It's International Women's Day! Celebrations range from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements. It also happens to be the 310th birthday of one of the most famous and notorious female pirates, Anne Bonny! Anne Bonny was an Irish woman who became a famous and feared pirate operating in the Caribbean in the early 1700s. Anne was notably beautiful, with flowing red hair. She married a poor sailor and small-time pirate named James Bonny. She was disowned by her father, a wealthy merchant. So she and James moved to the Bahamas, considered a haven for pirates. Bonny mingled with pirates like Calico Jack with whom she had a child. She divorced her husband and joined Jack and Mary Read for a life on the high seas. Contrary to many reports, Anne didn't disguise herself as a man, but instead portrayed a "warrior woman" image (see photo). She was good with a gun and effective in combat, respected by her shipmates. She was caught in 1920, and sentenced to be hanged, but she and Mary "pleaded their bellies" asking for mercy because they were pregnant. Read died in prison, but Bonny is said to have been released by her father. Soon after, she disappeared from the public record. Rumor has it, she returned to a life of piracy under a different identity.
It’s Thursday, March 8
The 101st Airborne Division Air Assault Band will give a free concert on Saturday at 7:30 PM in Lovett Auditorium. The concert program features music ranging from traditional military band literature to contemporary favorites. For more information, call 798-2190.
Playhouse in the Park presents the final weekend of “13” tomorrow and Saturday at 7PM and on Sunday at 2:30. The high-energy musical features a teenage cast exploring what it means to be cool—and it’s not always what you expect. Reserve tickets by calling 759-1752.
Hear Journey Jazz with the Todd Hill Quintet tonight at 7 in the Wrather West Kentucky Museum Auditorium. The free concert celebrates the Smithsonian’s Journey Stories exhibit, now on display at WratherMuseum. Hear jazz renditions of songs about places and traveling, such as Route 66, Fly Me To the Moon, Goin’ to Chicago, and more. For more information, call 809-5706.
Find details about community events at wkms.org, where you can also learn more about supporting public radio. Thanks.
