A pirate’s life for he: Fairyland’s Commodore Barfbeard on teaching his sea dog ways

Commodore Barfbeard doing what an old sea dog does.

We had the opportunity to talk with Commodore Barfbeard about how he became Fairyland’s resident pirate, why he doesn’t have a peg leg, and what he’ll teach your kids in his popular Pirate School during our upcoming Jack O’Lantern Jamboree.

(FL = Children’s Fairyland, CB: Commodore Barfbeard)
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FL: First, how did you became Fairyland's pirate?

CB: I began my tenure at the Land by dressing up as a giant pumpkin and wandering the Jack O' Lantern Jamboree event. Wasn't long 'ere I took the place over, revealed my true self and began the school. So ye can say “Trojan horse” method.

FL: How long have you been doing this?
CB: Aye, ​well it be difficult to say exactly being years to ye landlubbers is different to we sea dogs but I'd wage it's been ten by your reckoning.
FL: Do you have a special pirate name, or is it simply “Andrew the Pirate”?

CB: ​I answer to The Professor of Piracy, Scourge of the Unknown Seas, The WaveBreaker... but mostly to Commodore Barfbeard. And yes, thar be a story.

I learned the life of the sea as a wee boy on the lee side of my mother's knee. Admiral Lou she be called. From her, I learned to love pushing beyond the limits of the ship to race as fast as the wind blows. Sailing at a pace that would strike fear into most other sea folk. Long ago, a friend — an avid surfer of the high waves — was bold enough to join us for a jaunty sail. Not too far had we gone 'ere she took ill, shall we say, right into my beard and it stuck. The name I mean.

Look for this mast to find the commodore during Jack O'Lantern Jamboree.

FL: What do you teach at Pirate School?

CB: The truth about the Pirate life. A few folk look oddly upon pirates for some reason unbeknownst to myself. I stress the fact that it's about community and everyone has an important role. I may be the Captain on the ship but my role is to take charge in certain situations. Long time co-Pirate Quartermaster Tiny make sure everything runs ship shape the rest of the time. This includes the input of all the other crew members such as Bilge Rat Bill Drat and our chef, Cookie. Like most true Buccaneers, it's a democracy, it must be. We live and survive outside the rules and support of the common people so all we have is us.

FL: What do you do when you're not teaching wannabe pirates how to pirate?

CB: Argh, our wee entry student often ask if I be a “real” pirate. I say to them, "I've sailed since I was a child, I've won medals with my sword, and I learned to pilfer as a General Contractor.”

FL: Do you have a parrot on your shoulder? A peg leg? A hook for hand?

​CB: ​Peg leg? Ha! That be the sign of a clumsy sea dog.

Hook for a hand? The sign of poor swordsmanship.

Sometime my frog sits upon me shoulder. His name is Perroit. He be French.

And before ye ask, I do often wear an eyepatch, it often being useful to have one eye ready to go below deck without becoming night blinded.

FL: Anything else you’d like to share?


Yo ho, some advice for thee:
If you're feeling sea sick,
I've got the cure for free,
Find yourself a shady spot,
and sit underneath a tree.

FL: Good advice, commodore. Thank you.

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Commodore Barfbeard’s Pirate School starts up again during Jack O’Lantern Jamboree at Children’s Fairyland on both October 26 and 27 . Times vary, but happen off and on all day from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Jolly Roger Pirate Ship (of course). Pirate School is included with admission.

Goodbye, and hello

by C.J. Hirschfield

As I prepare to leave Fairyland after 17 years at the helm, I’ve been reminiscing about the many wonderful people I’ve worked with, and the (literally) millions of family members who’ve entered our fairy gates over that period of time.

I arrived soon after September 11, and there was a real fear that folks would stay away from our very public space. On the contrary, Fairyland became the safe and sweet place where families wanted to be — the most noncynical place on the planet, as I describe it. Since we opened in 1950, we’ve been all about whimsy, imagination, and community — and this, along with our eight acres of gardens, makes us a particularly therapeutic environment that promotes healing.

With our community’s strong support (including many Piedmonters), we’ve been able to accomplish so much over the years, particularly for our most underserved kids. For so many who have experienced trauma, Fairyland represents a safe place where they’re free to explore, imagine, play — and just be a kid.

Over my tenure, much research was published that showed that playing is learning, and that imagination-driven play can have a decidedly positive impact on a child’s ability to succeed in school — and in life. Recent research has also shown that limiting very young children’s access to screen time is a good thing, as is controlling their exposure to commercials.

A llama smooches C.J. at the Puppet Kissing Booth.

Back in 1950, our founders couldn’t know that Fairyland would actually increase in relevance over time. The non-commercial, no-tech, high touch experience we provide is appreciated by parents today more than ever. The founders might be shocked by the number of people who sport Fairyland Magic Key tattoos, and by the casual dress now worn at the park (early park photos show women in gloves and dresses; men in hats), but they’d definitely recognize the joy kids still take in chasing bubbles, petting a pony’s nose, riding the Jolly Trolly, or blowing out birthday candles at a party.

But make no mistake, we have changed with the times. The park now is much more reflective of the diverse community we serve: our children’s theatre performances, puppet shows, reading room books, and special events are all now evaluated through the framework of equity. Our website now includes information helpful to guests with disabilities. Social media has allowed us to reach a dramatically wider audience. And where no community outreach existed before, we now offer an annual Oakland Head Start Day, a transitional kindergarten day, STEM Day, horticultural therapy for autistic kids, science programs in the schools, an animal caretaker program for foster kids who’ve experienced trauma, as well as free or reduced admission and transportation to over 16,000 underserved kids and family members each year.

We employ over 30 workers at better-than-living wage (up to 90, including seasonal workers in the summer), have more than doubled our attendance, and have brought the park back to a sparkling state, with luscious gardens and new attractions.

Of course, my leaving is bittersweet. But I could not be more excited about Kymberly Miller, Fairyland’s new executive director. She is a seasoned leader in both for- and non-profit fields, having specialized in youth development during her 13-year tenure with the Girl Scouts. I can’t imagine a better person to guide Children’s Fairyland into its 70th year as our community’s most cherished jewel.

And you haven’t heard the last of me. As a former film major, I love nothing more than to see documentary films, which have flourished in recent years. I’ll be writing reviews for the Piedmont Post, as well as occasional articles focusing on the multi-faceted, frustrating but fascinating city that completely surrounds Piedmont — our Oakland.

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C.J. Hirschfield has served for 17 years as executive director of Children’s Fairyland, where she has been charged with the overall operation of the nation’s oldest storybook theme park.

Before and After: Puppet fairy wings

Before and after

Our Thumbelina fairy puppet needed some new wings. Her nylon ones had broken down years ago and it was time to upgrade the foam core "quick fix." Enter Fairyland's creative director, Maria Rodriguez, who actually makes, wears, and sells super-cool "stained-glass" wings.

Maria has been with Fairyland for 16 years but has been a fantasy fan her whole life. She writes, "I grew up with movies like 'Labyrinth,' 'Legend,' and 'Dark Crystal,' so making and wearing wings was a natural life progression."

She based the fairy's new wings on a much larger set she made for herself years ago. Even though they were based on a current design, it still took her around five hours to design, cut, and glue them into a smaller, puppet-size shape.

The Blue Fairy performs at Fairyland in wings Maria made.

"Although I’m a huge fan of all the different styles of wings from nylon to the clear vinyl with aluminum frames, I couldn’t find anything that fit my darker look. Over the years I’ve sketched many different designs and finally fell in love with the idea of stained glass!"

And, no, they aren't actually made with glass. Maria uses a flexible vinyl to give that illusion. She'll also add lights, for an additional cost, to any wings you order through her Etsy shop. 

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Come see Thumbelina the puppet show, and the puppet fairy's new iridescent wings,  every day at 11, 2, and 4 at our historic Storybook Theater. The show is FREE with admission.

Also, be sure to visit Maria's Facebook page, Delightful Dryad.

Nature in the heart of downtown

by C.J. Hirschfield

Did you know that Children’s Fairyland is a Certified Wildlife Habitat, licensed by the National Wildlife Federation? We were so pleased to have met their high standards for admission many years ago: “because of the owner’s conscientious planning, landscaping and sustainable gardening, wildlife may find quality habit—food, water, cover and places to raise their young.”

A large nest was discovered at Fairyland, photo by Rita Hurault

This last bit was once again brought home to roost (pun intended) when we discovered yet another abandoned and beautiful bird nest last week. Jen, Fairyland’s fearless gardener, found it just behind the big white rabbit that guards the entrance of our Alice in Wonderland Tunnel. “I thought it was trash,” she says when she came upon what looked like a mass of twigs, resting on top of some other plants. Upon closer inspection, however, it was clear that a very industrious bird (a towhee, Jen surmises) had created a masterpiece. “It was made of wondrous things,” she says, and cites them: silvery dusty miller leaves, airy and delicate seed pods from love-in-a-mist (a medicinal plant found in Tut’s tomb), fibers from the trunk of a fan palm.

Oh yes, and two other ingredients that are not plant-based: a piece of ribbon that we attach to our iconic Magic Keys, and what Jen says is the preferred material she’s found on the very interior portions of Fairyland’s finest nests — the area intended to be the softest, to protect the egg. It is hair from the tail of our mini-horse, Pixie. The strands are delicately woven together; their white color is distinctive. Lucky for the birds, this happens to be the time of year she sheds the most.

“Fairyland is a huge habitat for birds,” says Jen, who is particularly proud of the park’s organic gardening that involves no pesticides. She notes the presence of pools, Lake Merritt, and the many acres of gardens represented by both Fairyland and the Gardens of Lake Merritt across the street, which provide abundant water, seeds, insects and places to forage.

Jen has appreciated the large number of nests that she’s come across over the last few years she’s been with us. In addition to towhees, she’s marveled at the work of robins, bluebirds and insect-eating phoebes, but it is the tiny hummingbird nests that are her favorite. She even has a nest collection at home, which she protects in a display case. 

Fairyland Super Volunteer Rita Hurault and nest, photo by C.J.

So what did Jen do with our latest, and quite glorious nest? She gave it to our wonderful gardening volunteer Rita Hurault, who was on the job that day. And what a perfect person to receive it. Rita retired not that long ago, after having taught for 28 years as a pre- and after-school teacher at San Francisco’s Tule Elk Park Children Center. Rita recalls that in 1994 the school tore out its asphalt playground, and installed a natural garden for inner-city kids in its place. “That’s why Fairyland is such a perfect fit for me,” she says. “I’ve been doing stuff with nature to try to save the planet for a long time.” She describes the nest as being “very, very beautiful,” appreciating its complexity, thoughtful structure, and little touches of color throughout.

Rita got only a few steps outside of our fairy gates before she had to stop and share the nest with all the kids who were leaving the park that day. She also took it with her to a hair appointment afterward, where there were ample “oohs” and “ahhs”— coming from adults this time.

Rita, who is also a fabulous visual artist, isn’t quite sure what she will do with the nest; she’s considering displaying it in a clear container, or maybe passing it along to her teacher friend who educates kids using gardens.

Children’s Fairyland may be located in the heart of downtown Oakland, but we’ve got a whole lotta nature goin’ on.

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C.J. Hirschfield has served for 17 years as executive director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation of the nation’s oldest storybook theme park.

Please welcome Fairyland's new executive director

Kymberly Miller, Fairyland's new executive director

Dear Friend of Fairyland,

Following a robust national search for an entrepreneurial, visionary, and innovative new leader of America's first storybook-themed park, the Children's Fairyland Board of Directors is thrilled to announce the appointment of long-time East Bay resident Ms. Kymberly Miller as its new executive director.

As Fairyland's Board President, I'm so delighted to welcome Kymberly here. She brings wonderful enthusiasm, deep management experience, and enormous expertise in developing and running engaging programs for children and their families. She truly understands how the programs and activities and the place of Fairyland stimulate creativity, imagination, and learning among young children, which is the core of everything we do.

Kymberly comes to Fairyland after an 11+ year career at Girl Scouts of Northern California, where she gained valuable experience in youth development and non-profit business management. In her role as senior director, program, she was accountable for the comprehensive design and implementation of innovative strategies to serve girls, ages 5-17, and oversaw 40 staff members. She is passionate about delivering satisfying experiences and support to children and their families.

Prior to Girl Scouts, Kymberly spent almost nine years directing operational activities in a book sales, marketing, and distribution company where she addressed issues relating to office operations, HR, and IT. She brings all that experience and passion for children with her to Fairyland.

Kymberly says, "I am thrilled to serve Children's Fairyland and its amazing community. The rich history and vibrant renewal of the past decade deepened the park's iconic place in Oakland and the Bay Area, and I am excited to build on the successes while looking towards the future. I have devoted the better part of my career to supporting young people and I feel blessed to have this opportunity with the staff, board, volunteers, partners, and community, to be a part of the next chapter in the story of Children's Fairyland.

"Little did I know that after making great memories here with my own family that I would return in an altogether new and exciting capacity."

Kymberly is a graduate of Mills College with a B.A. in Political, Legal and Economic Analysis with a Minor in Ethnic Studies. She has served on two non-profit boards helping her build stronger ties to the community. After 25 years in Oakland, she resides with her family in Alameda, and is excited at the opportunity to join an organization that is supporting the well-being and spirit of Oakland and Bay Area families. She begins her new role on August 6, 2019.

With deep appreciation,


Theresa Nelson
Board President, Children's Fairyland

I love a parade

by C.J. Hirschfield

I’ve always loved Piedmont’s Fourth of July parade. It’s just the right combination of community and capriciousness; of service and steam engines; bagpipes and balloons. And dogs. And kids. And how can you not love a parade that features “Peace and Love” in its theme, on a day devoted to patriotism?

I’d always been a Piedmont parade viewer, but this year for the first time, I was actually in the parade, driven in a super-cool ’67 Chevy convertible. It was such an honor to be recognized for leading Children’s Fairyland for the last 17 years; I was once again reminded of how many locals—both young and old—have made beautiful memories at our community’s special storybook theme park—the nation’s first. I had a ton of fun!

Fairyland’s executive director and the car she drove in as part of Piedmont’s Fourth of July Parade.

I’ve been reflecting on the parades I’ve been able to be part of over the years: Fairyland leads the Oakland Pride Parade, has represented in the Black Cowboys’ Parade, and while it lasted, the Oakland Holiday Parade.

But my very first parade was a surprise, historic, emotional, and absolutely unforgettable.

The year was 1978, and I was a twenty-something living the dream in San Francisco, and running the city’s public access channel. My childhood friend Nancy had also moved to the Bay Area from our hometown of Los Angeles, and I knew that she was part of a marching band called the Lavender Harmony Band, and that they were scheduled to be part of that year’s Gay Freedom Day Parade, as it was then called. Over 250,000 were expected to participate; it turned out to be only a few months before the assassination of gay rights leader Harvey Milk, and years before the AIDS scourge would cost us so many. The parade was political—how could it not be, with State Senator John Briggs trying to pass a bill to prohibit gays from teaching in the schools, and with Florida orange juice frontwoman Anita Bryant promising to bring her anti-gay message to California and beyond.

San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk at that city’s 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade (Terry Schmitt/SF Chronicle)

At the last minute, one of the band’s drum majors was down with the flu, and the group was in panic mode. Nancy called me and asked if I had a jacket, and if I would take on the role. Without even thinking, I said “yes,” not knowing what to expect. That’s just what you do when you’re young.

I had no idea how large the event would be, how overwhelming the emotions, how important it would feel, and how much love lived just below the politics. And how physically and mentally demanding the job of a drum major is. I didn’t know that, because of the huge throngs of participants and attendees, the leaders of bands have to effectively communicate to their followers (without sound) about the correct speed, and turns that are needed to stay in step with the greater whole. Before long, I completely lost my resentment about the fact that my fellow drum major was far more attractive than me. He looked like a model.

The only bad part about being in a parade is not being able to see all of the parade. It was only that night that I heard what Harvey Milk had said to the crowds that day.

He urged his gay brothers and sisters to come out. Here’s part of what he said:

Come out… to your parents… I know that it is hard and will hurt them but think about how they will hurt you in the voting booth!

Come out… to your relatives. I know that is hard and will upset them but think of how they will upset you in the voting booth.

Come out to your friends… if they indeed they are your friends.

Come out to your neighbors… to your fellow workers… to the people who work where you eat and shop…

Come out only to the people you know, and who know you. Not to anyone else. But once and for all, break down the myths, destroy the lies and distortions.

For your sake.

For their sake.

After the parade, I was exhausted. 

The Briggs’ Initiative was defeated a few months after the parade; it even lost in Briggs’ own Orange County, a conservative stronghold.

Bryant’s campaign to repeal the anti-discrimination ordinance in Dade County, Florida and around the country was more successful. It was only in 1998 that Dade County reauthorized the ordinance, protecting individuals from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Like I said, I’m all about parade themes that feature “peace and love,” particularly if they fall on a holiday that celebrates the founding ideal of our country: that all of us are created equal.

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C.J. Hirschfield has served for 17 years as executive director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation of the nation’s oldest storybook theme park.

The Gnomes of Oakland

by C.J. Hirschfield

This is a column that originally ran on January 30, 2013, when the mysterious “gnomes of Oakland” appeared on PG&E poles all around the city. Fairyland did make contact with the anonymous artist, who told us he used walking his dog late at night as “cover” for attaching the tiny wooden canvases.

At our recent Turn the Page! children’s book authors and illustrators event, we featured one of our favorite local authors, Kamaria Lofton, and the new book in her “Kids Love Oakland!” series, “The Gnomes of Oakland.” The book tells the story of what the gnomes do at night. “They hide in plain sight and can only be seen by those whose hearts are filled with Oakland things.”

Local author Kamaria Lofton at Fairyland’s Turn the Page! children’s book authors and illustrators event reading from her new book, "The Gnomes of Oakland." 

Original column:

About a week ago, I discovered that another Fairyland employee and I shared an obsession. With gnomes. In Oakland.

There are exactly 11 gnomes between my house and Fairyland. I’ve counted. I first discovered them when I observed a young neighbor giggling in delight as she ran from telephone pole to telephone pole, her dad tagging behind. She was squealing and pointing to the base of each pole. Her dad observed my questioning look, shrugged his shoulders and said with a big smile: “Gnomes.”

My co-worker Emily first noticed them in December as she was walking to work. “My first sighting was on Park View, across the street from Fairyland,” she recalls. “Then I noticed another. And another. That’s when I became really curious and started keeping my eye out for them.”

Gnome and toadstool on a telephone pole | photo by Gene via Oakland Wiki

I did some research. Here’s what I learned.

The gnomes seem to be multiplying daily, spreading all over the city of Oakland. They are painted on pieces of what appear to be recycled wood, about five inches square. The little plaques appear at the base of telephone poles but not trees. Some of the gnomes are wearing pants; some are dressed in kilts. Occasionally there will be a drawing of a mushroom next to the gnome. The artist, who so far has chosen to remain anonymous, paints in what could be described as a folk art style, colorful and childlike.

According to rumor, the artist may have begun the project near a pizza joint across the lake from Fairyland, since there seem to be so many gnomes there. But Emily, who now goes on expeditions to search for them, is convinced that they’re on the move. “I’m so into them,” she says. No kidding.

You shouldn’t be surprised that Fairyland workers are happy about the gnomes. We follow the park founders’ credo of “a surprise around every corner” as we look to enhance the experience of our guests, and the gnomes represent the continuation of this spirit outside our fairy gates. As a matter of fact, one of our art department employees, Shannon, recently came up with a prototype for small “fairy doors” that we will be placing at various locations around the park, encouraging kids (and their adults) to engage in some interactive and imaginative play. The doors could open into gnome homes, couldn’t they? Or as Emily puts it, “Gnomes obviously fit in at Fairyland. That’s just a given.”

Which I’m sure is why, just as I was preparing to write this column, a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle called me to say she was writing an article on the phenomenon. Who better to comment on the whimsical and wonderful side of Oakland than a Fairyland spokesperson?

Here’s what I told her, and what I’ll tell you now.

We celebrate the spirit of whoever went to so much effort to create happiness-producing art all over our urban neighborhoods. This isn’t just about kids: My white-collar husband got just as excited as our young neighbor when he discovered the little guys. Like me and Emily, he was tickled by the mystery, and by the gnomes’ effect on his imagination. Who painted them? One person, or a team? Do they work under cover of darkness? And the most basic mystery of all: Why gnomes?

We don’t mind if the artist or artists remain anonymous. But we do want to show them some Fairyland love by offering them one of our new gold-plated Magic Storybook Keys. There’s a great knothole in an old tree just outside Fairyland’s gates. We could arrange to leave it there.

If you’re reading this, Mr. or Ms. Gnome Painter, we hope you’ll decide to take us up on our offer. And we seriously hope you keep the gnomes coming. Because right about now, Oakland can use a little more art, a little more whimsy, and a little more community.

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C.J. Hirschfield has served for 17 years as executive director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation of the nation’s oldest storybook theme park.