As with
any big event there is details and planning, more
details and more planning and then more planning that
needs to be done to ensure the event goes off properly.
As many of you know, we are a whole new crew of organizers
and promoters for PyrateCon 2008. We are Andre Vriese,
Mitch Toles and Piranha Swann Kidd. We have also enlisted
the help of many of last year's volunteers who worked
so hard to make the PyrateCon 2007 event amidst problems
and other oversights. We want to make sure we do everything
we can to make PyrateCon 2008 the best Pirate Event
it can be. We want all the attendees, and vendors
as well as the French Quarter merchants and local
establishments to have a great time and feel that
their time and money was well spent. We want the vendors
and merchants to make money at this event. We feel
it should be a win-win proposition for all who attend.
New Orleans
is a town made for piratical fun. I was there last
year and saw first hand what potential this event
has. But I also saw that it had its problems for a
lot of folks who attended and vended there. Many people
were misused and taken advantage of by the past organizers
who I will not name here.
We know
we can duplicate the fun and we are going to hammer
out the mistakes and mix-ups so everyone gets their
moneys worth. The only goal Andre, Mitch and I have
is to try to get the full fun potential from this
event. We don't think of PyrateCon as a way to make
money, rather we feel it's a labor of love with great
potential in the future. We want to see and hear that
the people who attend PyrateCon 2008 have a great
time with little or no problems. If that happens then
our job is done and our mission is accomplished.
With this
in mind Andre, Mitch, Alex and I set our sails from
the City of Angels to the Big Easy. We caught a cab
and checked into our spacious room at the Hampton
Inn. The hotel is located about a block from Bourbon
Street. Some of the niceties include; free cookies
at the front desk all day and night and free continental
breakfast buffet on the 4th floor each morning from
7-10am for all guests of the hotel.
We got
our pirate gear on in record time as we needed to
get to Pirates Alley by 7:00pm for an early Talk Like
a Pirate Day pirate poetry event Tiae and Tony of
Pirates Alley were hosting along with the Krew of
the Wenches and the NO Quarter Sea Shanties Singers
of New Orleans.
It was
a bit rainy on that Thursday night but that did not
stop Bourbon Street and all its merriment and fun.
As we made our way into the French Quarter and down
Bourbon Street we heard the familiar call of the patrons
and other pedestrians…. "ARRRRR" and
"Look at the Pirates…" "Can I
get a picture?" That is what happens when Pirates
INVADE the Quarter even in small numbers. Beads were
thrown and flash bulbs lit up the streets.
We stopped
along the way at many establishments that letters
and press releases had been mailed to earlier that
week. With PyrateCon posters in hand we helped the
merchants along our route put up the events advertisement
in their windows.
Many of
the Merchants remembered us pirates from our last
Invasion last April. Although most of them were glad
to see us some were not sure what to make of us. A
few questioned if we were the organizers of the last
PyrateCon as they were less than happy with the way
they had been treated by the organizers and/or promoters
of PyrateCon 2007. We assured them of our intent and
reiterated that we are not looking for funding nor
sponsors for PyrateCon 2008. Trust is a hard thing
to build with folks who have been burned before.
Once we arrived at Pirates Alley we were met and greeted
by the most wonderful and gracious people. They were
there to do an early version of Talk Like a Pirate
by doing Pirate Poetry reading. We met the Krew of
the Wenches and the No Quarter Sea Shantie Singers
of New Orleans as well as so many other local pirates.
We met some of the NOLA tour group. The finest New
Orleans Sword fighting experts and entertainers were
all there to join in the fun as we shared songs and
judged a contest for the best Pirate Poem. There was
a full dinner spread for all to be enjoyed catered
by Chef Clayton of The Original French Market Restaurant.
This is the menu for the Pirate Feast:
A Buffet Style Pirate Feast at The Original French
Market Restaurant
On Saturday, the nineteenth of April two thousand
seven
Mediterranean vegetarian Salad
Mixed lettuce, feta cheese calamata olives, cucumber,
red peppers, tomatoes, peppercinis, red onion with
fresh Italian herb vinaigrette dressing
Fresh French quarter French bread and butter
Authentic Louisiana Seafood Pasta
Shrimp, crawfish, penne pasta in a spicy cream sauce
Cajun Jambalaya
Boneless chicken, pickled pork, smoked sausage and
anduie sausage in rice and rich Cajun spices
Caribbean Shrimp Creole
Gulf Shrimp in spicy red gravy
Chocolate Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
White chocolate bread pudding w/chef clayton's special
rum sauce
Complementary Ice Tea and soft drinks and coffee
The next
day Friday was to be a busy day. First Sandra, aka
Rev arrived from Texas. She had helped with the PyrateCon
2007 but had not been involved in any of the arrangements
for the event. For PyrateCon 2008 she was going to
be there for all the negotiations as we all were.
She arrived in the morning and we had breakfast and
discussed what we needed to get done over the next
three days.
Since Friday
was the last day of the work week we needed to get
to the Mayors Office at City Hall and meet with his
PR people to request that Mayor Nagin make a proclamation
that Friday April 18th 2008 be proclaimed as PyrateCon
Day. So we got dressed and walked the 6 blocks over
to City Hall. Sheriff's deputies and metal detectors
greeted us but they saw us and waived us thru. I had
thought we would have had to remove all our weapons
as we all were wearing a cutlass, flintlocks, and
daggers. But the sheriffs and the officials had no
problems with letting us right into the building and
up to the 6th floor where Mayor Raymond Nagins offices
are.
We also
needed to get our permits at the Offices of Public
Works. As well as see the Police Commissioner of the
8th District of New Orleans to have the permits for
all the outdoor events authorized. So first we headed
over to the Public Works offices at City Hall and
got the required documents and paid the fees needed
to have permits issued. We then headed over to the
8th District Police Station and speak with the Police
Commissioner. He would have to agree and approve all
permits for outdoor events like the pirate parade,
the wench auctions, the black powder demonstrations,
as well as the sword fighting and re-enactments.
Later Friday
evening the other two ladies arrived. They would be
in charge of the POTC interactive movie. They got
garbed up and we all went to dinner together at Jean
Lafittes Bistro. After dinner we did some meet and
greet on Bourbon and Royal streets and then headed
back to our hotel to get some much needed rest.
Saturday
we started the day off by heading over the New Orleans
Rum company distillery tour in 2 cabs. We got to sample
the various rum flavors, molasses, and other libations
as well as see the distilling process and learn how
this excellent rum is made. We also got to be surrounded
with hundreds and hundreds of full barrels of rum
stacked from floor the ceiling. Wow! We all agreed
that New Orleans Rum was to be the Official Rum of
PyrateCon 2008. We finalized the plans for the Rum
Tasting Party at Pirates Alley. Since the tour was
so interesting we discussed plans for Ben to possibly
be a guest speaker and give a symposium on "How
to be a Rum Maker" at the PyrateCon convention.
We got
cabs back to our hotel and walked over to the Oyster
Bar for some much needed food. We ordered some oysters
and red beans and rice with sausage. After we ate
we walked over to The Funky Pirate and Blues club
to meet with the managers there to discuss the Bands
that are going to play there and the details of our
wench / cabin boy auction and sword fights, black
powder battle, cat fight and re-enactments that are
to be held there as well as the rum specials we have
planned.
Later Saturday
we walked over to the Original French Market Restaurant
and met with Chef Clayton to discuss the Pirates Feast
dinner and finalize the details of the menu. We also
discussed the entertainment on the stage there and
our charity auction that would be held there along
with the possibility of the Black Spot ceremony held
there.
Then we
walked over and met with Tiae at Pirates Alley and
she walked with us and showed us a possible new Parade
Route. She also pointed out some great areas of interest
for the attendees that are all walking distance and
showed us an area of the French Market that may be
used for other outdoor events we are doing like the
Public Floggings and Sword Play.
We walked
back over to our hotel and had a late afternoon meeting
with the Hampton Inn Hotel managers and discussed
the hotel rooms and the vendor, convention and meeting
rooms as well as the specifics of the Voodoo Lounge
and Breakfast areas of the hotel. We were all pooped
pirates and decided to get pizza in our rooms and
get to sleep early.
Sunday
we met with some of the local volunteers and with
the folks of NOLA tourism. We walked over to the Café
Du Mon and had café ole and benvites then walked
over to the French Market swap meet and met with a
wonderful French Pen & Plume Papier who makes
quills, pummel rings, wax seals, ink and pirate parchment
books and sells them at very reasonable prices.
We made
our way back to the hotel and packed and said our
goodbyes and got to the airport by 3:30pm for our
flight back to LA at 5:00pm.
This trip
went off without a hitch! We are so glad we took the
needed time and spent our own money to go out and
make sure our plans and ducks were all in a row. All
the things we set up were finalized and approved by
all involved parties. I was amazed at how much we
got accomplished together in such a short time.
So I say
to you all…. If you want to have a piratical
great time and share fun, merriment while plundering
and pillaging with hundreds of other pirates from
around the country and the world…come to PyrateCon
in New Orleans it's the place for you to be in April
2008!
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