaRue]

Well considering there were NO ARRESTS made during the huge pirate parade down Bourbon Street last year at Pyrate Con in New Orleans, says something about the politeness of the people there and the people playing pirates. 

[Blackjack Roberts]

N'Awlins has long had a history of tolerance fer our profession, Rumba, Luv. 

Not a bad place ta sell yer swag neither. 

[Welsh Wench]

N'Awlins has long had a history of tolerance fer our profession, Rumba, Luv. 

Not a bad place ta sell yer swag neither. 

We would know, wouldn't we?
It all started in a nice little place called Barataria.....

[Capt Spleen]

*Meanwhile.........somewhere deep in the bowels of Glenlivet, of which used to be the site of the dankest, darkest, molding, slime crawling floor creatures, of putrice, muck, an crunchy cockroached garnished goodness......*

"Oh look wat she did t' me once grand dungeon o'  vile disrepute!" Says CaptSpleen as he uproots a corner of Orangish shagish floor covering.

"CaptSpleen!" "Yea, wuts at it Zoe?"
First mate Zoe in a rush extorts, "All the prisoners we released, er, I mean chased off are back at the front door looking, asking, .....begging actually to get back into the dungeon, capt."

"You mean th' day spa o' Valhala!" Gruffs CaptSpleen. "Dungeon?! It will be in about a week. Tell tham were doin' sum renovations an dat dey should be sharrr t' come back next Friday an well give tham back der 'quarters'. Ye seez Zoe, that's wut happens whenst dungeons go Social an all. Everyone wunts in. Thayn ye start wit t' overcrowdin' and "oh me rights have been violated' type pansy gruff. Well, by next week we'll be violated tham alright! Startin' wit a dark reddish brown cockroach bisque every Wednesday!"

"Ya know, pirates have gone soft!  They don't get arrested as much. less drinking an pilaging, and they jus dangle there when hanged.  Guns instead o steel! No physical fight in tham at all anamore! Aye, we're bringin' scurvy back to piratical ways, Zoe!"

Just then as the Capt is tearin up the carpet........."Wut be dis?! He holds up a stained scroll, unties it and reads.......[REN FESTUS CIRCLE COMMONS CORONATION OF QUEEN BONNIE[/i]
"Why, .... i be regurgitated sea chum! It be th' long lost Ren Festus Circle Commons Coronation Scrolls! I must dispatch dis most important find t' th' Queen O' Everything herself witout delay!"

"Come wit me Zoe!"   

[Welsh Wench]

'Yes, you heard right. I want the same amount of paint but we are going with navy blue walls, white wainscoting and bright yellow accents.....I don't give a rat's patoot WHAT he says....look, don't make me come down there AGAIN! Your cat was traumatized for three days....well, are you going to listen to some crusty dungeon master or ME?...that's better. Now about the indirect lighting, I want....'

*covers mouthpiece of phone*

'HEY, SHUT UP OUT THERE! I CAN'T TALK WITH ALL THAT RACKET!'

'OK, so if he comes around, you just say it was his fancy pants brother that ordered it....I thought you'd see reason...no, they aren't going anywhere....not unless they use the Crude Organ Donor as a pogo stick.....OK...thanks!'

CLICK!

[Ozium]

How could anyone think a pirate event would be dry, heck looks like Budweiser is a sponsor even!
Someone must have thier head up thier poop deck.