D-Day balloons hijacked by pirate ghost
Courtesy Jane Pritchard May 02, 2021
The hotly anticipated tethered hot air balloon rides that were set to feature at this year’s Dandelion Day (D-Day) were cancelled at the last minute, allegedly due to weather. However, eyewitness accounts suggest that the sole balloon the school had rented was in fact stolen by the ghost of deceased freshwater pirate, Barnabas “Bellowing Barney” Sykes.
According to historical records found in a deep, nearly forgotten corner of Rush Rhees Library, Captain Sykes was ridiculed by his piratical peers for choosing to ply fresh waters. His crew sailed lakes, rivers, and tributaries to sidle up to ports as unintimidating as Milwaukee and Toronto, while the so-called “real” pirates frequented Tortuga and Santo Domingo in their oceangoing vessels.