TAMPA, Fla. — Time to lock up that buried treasure — the Gasparilla pirates are coming to town.
The Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla’s elite Plunder Team is set to descend on Tampa on Tuesday morning to demand the key to the city from Mayor Jane Castor. And if Mayor Castor refuses to appear for negotiations voluntarily, the pirates have warned they'll take her by force and deliver her to the meeting place at noon: Lykes Gaslight Park on Franklin Street.
Be prepared to hear the ringing of cannons and shouting pirates as the bearded bandits sweep city hall. But don't worry, Tampa police have been warned ahead of time.
If Castor refuses to surrender the city, the pirates will have no choice but to take over Bayshore Boulevard on Saturday for the historic Gasparilla invasion.
The invasion is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, along Bayshore Boulevard. If the pirates get their way, it will be followed by a celebratory parade at 2 p.m. starting at Bay to Bay and Bayshore.
This year, the parade will be led by the grand marshal, comedian Bert Kreischer, and the community hero, 101-year-old World War II US Army “Buffalo Soldier” Roy J. Caldwood.
Kreischer and Caldwood will lead more than 115 parade floats, 53 krewes, seven marching bands, and the infamous Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla pirates down a four-and-a-half-mile parade route.