MEET CAPTAIN SCALAWAG

One of my oldest friends, Tim Williams, is a man of many hats and one of these hats he wears so well is a classic pirate’s tricorn hat when he portrays his character Captain Scalawag.


(And to the regular Neato Readers, yes Captain Scalawag has a strange resemblance to Weird Hollow’s very own Vlad. Hmm.... I need to look into that!)

For seven years Tim has been entertaining children throughout parts of Missouri playing his nefarious pirate character. The good pirate captain usually sets sail every summer visiting libraries, charity events, schools and fund raisers. And as most pirates loot and pillage, this pirate brings laughter and fun for all ages all the way into the fall season.


Originally Captain Scalawag came out of the brain of Tim (no, it’s not as gross as it sounds) back when he was approached to create a children’s show for the new local TV station. Tim created a show about a pirate named Captain Scalawag who got shipwrecked on a magical island when he was looking for adventure and treasure. Unfortunately, the show didn’t pan out and neither did the TV station, as it folded soon after.


Captain Scalawag’s fan base keeps growing as just last year his audience outgrew the crowded library and he sailed over into the school’s theater stage to perform his Library Summer Reading Program, "Captain Scalawag and the Lost Treasure of Captain Squid" where he packed in more than 300 people.


Below you can view a sample from last year’s show -



As with most of his appearances, Captain Scalawag shares his loot handing out pirate rings, pirate coins, eye patches and anything else you can think of that’s pirate related. After last year’s program, each kid was handed a real treasure map that they and their parents had to follow for a contest with real prizes. The maps were a big success as many kids followed the map and had fun learning all about their hometown.

All of this comes from a big-hearted person who just wants to give back a little to the children of the community. It takes a huge effort, time and lots of money from his own pocket to pull this off, but Tim says, "It’s always worth it if the kids actually believe and are encouraged to use their imaginations and dream. As a kid, I wanted to be a pirate. And now that I’ve grown up, I’ve become one!"


Yes, Tim you have and a darned good pirate you are! Keep on pirating my friend!