Pirate Fest Was a Smash Hit

Last weekend the Lock House Museum held its annual Pirate Fest weekend. The event was a huge success.

There are so many people and organizations to thank that I almost don’t know where to begin. Actually, I will begin with the most important—the good citizens and businesses of Havre de Grace. Thank you so much for your participation and support of Pirate Fest and the Lock House Museum. I would also like to thank the City of Havre de Grace for all of their efforts in helping prepare and set up the events surrounding Pirate Fest weekend. In particular, I thank the Department of Public Works and the Havre de Grace Police Department.

The Lock House is blessed to have a team of volunteers whose hard work behind the scenes really make the Museum a special place to visit. Without our dedicated volunteers and Board members, Pirate Fest weekend would have been dead on arrival.

The first thing folks seem to notice are the gardens around the Museum, carefully tended by Charlie Vasilakis. Charlie has made the grounds of the Museum a beautiful spot and we are very grateful.

Jean Johnson was our “go to” person on the ground during the Farmer’s Market and First Fridays. She manned the tables at all of those events, selling raffle tickets and promoting the Pirate Fest and the Lock House. Thanks so much for all of your hard work! Also, I would like to say thanks to Bob Magee for helping out at the Decoy Festival.

I would like to thank Terran Miller for all of her efforts on the Pirate Pub Crawl on Friday night. It can’t be easy to organize a pack of rowdy pirates, but Terran was able to corral the pack and a good time was had by all.

The Pirate 5K on Saturday morning was an unqualified success due solely to the efforts of Ed Rybczynski and his team of race volunteers. Ed recruited around 300 runners including a team of very special participants from Kennedy Krieger and Athletes Serving Athletes. Thanks Ed!!! You did a great job.

Thanks in large part to Steve Formwalt and Julie Ruhnke, this year’s Pirate Encampment drew a record number of families from Havre de Grace and the surrounding area. Steve and Julie were instrumental in making the Encampment a fun memorable experience for the pirates, vendors, and attendees. The new Havre de Grace Branch of the Harford County Library was on hand to hold several story times for the kids, which were a hit by all accounts. Terri Dezell and Drew Layton were on hand to organize the Pirate themed kid’s games throughout the day. The entire day was a blast for the pirates, vendors, visitors, and volunteers. Thank you Steve and Julie for making this year’s Pirate Encampment the best to date.

Saturday night’s Buccaneer Bash was a swashbuckling good time. Guests were treated to delicious food and drinks and danced the night away to the sounds of Big Wahoo. This event would not have happened without our team of dedicated volunteers. I would like to thank Jim Milne for his efforts in cleaning the area of the tremendous amount of goose droppings. It was a dirty job, but Jim did it without complaint and with a smile on his face. Once again, Rodney Swam of Mergler Electric and Chip Paradis made sure that all of the electric needs were met. The lighting was perfect!! Thanks guys. The tables looked great and were decorated by Anne Slater, Ann Marie Serwa, and Carol Hooper. Great job ladies.

I would also like to thank our Docents and tour guides who made sure the Museum was open for business during the entire weekend. Families were able to enjoy the Lock House Museum (and its air conditioning) and learn a bit about the canal era and the history of Havre de Grace. Joe K and Bob Magee were on hand and, as always, gave our guests an informative and entertaining experience.

We are also blessed to have wonderful partners in the Chamber of Commerce and Havre de Grace Office of Tourism. Thanks to Cathy Vincenti and Laurie Orzewicz.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Carol McGowan, the Chairman of our Board of Directors, for her tireless efforts in all things related to the Lock House. The weekend was a success in large part because she did not rest until all the T’s were crossed and I’s were dotted. Thanks Carol.

I hope I did not forget anyone, but if I did, I apologize.

Thanks again to all of the attendees, businesses, volunteers, government agencies, sponsors, and most importantly, the citizens of Havre de Grace who helped make this the best Pirate Fest ever! See you all next year!!

Sincerely,

Tyler Buck

Executive Director

Susquehanna Museum at the Lock House