Tour Schedule

by | May 2, 2025 | Featured Projects, Projects, Uncategorized

Join the Adventure!

Summer Tour 2025

Journey with Sage O’Silver and The Whyrates as they bring pirate tales and science wonders to life in libraries, festivals, and museums across MD, DC, and DE!

Pirate Tunes

Sing and dance on a pirate adventure!

Science Magic

Discover the wonders of science!

Sea Monster Mischief

Meet mythical creatures!

Book a Show

Upcoming Performances

May 17 (Edgewater, MD)
The Whyrates’ Pirate Party & Science Show – River Days Festival
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
647 Contees Wharf Rd, Edgewater, MD 21037
11:00 AM–3:00 PM (exact showtimes TBD)

May 24–25 (Frederica, DE)
The Whyrates & Sage O’Silver – Bowers Beach Buccaneer Bash
3357 Main Street, Frederica, DE
Three shows per day, times TBD

June 7 (Washington, DC)
The Whyrates’ Science Show
BloomBars
3222 11th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
11:00 AM

June 14 (Annapolis, MD)
The Whyrates’ Pirate Party & Science Show – River Days Festival
Annapolis Maritime Museum Park
7040 Bembe Beach Rd, Annapolis, MD 21403
11:00 AM–3:00 PM (exact showtimes TBD)

July 10 (Severna Park, MD)
The Whyrates’ Alchemy Show
Severna Park Library
45 W. McKinsey Rd, Severna Park, MD 21146
6:00 PM

July 11 (Burtonsville, MD) 
The Whyrates’ Alchemy Show
Marilyn J. Praisner Library
14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866
11:00 AM

July 11 (Kensington, MD)
The Whyrates’ Alchemy Show
Kensington Park Library
4201 Knowles Ave, Kensington, MD 20895
2:00 PM

July 12 (Annapolis, MD)
The Whyrates’ Alchemy Show
Eastport-Annapolis Neck Library
269 Hillsmere Dr, Annapolis, MD 21403
2:00 PM

July 25 (Severn, MD)
The Whyrates’ Alchemy Show
Severn Library
2624 Annapolis Rd, Severn, MD 21144
11:00 AM

July 25 (Deale, MD) 
The Whyrates’ Alchemy Show
Deale Library
5940 Deale-Churchton Rd, Deale, MD 20751
3:00 PM

July 26 (Brooklyn Park, MD) 
The Whyrates’ Alchemy Show
Brooklyn Park Library
1 E 11th Ave, Brooklyn Park, MD 21225
11:00 AM

August 1 (Laurel, MD)
The Whyrates’ Alchemy Show
Maryland City Library
3501 Russett Common, Laurel, MD 20724
1:00 PM

August 4 (Silver Spring, MD) 
The Whyrates’ Alchemy Show
Wheaton Library
11701 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902
11:00 AM

August 4 (Olney, MD) 
The Whyrates’ Alchemy Show
Olney Library
3500 Olney-Laytonsville Rd, Olney, MD 20832
2:00 PM

August 9–10 (Rock Hall, MD)
The Whyrates – Rock Hall Pirates & Wenches Weekend
Rock Hall, MD
Details TBD

September 13–14 (Crownsville, MD)
Sage O’Silver & The Whyrates’ Pirate Party
Maryland Renaissance Festival
1821 Crownsville Rd, Crownsville, MD 21032
Showtimes TBD

Stay tuned for new ports!

Book Your Adventure Today!

Don’t miss the chance to bring Sage O’Silver & The Whyrates to your next event! Whether it’s a festival, library program, or private party, our performances promise to entertain and educate. Contact us now and make your event unforgettable!

Contact Us Now

Gray State, Blue City

Gray State, Blue City

by | Jun 27, 2022 | Articles, Civil War, Featured Articles, Uncategorized

Many years ago, I wrote an article about the Confederate monument in Nashville’s Centennial Park. I ended by describing how Nashville citizens who were frustrated with having a monument to segregation in our most iconic location (with a symbol to democracy–the Parthenon–at its center) couldn’t respond even with an interpretive sign, let alone removal. The Tennessee Heritage Protection Act prevented cities from enacting ANY changes to Confederate monuments without state approval. This frustration was one of the main things that drove me to law school. The law prevented education from serving as a compromise or solution, so I needed to learn how the law worked and how people could work within it or change it. Now, I’m proud to share that my law article on this topic was just published by the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law (JETLaw). The article is called, “Grey State, Blue City: Defending Local Control Against Confederate ‘Historical Preservation.'” Check it out here! Here’s the abstract:
Confederate monuments have become lightning rods across the American landscape. While these ubiquitous symbols have spread Lost Cause propaganda for over one hundred years, they have also instigated unprecedented protest and violence since the 2015 Charleston massacre, 2017 Charlottesville rally, and 2020 George Floyd murder. In response, southern state legislatures have passed preemptory “statue statutes,” laws that obstruct left-leaning cities from removing Confederate monuments. This Note compares the political and legal strategies cities and citizens have used to overcome these legal barriers, both in opposition to individual monuments and statue statutes themselves. Using Tennessee’s Historical Commission waiver process as a case study, this Note reveals how commission-based statue statutes act as objective façades disguising partisan bans on Confederate monument removal. Therefore, this Note urges that cities shift their energy from seeking waivers against individual monuments to publicly challenging historical commissions and statue statues so that citizens can regain legal pathways to peacefully and safely remove Confederate monuments.
What’s Taking So Long?

What’s Taking So Long?

by | Mar 24, 2022 | Articles, Civil War, Featured Articles

My blogpost about why Tennessee’s Confederate Monuments aren’t coming down was recently published by Vanderbilt’s Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law. Check it out here.

ARTICLE SUMMARY: Metro Parks Board faces an uphill battle in responding to renewed calls for Confederate monument removal after George Floyd’s death. The burdensome petition process mandated by the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act prevents local leaders from answering calls for change in a timely manner.

“You’re Racist” Podcast

“You’re Racist” Podcast

by | Feb 14, 2021 | Articles, Civil War

Braver Angels recently hosted a conversation between me and my “Red” friend Greg Smith, a blue-collar Ohian, former police chief, and loyal Trump supporter. Soon after Biden’s inauguration, Greg wrote a facebook post demanding that liberals stop calling him and his friends “racist.” When Greg asked me to engage in a public conversation about this topic, I was terrified. However, the topic–and our friendship–seemed too important for me to say no. 

You can watch below or listen here. (P.S. You can hear the song I wrote with Greg’s daughter here). Please let me know what you think!