Captain Jack Sparrow Visits Swifts Beach PlaygroundCaptain Jack Sparrow Visits Swifts Beach Playground Swifts Beach’s ship-shaped playground, renowned for its maritime appeal, witnessed a special event on July 21. Captain Jack Sparrow, the charismatic buccaneer from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, graced the playground with his presence. The visit brought joy and excitement to children of all ages. Captain Sparrow posed for pictures, led a treasure hunt, and engaged in mock sword fights with the eager young pirates. Makayla Patalano, a 5-year-old visitor, expressed her delight at meeting the pirate, even though she had not seen any of the movies. She was particularly thrilled with her treasure bag. Captain Sparrow himself shared some insights into his character. He claimed to have been “born on a pirate ship” and admitted that his career options were limited due to his aversion to bathing. Behind the mask, the actor portraying Captain Sparrow revealed that he and his wife reside in Salem and perform pirate-themed events throughout Massachusetts. Notably, they have established August as “Pirate Month,” during which they donate portions of their earnings to charity. For Claire Smith of the Wareham Minutemen and Militia, the encounter with Captain Jack’s crew was a familiar one. She had previously participated in a mock battle against them in New Bedford a decade earlier. Captain Sparrow’s visit was part of a fundraising event for Phase II of the Swifts Beach playground construction. The improvement association aims to refurbish the basketball court and add a pickleball court. While the construction was initially planned to be completed for the event, it had yet to be finalized. Therefore, the gathering became a fundraiser to support the ongoing needs of the playground.
The ship-shaped playground of Swifts Beach inspires the seafaring spirit in children of all ages — and on Sunday, July 21, that spirit was led by the visiting Captain Jack Sparrow.
The good captain posed for pictures, led children around on a hunt for bounty and defended the ship against their assault, blade against blade.
Makayla Patalano, 5, said the pirate’s visit was “Good,” though she hasn’t watched any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies from which the character of Jack Sparrow hails.
“I like when he gave me an entire bag” of treasure, she said.
The Captain himself said the character of the pirate was “Born on a pirate ship.” When you don’t shower or bathe, your career options are limited, he added.
As for the man behind the mask?
The actor portraying Jack Sparrow said he and his wife hail from Salem, and do gigs throughout the state. His pirate crew six years ago inaugurated August as an official pirate month, and throughout that month they donate part of their earnings to charity.
For Claire Smith, a member of the Wareham Minutemen and Militia, this wasn’t her first encounter with Captain Jack’s crew: She said the Minutemen participated in a staged battle against them in New Bedford, around a decade back.
This year, he was visiting Swifts Beach as part of a fundraiser event for Phase II of the Swifts Beach playground construction.
Kathleen Norris, president of the Swifts Beach Improvement Association, said the group is working on refurbishing the basketball court and building a pickleball court at the playground.
The plan was to have the construction finished for the event, but “it’s not quite ready,” so it became a fundraiser instead, with the money to help with any of the playground’s needs.
