Local dignitaries and community members walked the plank Saturday during the Port of Orillia Pirate Party.
Allan Lafontaine, executive director of the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce and harbour master for the Port of Orillia, says the Pirate Party was started in 2018 to help increase boating traffic. The event includes a downtown treasure hunt, live music, and community fun.
“We really started to ramp it up in 2019 and, of course, COVID slowed us down a little bit,” he said. “We are excited to be back at it.”
The Pirate Party is a fun and free event for the family, Lafontaine says.
“You just need a bandana or an eye patch,” he said. “It’s one last opportunity to get out and enjoy the waterfront before summer ends.”
The festivities continue Saturday night with the Ronnie Douglas Band at 8 p.m. The Pirate Party resumes Sunday with the all-day treasure hunt, with a map that can be found at the Port of Orillia office and Orillia Public Library. The Rotary beer tent will be open from 6 to 11 p.m., and The Orangeman will be performing at 8 p.m.
The Port of Orillia was busy this summer, Lafontaine says, with boaters from around North America and beyond coming through Orillia on their travels.
“We saw the return of the American boaters,” he said. “We had a couple from Germany, another from Scotland and somebody else from Singapore.”
Lafontaine says visitors missed coming to Orillia during the pandemic.
“People love our downtown,” he said. “The fact that we had so many festivals this year kept them here even longer.”
The only challenge the port faced was the weeds, which were unable to be cut until July 1 due to fish spawning.
“We were able to find staff this year,” Lafontaine said. “Boaters were coming, and even the weather co-operated.”
The traffic on the water has been down over the past two weeks, but until then, the Port of Orillia was almost always fully booked.
“As the water levels go down, the Americans tend to head out,” Lafontaine said, noting the port is completely sold out again this weekend, with others on a wait list.
The port is set to shut its gates for the year on Oct. 9.
