 Buccaneer Days in Corpus Christi
What happens when pirates invade an American city and demand the locals to make merry? The Jolly Rogers flag will fly over Corpus Christi in April and early May, an annual celebration you shouldn't miss...
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It's hard to believe in such modern times that an American city, especially one in Texas, can fall victim to an invading group of pirates who storm the coastal city of Corpus Christi from the sea and demand the surrender of the Mayor.
But it happened last year. And the year before. And it's scheduled to happen again this year as dozens of pirate queens land in the Corpus Christi Yacht Basin where the city's head political leader is expected to turn over the town to the marauders and raise the skull and crossbones flag
Relax. It's all in fun! April warms up in Corpus Christi when the annual Buccaneer Days kicks off April 19-May 6, marking another year for this grand celebration of the founding of the city. For nearly a month the city comes alive with parades, rodeos, music festivals, carnivals, Mariachis contests, BBQs, children's events and more.
The Founding
 It was in 1519 that a Spanish explorer, Alonzo Alvarez de Piñeda, discovered Corpus Christi Bay. Three hundred years later, in 1838, a trading post was established overlooking Corpus Christi Bay and named Kinney's Trading Post, after its founder, Colonel Henry Lawrence Kinney. It was not until 1852 that the trading post became an incorporated city and was named Corpus Christi, meaning "The Body of Christ".
Another colorful bit of Corpus Christi's history has its setting in the early 1800's, when Pirate Jean Lafitte and his band of pirates plundered and pilfered trading ships plying the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In 1812, Jean Lafitte and his men aided General Andrew Jackson's troops in the defense of New Orleans in the Civil War of that year. Because of that aid, President James Madison gave Lafitte a full pardon for his crimes of piracy.
The Birth of Buc Days
Buccaneer Days was held for the first time in June of 1938 and the initial three-day celebration was centered around the discovery and naming of Corpus Christi Bay by the Spaniard.
 That first Buccaneer Days celebration in 1938 was a descendant of Splash Days celebrations that had been observed here for the previous 21 years. Apparently started in 1917, Splash Days consisted mainly of a bathing beauty contest on North Beach to signify the beginning of summer. By 1937, it has become a three-day event sponsored by merchants. However, most residents and participants in Splash Days felt the celebration lacked the glamour that the growing city of Corpus Christi deserved.
In 1938 the first Buccaneer Days Commission was formed to plan a celebration emphasizing the beginning of the summer season. The Commission's primary objective was to add more glamour and excitement to the annual celebration by building the event around the city's history.
One of the highlights of Buc Days is the "Richest Little Rodeo in Texas." In April, well-recognized PRCA Cowboys will compete for the biggest Rodeo purse in Texas over the course of several nights. A new addition to the Buc Days Pro Rodeo is the Saturday morning Cowboy Breakfast! Open free to the public, breakfast costs $5. The public is invited to enjoy the entertainment, meet and greet some Rodeo Cowboys, Miss Rodeo America and Miss Rodeo Texas, and have an all-around good time.
 Also part of Buc Days is one of the best IBCA-sanctioned BBQ Challenges in Texas. If you like great BBQ, it doesn't get any better than this! The BBQ cookoff happens April 19-22.
New to the festival this year is a Tall Ship event, a specially arranged visit from the Tall Ship La Gloria of Columbia. Built during the late 1960's and into the 1970's in Bilbao, Spain, La Gloria was built to train naval officers. She carries a crew of ten officers, a professional crew of fifty and between sixty and seventy-five cadets at one time. Her crew is made up of men and women that range from enlisted to midshipmen to officers. When she is not out on the North or South Atlantic during one of her considerable training voyages serving as the goodwill ambassador of the Colombian Navy, La Gloria makes her home in Cartengena, Columbia.
The grand celebration finale happens May 6 with the illuminated night parade that stats in Buc Stadium and progresses through the streets to the cheers of nearly a quarter-million spectators.
For more information about Buc Days, log on to the official site.
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