On Saturday, May 2, 2015, I went to the Pirate Festival in Lake Fairfax Park for community service at 9:30 AM in the morning. There were many activities, such as a climbing rope, singing, tattoos, treasure hunts, slides, and boat rides! I originally thought I got the “lamest” station of all, “Does it Sink or Float?” I was supposed to teach the little kids how to make boats float out of clay, and let them see if some toys could float.
Although most people seemed more interested in getting candy after treasure hunts, some kids stayed forever at my station trying to shay the hard clay into something flat, and try to put weights in it. It was actually an easy and fun task for me to work with these kids.
In the tattoo station, they had many fake tattoos such as sharks and skeletons to stamp on your hand. At the flag station, you could build your own flag, or learn to build a compass at a nearby table. People were swarming around everywhere trying to look for clues for the treasure hunt and get prizes. By the docks, people were fishing, and a pirate ship was sailing for people who pre-paid to ride. Two people dressed as pirates wandered around the festival, singing songs with their instruments and asking others to join in. There were shops for pirate toys, and more tents for food a
nd drinks. A pirate camp was around the middle of the lawn displaying all the equipment and some miniature cannons, next to a triangle shaped climbing wall made out of ropes. Many people gathered around the extremely tiny slide just to ride in a bag for three seconds.
Even though there were some things that seemed ridiculous and some that sounded enjoyable, it was all fun to the little kids. They couldn’t wait to show off their pirate costumes, supplemented by water pistols and plastic swords. Everyone was running around trying to win free prizes left and right. Even though there was action in many places, in my station, a few kids went there, but they all loved to make a mess. They slammed the clay into the water, getting it all over my shirt. They dirtied the water with grass and flowers trying to decorate their boats. Even though it was messy, it was still very fun to run that station. Now I’m glad I didn’t have to run any of the information centers or run a tent about history or tell stories.
After three and a half hours, it was 1:00 PM, which meant my shift was over, and the next person would have to clean the yucky disgusting bin full of clay and grass. Lucky me! I ate some of the snacks and walked through a few stations and won free prizes. Then, I went home. It was a great experience to help at the Pirate Festival to participate and volunteer in the activities!
