TAMPA, Fla. — Gasparilla is not only a Tampa tradition but also a family tradition. The Clarke family will make history as four generations of pirates take part in this year’s parade.
Hudson Clarke, 10, is already a Gasparilla pro, as a royal page with the Ye Mystic Krewe. But don’t let his age fool you; Hudson’s been pirating for years.
“The king and queen will sit up here. The pages will sit along the outpost with all the beads,” explained Hudson. When asked about throwing the beads and reaching everyone in the crowd, Hudson said, “to get them to go far, you’ve got to throw them like a frisbee.”
While most pirates have lost their teeth, Hudson’s are still coming in. He gave ABC Action News a look at the Ye Mystic Krewe’s float and the names of Gasparilla Kings from decades past.
One name that sticks out to him is his great-grandfather, Richard Clarke Sr. The 94-year-old was King of Gasparilla during the Truman Administration when the parade route weaved through downtown Tampa and not down Bayshore.
“I used to watch it from the rooftops,” explained Richard Sr.
“One more time. I keep saying one more time," he told us.
One more time means Saturday’s Gasparilla will make it four generations of Clarke boys in the same parade. Richard Clarke Jr. said he even remembers his grandfather being in the parade. The Gasparilla we know now was different back then.
“My earliest memories, six years old, parade day grabbing up dead shells that were thrown. No beads back then. We had dead bullets, expended bullets and coins,” said Richard Jr.
Then Richard Jr. brought his son Bryan aboard.
“We scramble underneath the bleachers looking for every shell casing that fell through and the occasional bead,” explained Bryan Clarke.
When he was old enough, Hudson got fitted for his boots and beads. A Clarke family tradition, says his dad.
"Every Tampa boy, when you’re growing up, when you’re little, you’re dreaming of that day when you’re old enough that you’re able to put on your chains, put on your vest and go out and live like a pirate for a day,” said Bryan Clarke.
All those days have turned into generations in the Clarke family. Hudson’s grandfather recognizes these special moments don’t come often.
“I volunteered to be Marshal of the little pages this year just so I could be with Hudson,” said Richard Jr.
“It’s just so fun to be on floats and get that Aaargh on," Hudson said.
Sometimes tradition drives us to keep doing what we are doing. ABC Action News asked Richard Sr. if this will be his last parade.
“Well, you’ll have to ask someone else.”
For the three oldest generations of Clarke boys, this year at least is a chance to get to remember Gasparilla and what it feels like through the eyes of a little boy again.
Richard Jr. told us that Gasparilla is just part of what it means to be a pirate in Ye Mystic Krewe. Throughout the year, there are appearances and fundraisers and Gasparilla is kind of like the reward for it all throughout the year.
