Pirates set sail inside Lehi museum
Lehi's Hutchings Museum has been invaded by pirates. Inspired by "talk like a pirate day," the museum is holding their third annual pirate party Friday and Saturday night.
Museum manager Ben Woodruff said, "It's surprising how many people like pirates. Pirates do everything we teach against in society, but it's on a boat so we love them for it. I guess we tend to focus on the Disney version of pirates."
Upon arrival at the party, guests received treasure maps leading them to different pirate-themed activities throughout the museum, including getting a pirate name and signing on to the crew of a ship. There were exhibits with live birds and reptiles. One presentation featured creepy crawly invertebrates that might have lived on pirate ships. Woodruff said a party celebrating all things pirate is fun for the community, but also exposes people to the museum. "We have a lot of fun ... but we're also teaching a lot of museum things," he said.
Woodruff planned on demonstrating weapons pirates used. He was going to fire some black powder muzzle loading rifles. "To keep this safe we first call the police and let them know what we're doing," Woodruff said. "The police say, 'Wait, is this Ben at the museum?' and then they're good with it."
A first for the Hutchings pirate night was a candy cannon. Cindy Lee Muir, a museum volunteer, loaned the cannon for the party. Muir said she and her husband saw a candy cannon at a mountain man rendezvous and decided to build their own. A pirate band also entertained guests with music.
Karen Warren and her three children were at the party Friday night. The Warren children were very excited to gather up candy just shot from the cannon. Adam Warren, 6, whose pirate name is Chester the Chest Maker, thought the party was great. He said, "I saw a spider and a lion and you got to touch snakes."
Woodruff said this is a great activity where people can dress up and have fun even before the whole Halloween season starts. He said talking like a pirate is funny because while it sounds good, people often have no idea what it means. In his best pirate accent, Woodruff said, "I like the cut of your jib."
The Pirate party is happening again Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $4 and may be purchased at the museum. The Hutchings Museum is located at 55 N. Center Street in Lehi.
Mike Ball, left, of Highland, holds a Savannah Monitor lizard so his son, Daniel, 4, right, can get a better look during Pirate Night at the Hutchings Museum in Lehi on Friday, Sept. 20, 2013. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
Mike is in his element! He makes the best pirate ever. And Daniel is adorable.
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