Media Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 20, 2014

Contact: Ryan Downey, 757/728-5328 [email protected] Mary Fugere, 757/728-5327 [email protected]

Hampton Set to Host Four Major Events May 30-June 1 15th annual Blackbeard Pirate Festival, Second annual Steampunk: Visions of Futures Past, USAG XCEL State Gymnastics Championship, and the Seventh (7th) annual AIM Sand Soccer Shootout all scheduled for huge Hampton weekend--

Hampton, VA- Visitors and locals alike will find May 30-June 1 a good time to visit Hampton, as the city is set to host four major events that weekend.

15th annual Blackbeard Pirate Festival

Beginning May 30, roughly 50,000 seafaring attendees, as well as Blackbeard and his crew, will once again invade downtown Hampton during the 15th annual Blackbeard Pirate Festival! Interact with Blackbeard (personified by first-person interpreter Ben Cherry) and more than 100 other authentically costumed pirate re-enactors as they run rampant on the streets of America’s oldest continuous English-speaking settlement. -More-

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The festivities kick off Friday night, May 30, 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m., at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina Hotel with the 15th annual Grand Pirates Ball (creative black tie or period attire enforced). The celebration, a recreation of Blackbeard’s Party at Okracoke, will feature a bounty of food, adult beverages, live music, and more. Though the festival is free, there is an admission charge for the ball. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Advanced tickets can be purchased by phone, Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., by dialing 757/727-8314.

Saturday’s activities include a swarm of extemporized street skirmishes between pirates and militia (costumed interpreters), a replica of Blackbeard’s pirate camp, complete with living history interpreters teaching the skills of the sailor circa 1700, and the trial and escape of William Howard, one of Blackbeard’s fellow pirates with ties to Hampton. Don’t miss the exhilarating re-enactment of the classic sea battle between Lt. Maynard and Blackbeard, featuring two full - scale replica vessels in the Hampton Harbor. At the conclusion of the sea battle a presentation ceremony takes place in which Blackbeard’s severed head will be bestowed upon Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood (1710- 1722). Visitors can participate in the festivities when they join Blackbeard’s funeral parade, Hampton’s own version of Mardi Gras, and share in the booty from the treasure chest.

This year, the Hampton Blackbeard Pirate Festival welcomes three tall ships to the downtown docks: MEKA II, Serenity, and Bonny Rover. Other weekend highlights include a children’s area, vendors, live music, street entertainers, photo opportunities with Mermaids in the children’s area, cannon fire at Battery Point, period weaponry demonstrations, bird shows, and more a dramatic fireworks display at 9:00 p.m. Saturday night over the Hampton River!

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The Blackbeard Pirate Festival schedule is as follows: 7:00 p.m. -11:00 p.m. on Friday, May 30 (Blackbeard Ball- Ticketed Event); 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 31 (Free); and Noon- 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 1 (Free). For more information, visit www.blackbeardfestival.com

Second annual ‘Steampunk: Visions of Futures Past’

Experience the work of artists and craftspeople whose vehicles, weaponry, and gadgets conjure up a time when airships were commonplace and steam power ruled the world; an alternative Victorian era and an imagined Wild West frontier as presented in “Steampunk: Visions of Futures Past” taking place May 30-June 1at the Hampton History Museum (120 Old Hampton Lane, Hampton, VA 23669).

On Friday, May 30, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., celebrate the opening of this fantastical exposition with the eclectic quirkadelic pop of the time-traveling band Uglyography and the alt-country indie rock of 2014 Veer magazine Album of the Year honorees, The Framers. In addition to great musical entertainment, thrill to the feats of Steampunk strongman Lord Paddington Aldwych and other side-show amusements. Aela Badiana and Wicked Hips will wow the crowd with exotic dances of the orient. Event admission is $5.00.

Throughout the weekend, attendees will be dazzled by the work of a variety of Steampunk artists, highlighted by the inventions of proprietor David Lee of Hatton Cross Steampunk, including a Gentleman's Armored Battle Carriage (Steampunk Tank), Captain Nemo’s dive suit, Steampunk Darth Vader, and a wide array of fanciful contraptions, conveyances, and devices. The weekend will boast three free panels focusing on such topics as “The art of the Dandy: Gentlemen’s Steampunk fashions” by award winning author Jarod D. Crews; “Creating your own Steampunk props of mass -More-

Hampton Set to Host Four Major Events May 30-June 1- Page 4 distraction” by David Lee; "Creating a Steampunk World" with writer and developer of Tephra the Steampunk roll playing game Charlie Stayton, among others.

The museum, Hampton History galleries, the temporary exhibit “Toward Freedom: Hampton and the Contraband” and Steampunk exhibit are all open free of charge during Blackbeard Festival weekend, Saturday, May 31, 10:00 a.m. -5.00 p.m., and Sunday, June 1, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The “Steampunk: Visions of Futures Past schedule is as follows: 6:00 p.m. -9:00 p.m. on Friday, May 30 (Ticketed Event); 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 31 (Free); and 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 1 (Free). For more information, visit www.hamptonhistorymuseum.org.

USAG XCEL State Gymnastics Championship

Front hand-“spring” into fun at the USAG XCEL State Gymnastics Championship, taking place at Hampton Roads Convention Center (1610 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, VA 23669) May 30- June 1. The women’s gymnastics event is expected to draw 1,200 athletes and over 5,000 spectators.

Competition will take place in four events:

Balance Beam Balance Beam, commonly referred to as “beam,” is a gymnastics event in which a narrow wooden beam supported in a horizontal position (approximately four feet above the floor) is used for balancing acts.

Floor The floor completion is a gymnastic event that consists of various jumps, somersaults, flips, handstands, and more.

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Vaulting Vaulting is a gymnastics event in which the gymnast runs, gathers momentum, and uses a springboard to vault over an apparatus, performing various acrobatic moves while in the air.

Uneven Parallel Bars Uneven parallel bars is a gymnastics completion in which uses parallel bars set and different heights.

The USAG XCEL State Gymnastics Championship schedule is as follows: 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Friday, May 30; 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Saturday, May 31; 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Sunday, June 1. Cost is $10 per day or $15 for a weekend pass. For more information, visit www.vausag.com/2012-vausag-vaop-state-meet.

Seventh (7th) annual AIM Sand Soccer Shootout and Silent Auction

Head to Buckroe Beach (100 First Street South, Hampton, VA 23663) for the Seventh (7th) annual AIM Sand Soccer Shootout and Silent Auction, May 31- June 1. Presented by the AIM for Excellence Foundation, the event, open to the public, is expected to draw over 700 athletes and thousands of spectators from across the country.

During the weekend, games will take place in the sand on the north side of Buckroe Beach Park (fields start near the playground and are stacked end to end down to the park ranger station). Each team registered for the AIM Sand Soccer Tournament will play a minimum of three matches, with the top two teams from each division (12-15 divisions total) advancing to a final. Each division will play a final match on Sunday, June 1, with first and second place teams receiving awards.

One of the weekend highlights is the AIM for Excellence Silent Auction. (www.aimathletics.org/SilentAuction.html). Saturday, May 31, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., -More-

Hampton Set to Host Four Major Events May 30-June 1- Page 6 the auction will be open to the public for bidding. Auction items include gift baskets, various attraction admission tickets, bicycles, Ferguson Center for the Arts tickets, and more. Starting bids are marked down to about 70%!! This year two non-profit organizations are combining forces to put this silent auction over the top: AIM for Excellence and Houses of H.O.P.E.

Other activities taking place during the Seventh (7th) annual AIM Sand Soccer Shootout include a free soccer clinic presented by AIM’s Summer Soccer Camp Staff. On Saturday, May 31 at 1:00 p.m., AIM will lead “Operation Beach Clean-Up” in partnership with the Hampton Clean City Commission. The Sand Soccer Shootout is a certified Virginia Green event. For hungry patrons and participants, food vendors will be on-site throughout the duration of the weekend.

The Seventh (7th) annual AIM Sand Soccer Shootout and Silent Auction schedule is as follows: May 31 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Free for spectators, player registration has closed). For more information, visit out www.aimathletics.org/SandSoccer.html.

For more information on these and other Hampton events and programs, individuals are encouraged to contact the Hampton Visitor Center at 757/727-1102, or the Hampton 311 Call Center at 757/727-8311, visit www.visithampton.com.

Partially bordered by the Hampton Roads harbor and Chesapeake Bay, Hampton, with the 344,000 sq. ft. Hampton Roads Convention Center, is located in the center of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Hampton is the site of America's first continuous English-speaking settlement and is home to such visitor attractions as the Virginia Air & Space Center and Riverside IMAX ® Theater, Hampton Maritime Center, Hampton History Museum, harbor tours and cruises, Hampton University Museum, Fort Monroe, award-winning Hampton Coliseum, The American Theatre, among others. ###