Barbee Pirates Present Donations To American Legion Post 253, BLPOA
Barbee Pirates Present Donations To American Legion Post 253, BLPOA
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David Slone-
Barbee Pirates Present Donations To American Legion Post 253, BLPOANORTH WEBSTER - Before there was “Pirates of the Caribbean,” there were the Barbee Pirates.
And instead of stealing treasures, the Barbee Lakes residents raise money from their annual Barbee Pirates event to give to good causes.
Friday evening, they presented $7,510 to American Legion Post 253, North Webster, for their van fund; and $1,000 to the Barbee Lakes Property Owners Association toward weed maintenance. A $500 check will be presented at a later date to the Paulus family who lives on Barbee Lake and does the lake’s fireworks every year.
Terri Mitchell hosted the 24th annual Barbee Pirates event on Aug. 6, which is on the Barbee Lakes chain. She’s been involved in the event for 10 to 12 years.
“So, the Pirates have been doing this for 24 years. We have a scavenger hunt on the water, a water fight on the water, we have stops where you play games and earn points. And afterwards we all have one big party. A lot of people think we’re just people out there having a water fight and drinking, but we do this for a cause,” she said.
Roby and Dawn Weed have been involved in the Barbee Pirates event since the beginning.
“My girlfriend wanted to have some sort of a party and we tried to plan what it was and she wanted to have it at her house. Her name is Sherryl Finch. His name is John Finch, he has passed away,” Dawn recalled. “They got married, moved here and we met them and she kept saying, ‘I want to do this, I want to do this.’”
Dawn told Sherryl to do it then or stop talking about it.
In the first year, they had six or seven boats. “And it has grown every year to the point where we are able to do what we can do now,” Roby said.
Dawn said the first event was called “Ship of Fools” before it became Pirates. Roby said the second year was when it became Pirates, but the party is still called “Ship of Fools.”
They even ran it during the COVID-19 pandemic. Autumn Brown was the event’s first second-generation participant to host the party that year.
Each participant and each boat pays to be a part of the event, with all the proceeds going to charity, Mitchell said. The money for the Post’s van fund will help with the costs of maintaining the van, which the Post uses to take veterans to and from their appointments.
The $8,510 raised this year from the approximate 230 participants was highest total collected from the event in its 24 years. In 2021, the event raised $4,000.
“But I have to give a great big shoutout to Lakelife Bar & Grill. Lakelife Bar & Grill let us host this year at their new bar, which is amazing, and they charged us nothing. They donated everything. So that’s why we raised more this year, because they donated all the alcohol, all the food. We didn’t have to buy tables, chairs, tent at somebody’s property that we normally do, so that’s why we got more money,” Mitchell said.
Dawn said Lakelife made it possible for them to save a bunch of money, which they could then turn around and donate, rather than spend on other things.
The event is private and invite-only as a way to keep the fun under control. Mitchell said they keep it to 25 boats, and try to invite one new boat a year if possible.
“Not every place can park 22 boats,” Dawn said. “So it’s always been private by invitation. You’ve got to know somebody who knows somebody.”
The Barbee Pirates also had a number of corporate sponsors this year, including British Hairways, Brandon by Design, JM Home Services, Pinky’s Promotion Products, Heart of Barbee Resort, Danny’s Sports Bar, Polywood, Joey and Sherrie Gallas of Lakelife Bar & Grill, Kevin and Mary Kleeman of Affordable Remodelers, David Derry of Derry Electric, Mindy Skaggs of Legacy Realtor Group, McGuff Roofing, Bo Shepherd Construction and Elliott’s Tree Service.
There was a T-shirt for this year’s event and all the sponsors were featured on the back of it.
Before the event begins each year, Mitchell said they also have a ceremony on the lake.
“All the boats tie up and we have a ceremony and we honor all the fallen pirates. So anybody who lives on the lakes who has passed away, we have a brass bell and we ring the bell for each of the fallen pirates and we say their name,” she said.
The winner of the scavenger hunt usually hosts the following year and this year it was Wendy Cox and Chris Simpson. They will host the 25th annual event.
“I hope they have big plans for next year,” Dawn stated.
