It’s that time of the year. Time for the city to put on its biggest and most elaborate celebration. ”Buccaneer Days”
The annual festival has its roots in an event called “Splash Days”, which began on North Beach in 1917. Splash Days was intended to promote North Beach and be a celebration of the opening of the summer bathing season. There were games to play, diving and swimming contests, fishing contests, sailboat races, banquets, food booths, dances, carnival rides, a parade, and a “bathing revue” (beauty contest) on the North Beach boardwalk.
In 1936, Splash Days was expanded from a 2 day event to a week-long celebration. Added to the celebration were Wild West shows, Vaudeville acts, livestock exhibitions and contests, "Amateur Night", and programs to commemorate the 100th birthday of the state of Texas. Attendance that year exceeded the total population of Corpus Christi!
Spectacular as it was, Splash Days would only take place for one more year....in 1937. In a way, it became a victim of its own success. It had outgrown North Beach. In 1938, “Splash Days” became "Buccaneer Days"....an immensely larger celebration involving the entire city of Corpus Christi.
That first “Buccaneer Days” celebration would be held on June 3, 4, and 5 of 1938. Not only would it celebrate the opening of the summer season, it would also highlight the history and culture of Corpus Christi and South Texas. The Buc Days celebration would include a re-enactment of the “discovery” and naming of Corpus Christi Bay by Spanish explorers in 1519.
The “pirate” theme of Buc Days would recognize the fact that in the early 1800’s, long before the founding of Corpus Christi, shipping in our portion of the Gulf of Mexico was terrorized by the legendary pirate, Jean Lafitte, and his band of “buccaneers”. Tales of pirates and buried treasure on Padre Island persist to this day, making “Buccaneer Days” an appropriate name for our annual celebration.
Unlike today’s Buc Days when rowdy “pirates” capture the city and force the mayor to “walk the plank”, the first Buccaneer Days began on May 2 with the landing by boat of Alonzo de Pineda (portrayed by Marcellus Eckhardt) at the Princess Louise Hotel pier. Greeted by the mayor and a reception committee, the Spanish explorer who gave Corpus Christi its name in 1519, was given the Key to the City. De Pineda and his entourage of Spanish soldiers then boarded a float that resembled a Spanish Galleon and joined in on the first Buc Days parade, led by the Corpus Christi High School Band.
Most of the parade’s floats were decorated with a pirate theme. Marching in the parade were multiple high school bands from across South Texas. Also marching were several hundred members of the “Van Dyke Buccaneer Club” who had spent months growing authentic beards to compliment their “pirate” outfits. Their President, George Green, was “Grand Marshal” of the parade. Honored guests in the parade included officers of the U.S. Navy gunboat, USS Charleston”, in Corpus Christi's port for Buc Days. The parade route was lined with thousands of locals and visitors from around the state. It was said to have been the finest parade to ever take place in the city.
The 1938 Buc Days celebration included an elaborate “Coronation” ceremony that took place at the high school’s Clark Field on Saturday, May 4. Local and out of town Duchesses were presented on an 80 foot long stage in front of a Spanish Castle backdrop as music was played by the Buccaneer Days Symphony Orchestra. From the group, a Queen and her Court of Princesses were announced.
On Sunday, May 5, North Beach would take center stage in the new Buc Days celebration. The bathing beauty contest that had been a major part of the old “Splash Days” celebration would be replaced with a “Beach Style Revue” highlighting the latest fashions in beach attire.
Now in its 86th year, Buccaneer Days is more popular than ever. The 12 day long event draws over one million visitors and participants to the city, and now includes a rodeo, music festival, carnival and more than 20 tournaments and special events. Money raised by the non-profit Buccaneer Commission during Buc Days is used to fund scholarships and a host of civic functions. When it comes to a fun time in Corpus Christi, nothing beats Buccaneer Days!
Robert Parks is a special contributor to KRIS 6 News. Parks was a history teacher at Carroll High School for 19 years and is now retired. His knowledge of Corpus Christi history makes him a unique expert in the subject.
