Captured townspeople sat waiting with their legs in stocks until they could make bail. Cannon blasts and the frequent “argh” filled Wiscasset Harbor.

Sword fights broke out. Then there was strawberry shortcake.

Just another day in Wiscasset? Not quite, but this was Independence Day 2013, prettiest village-style.

A blue sky showed up, along with locals and visitors getting into the day's pirate theme.

“That's booty,” Wiscasset's Matt Sampson told his child about treats collected from the morning's parade.

Kelly Delano of Westport Island watched with daughter Daisy Delano, 4, near the Wiscasset Yacht Club as boats with skull and crossbones flags appeared on the waterfront.

“Here they come. They're attacking,” Delano told her daughter. The cannon fire didn't bother the youngster. “The louder, the better,” her mother said.

The pirates fought their way onto land with anyone who would clash makeshift swords with them. Then they started taking prisoners for the stocks; donations toward bail raised money for the local Feed Our Scholars program.

“I liked it. It was fun,” Mason Davenport, 8, son of Bill and Heather Davenport of Wiscasset, said about his time sitting in the stocks. His brother and fellow captive Tucker Davenport, 6, did time with him.

Yacht club members orchestrated the midday attack and activities including a treasure hunt in the sand.

“Fantastic,” club officer Alan Boyes of Boothbay said as he looked out over the action from the deck of the club.

Earlier in the day, Zumba dancers,  horses, and hot dog-bearing Alna Snowmobile Club members made the parade route. Floats featured pirate ships and treasure chests. The traditional red, white and blue for the Fourth also held its own, however, in the parade and in the crowds along the sidewalks.

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Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com