Pirates on Alki Beach, milk cartons on Green Lake -- it's Seafair time

Tonight's fireworks should be spectacular, but summer really gets under way Saturday with the traditional start to the monthlong Seafair: the landing of the Seafair Pirates at Alki Beach.

The pirates will land at 11:30 a.m., and the first 500 kids to stop by (starting at 10:30 a.m.) will get a free toy pirate kit. Watch out, or you might just get "kissed" by a pirate.

"If you get a pin, you've been kissed by a pirate," Mark "Keelhaul" Jensen explained.

The Seafair Pirates also hand out stickers and special coins to people at every single Seafair event -- including more than 30 community events and parades, the Torchlight Parade, and, or course, the hydroplane races.

Each year's coin is different, with a design unique to that year's incoming captain. Capt. Walter "Tattoo" Taucher (who begins his captaincy Saturday) designed this year's coin with his kamon (Japanese family symbol) on the front. Jensen says Taucher -- with a Japanese mother and German father -- is the first Seafair Pirate captain of Asian descent.

So, how exactly does one get "kissed" by a pirate?

"Grabbing a pirate's attention is how you get a coin or sticker," Jensen says. "A great smile always helps."

And they do go through the coins -- 50,000 of them each year.

The Seafair Pirates aren't around just during Seafair; they make 240 scheduled appearances throughout the year -- at schools, community events and corporate functions. They have traveled to Taiwan, Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Canada and Japan.

Most pirates have full-time jobs outside of pirating.

"We have CEOs of major companies all the way down to the guy who mows your lawn," Jensen says. "We have the most diverse group of guys anywhere."

The other traditional start to Seafair is the Milk Carton Derby at Green Lake from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

More than 100 "boats" will take to the water -- and, ideally, they will float.

Eleven-year-old Tess Pate and her 13-year-old brother, Colin, of Kirkland, are entering the derby for the first time. Their creation, "Insinkerator," sounds creative, but as of last weekend they hadn't even started building it.

"We plan to start building it really soon," Tess said, although she admitted being a bit wary of how it would all turn out. "But, my mom seems confident about it."

Tess says she and Colin are both on a swim team, which could come in handy.

IN LIFE & ARTS

Looking for Fourth of July events? Check out today's Going Out/Staying In page in Life and Arts for a guide to Independence Day celebrations and fireworks displays. C6

(SEA)FAIR WARNING

Here are some upcoming Seafair-related events. For a complete list, visit seafair.com: