Start Preparations. International Talk Like A Pirate Day (ITLAPD) is 1½ fortnights away.

ITLAPD is always held on September 19th.

“If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.”

—Quote. Mahatma Ghandi, 1928.

Those who knew Ghandi well understood his sense of humor and that humor, “was one of his strongest features and one of the things people most liked and admired about him.”


“Whereas, it is fun to talk like a pirate by using words like Arrrrr, ye and bilge rat”

—Excerpt. International Talk Like a Pirate Day proclamation at Lake Worth City Commission on Sept. 19th, 2018 read by Lake Worth Beach Mayor Pam Triolo.

Ghandi and bilge rats and silly proclamations!
How did we get here? 

Here’s how the scheme went down. Former Palm Beach Post reporter Willie Howard, on learning of the first annual ITLAPD coming up on September 19th, 2012, reached out to a City resident who called this annual celebration in the L-Dub, “juvenile, nonsensical — a day that might occur in a kindergarten class.”

Then Willie Howard in his 2012 article titled,
“ ‘Talk like a pirate day’ in Lake Worth
has some up in arms” continued. . .

She [City resident] said the city should not waste time on such foolishness because it has serious problems. Bornstein [City Manager Michael Bornstein] responded in part with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi:

“If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.”

     “I’m so sorry you find this fun, silly proclamation anything more than that,” Bornstein wrote in his response to [former commissioner JoAnn] Golden. “I could easily become consumed with a sense of over correctness in almost everything involved in government. However, I refuse to become devoid of all the wonderful human emotions including, most importantly, humor.”

Save the Date!

The 7th Annual ITLAPD in Lake Worth Beach is on September 19th.

Here is official text of the ITLAPD proclamation presented at the City Commission:

PROCLAMATION

Whereas, old pirate culture from the Caribbean is popular in TV shows, movies, literature, products, and rafting; and
Whereas, pirates are colorful, adventurous, mischievous and flamboyant; and
Whereas, two re-enactors, John Bauer and Mark Summers instituted International Talk Like A Pirate Day in 1995; and
Whereas, humorist Dave Barry liked the idea so much he promoted it in his nationally syndicated column in 2002, igniting a powder keg of followers worldwide; and
Whereas, it is fun to talk like a pirate by using words like Arrrrr, ye and bilge rat; and
Whereas, everyone would like to think they have a little bit of pirate spirit inside of themselves.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Pam Triolo, Mayor of the City of Lake Worth, Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me, do hereby proclaim:
SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 as INTERNATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY and urge all citizens of Lake Worth as well as all the less worthy sailors and scalawags in other communities to celebrate in a hearty and fun loving way on September 19th!
IN WITNESS WHEREOF,
I have set my hand and caused the Seal of the City of Lake Worth, Florida to be affixed this 19th day of September, 2017.

______________________
Pam Triolo, Mayor ATTEST