The Friends' Pirate Day will feature several contests, including best sounding pirate, best-dressed pirate, a pirate parade and a treasure hunt. The schedule for Pirate Day is as follows:

• 11a.m. - Captain Crudbeard's Cannon Shooting Lesson
• Noon - Pirate Parade and Costume Contest
• 1 p.m. - Pirate Ship Attack with cannons, flintlocks and cutlasses in front of the Fort
• 1:45 - Talk Like a Pirate Contest
• 2:15 - Treasure Hunt
• 3 - Pirate Weapons Demonstration with grappelling hooks, pikes, boarding axes, whips, swords, pistols and blunderbuss.

Those planning to attend the event are encouraged to form carpools as there is limited public parking at the Fort. Visitors may want to bring a picnic, as there will be no food other than snacks in the gift shop. An event donation of $3 per person is requested above the regular Fort admission fee to cover the cost of hiring the pirates.

Following Pirate Day will be the Civil War weekend at Fort Knox, Saturday and Sunday, July 28 and 29, in conjunction with the Bucksport Bay Festival.

The Friends of Fort Knox is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Fort Knox and enhancing its educational, cultural and economic value for the people of Maine. The Friends manage Fort Knox on behalf of the Maine Department of Conservation's Bureau of Parks and Lands on behalf of all the people of Maine. For more information about the Friends and other special events, go to their web site at fortknox.maineguide.com.