30 teams of Patriotic USA Pirates compete against the British.
There are 16 treasure hunts where you get the BRITISH to surrender the BOOTY!
BIGGEST BOOTY WINS!
When you check into any location, you see the seating plan for all locations. You know who is playing, who is not and where they are seated. You see where your team members are even if it is at another location. You see what fun, food and adventure they brought to the party to defeat the BRITISH!
The first 60 on each team that qualify, are part of the Water Carnival on Lake Lanier. This is an Army Corps of Engineers approved event for July 4. Their American Spirit competing against the British is shown for 12 seconds on the Jumbotron and video wall. This produces a six hour production of 1776 patriots called “The American Spirit!”
Each team is represented by a boat in the water carnival.
Every 6 minutes, on a schedule, your teams boat is shown on a split screen. A patriot from your team is on one side and your boat on the other. Check the seating plan, if the patriot shown is close to your location, walk over and help them plunder British Booty!
To score booty at the fair, you win or volunteer to compete with a pirate coin called a “Loony” (Dubloon).
This lets you plunder British booty!
You don’t use cash or credit cards, you trade or recycle your loony booty.
The Grand Prize Winner is “President For A Day.”
What is the “Crossing The Delaware” water carnival?
Before the flag is lowered on July 4, your team produces a 30 minute video showing your American Spirit. You will turn a person born as a Special Hero into a Super Hero!
After the 10 lowest scoring teams are eliminated, 5 teams will compete to be in the playoffs. 1 team will win the Grand Prize. 1 person from that team will win “President For A Day.”
On July 4, we raise the flag and open with Reveille at Sunrise. At 7 am a live broadcast will feature team members for 12 seconds each. The broadcast will finish at 1 pm. It will play again and finish the second time at 7 pm. At the lowering of the flag we play Retreat. Your team’s 30 minute video must be finished by then.
Each team follows the identical video format of 20 blocks to tell the story of your American Hero!
To win prizes at the fair you have to be 18+. Your online registration is $1. You get a personalized QR code for an ID card you can print yourself or show on your phone screen. You can get a laminated ID card for $10. This ID card lets you compete in 16 different treasure hunts. You compete for discounts and specials at participating locations.
The general public (Called British “Landlubbers.”) is anyone doesn’t know how to “Get Loony.” Patriotic Pirates need about an hour, mostly watching video to know how to treasure hunt and “Get Loony.”
Each team has three groups of people. The administration, the general public and the people that create fun. The administration are called “Sailors.” The general public are called “Landlubbers.” The people that create fun are called “Pirates.”
You are also called a “Pirate” when you win. If you lose you are called “British.” You don’t know if you are a pirate or the British until after the contest ends. You only know who plundered the booty and who surrendered the booty. The biggest booty wins!
The theme of the Great American State Fair and Water Carnival
The City Center of Cumming will become Philadelphia Pennsylvania and Lake Lanier will become the Delaware River in 1776. The Cumming City Center is the Continental Army. Lake Lanier is George Washington’s Marines. When you volunteer or donate you move up in rank from Private to General as a soldier or as a marine.
All proceeds can be seen on a public ledger. This helps Special Needs populations at a Forsyth County Vocational Group Home under construction.
Instructional Video: Short OR Long Or Mission
Here is what to know about the American Spirit.
The American Spirit was created on Christmas Day 1776. Three groups of soldiers were to cross the Delaware River and battle the British. Colonel Cadwalader with his 1800 men and James Ewings with his 800 men turned back due to a ferocious Christmas storm. It took George Washington 11 hours to cross the 300 yards of the River with 2,400 volunteers using fishing boats, hunting weapons and farm tools to battle a well trained, well equipped British army dug into the city of Trenton.
As the patriots got closer to the British, instead of a surprise attack, front and center unarmed musicians marched into battle playing the fife and drum to call out the British to fight. All of George Washington’s men were singing “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and even dancing as they advanced into battle.
The British were shocked, surprised, demoralized and fought poorly. The patriots were energized, fought courageously and won. That is how the American Spirit was used as a weapon to defeat the British.
To this day, “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” is the number one song played in fife and drum competitions. The story of the American spirit spread to other patriots and we won our independence. It has continued to this day and USA soldiers are known for their American Fighting Spirit.
The Star Spangled Banner was written by John Frances Key in 1813. Before that “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” a song that mocked the British was our unofficial national anthem.
If you are on a volunterr mission called a “Treasure Hunt,” to prove you are not a British spy, you can be challenged to sing the first line of Yankee Doodle Dandy. If you don’t sing and dance heartily, (Or sing more than the first line!) you are a British spy! You could be given a “Booby Prize,” keel hauled or walk the plank.
The place where Yankee Doodle Dandy was sung the most often and with the greatest cheer and spirit was at the Tun Tavern. This was at Water Street and Tun Alley across the street from “Washingtons Wharf” on the Delaware River.
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Paul Jones and many other founding fathers were at Independence Hall during the day and at the Tun Tavern in the evenings. During the day they crafted the declaration of independence and the constitution. During the evenings they drank beer and recruited volunteer Marines at the Tun Tavern. Yankee Doodle Dandy, sung to mock the British, was the most popular song at the Tun Tavern. Everybody sang it loudly with all the Spirit they had. The Marines raised their flag for the first time at the Tun Tavern. The Marine Slogan is “Born in a bar.”
