Avast! Talk Like a Pirate Day coming to library

Arrr! Talk Like a Pirate Story Time, presented in honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, will be held at 10 a.m. Sept. 21 at the Hope Branch Library.

Led by Hope Branch Library Supervisor Dave Miller, the event will feature pirate-themed stories and offer sweet treats for all the wee pirates and buccaneers who attend.

“I try to spread that pirate joy out quite a bit,” Miller says. “We will have a couple of pirate book displays and pirate treasure at the library that day.”

Miller, who defines his librarian style as a bit out of the ordinary, has always had affection for pirates, he says. And that affection has translated well when it comes to his personality and reading entertaining stories to children.

“I like to be loud and make voices,” he says. “Pirates are loud, obnoxious and they have parrots and get into battles. I want something that has some pizzazz, action and shiver-my-timbers kinda stuff.”

As part of the pirate festivities during the week of Sept. 19, Miller also makes appearances in classrooms at Hope Elementary School during its annual book drive, he says.

“It kind of works out as it is a good time of year and the weather cooperates for an outdoor story time. We’ve done it for several years here at the library.”

Morning Star Preschool teacher Chris Cox says the annual pirate story time is an event that has been highly anticipated by students and teachers alike for nearly 10 years.

This year more than one dozen 3- and 4-year olds will attend the story time, she says.

“We let our kids dress up as pirates if they want to and Dave dresses up like a pirate,” Cox says. “I like hearing Dave read the stories because he has lots of good voices and sound effects and I love watching the faces of the kids when they’re listening to the stories.”

Established in 1995, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, which is observed on September 19, is intended to celebrate all things pirate was declared by John Baur, a.k.a. Ol’ Chumbucket, and Mark Summers, a.k.a. Cap’n Slappy, two guys who just enjoyed speaking like pirates and thought it would be really awesome if a single day was declared when everyone would talk like a pirate. The idea was just crazy enough that it took hold.