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Tuesday, October 11, 2005

The Weeki Wachee Mermaids Music Video

Supergrass/Mermaids Video
Save Our Tails

Most people who live in Florida are aware of our mermaids. But those of you out of our state have probably never experienced them.

Weeki Wachee is a unique town. It has beautiful, crystal clear springs that are nice and cool (72 degrees) even in Florida's muggy 90+ degree heat during the summers. The spring is so deep that the opening has never been found.

You can spend an afternoon tubing (unless you have a short attention span like *I* do) or play in a small waterpark, or get a boat and idle down the river. If you like cave diving, this is the place to do it. The underwater views are breathtaking.

But best of all, Weeki Wachee has mermaids.

In the late 1940s, an ex-Navy Seal discovered the springs at Weeki Wachee. He decided to build an attraction there. He recruited beautiful girls and trained them to wear costumes and breathe underwater, performing water ballet and other tricks. They could (and can) eat and drink underwater while juggling an airhose, and do it gracefully. They represent all the magic that we long so desperately for.

From the time I was a very little girl, I was enchanted by the mermaids. I used to beg my family to drive me to Weeki Wachee to see them. We sat in an old, dark theater with cement floors and thick, heavy floor-to-ceiling curtains. Someone would come out and speak about the mermaids and I would shift about restlessly, waiting for them to shut up and step away so the curtains could go up and the magic be revealed.

The theater would go dark, the curtains would part, and there in front of the audience was a panoramic underwater view of a massive natural area with steep walls of rock dappled with light. In the center of our view were the beautiful mermaids with glittering tails and smiles, waving to us before they began the show. I would be so excited, I would get teary.

I was very impressed with the one who could eat the banana underwater. Looking back, I assume many of the men were, too. I also adored how they could do complete head-over-heels loops so gracefully and I practiced it many times at home, until I could also do it.

Years later, I took a group of us up to Weeki Wachee and we again experienced the mermaids. Now they no longer perform tricks and ballet. Instead, they perform plays, using balletic movements. It is still as enchanting, and more sophisticated than it had to be for an audience of the 1970s.

However, Weeki Wachee is a town that is away from the mainstream. It's not near Orlando, Tampa, or Miami (the main cities) and therefore it doesn't have a large support group. Recently, it was announced that they might have to close. Public outcry was immediate. Those of us who grew up with the mermaids were shocked to realize that this tradition might not continue.

So a group was formed to 'Save Our Tails'. Until now, this was only important to Floridians. But a group called Supergrass discovered the mermaids, and produced a video for and about them. The music is great and the footage is fascinating. Click on the link above to see it. And, if you can, donate a little something to our mermaids or write to them and ask how you can help. And while you're at it, check out the roster of their beautiful mermaids.

P.S. I just discovered that Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid was filmed there. My mom loves this movie. I wonder if she knows?

18 comments:

Eddo said...

Hey, Loved the Video! That is really cool! I have never even heard of anything like this - and I would love to come for the Strawberry festival.

More photos of me and the rest of the gang on www.justsayjes.com and amstaffmom.blogspot.com

Saur♥Kraut said...

Eddo, then start making plans. It happens in March! Here's the Strawberry Festival website. I never miss it! I'll check out the photos, too.

United We Lay said...

I'm going to miss the Strawberry Festival.

TLP said...

Well, who knew? Pretty neat.

mal said...

cool!... I wonder how much of its charm it kept because it was not near Wally World and such? Really sounds like a neat place

Fred said...

That's soooo Florida. Remember Sunken Gardens and Homosassa Springs? I can remember the machines that made a mold of a dolphin right in front of your eyes. That was pretty hi-tech back then.

LOL - I've probably bumped into you a few times at the Festival.

Lila said...

Thanks for that... it DID cheer me up!

Saur♥Kraut said...

AP3, see? I told you so! ;o)

Fred, you might be surprised. I was on TV a lot at one time. Yeah, it IS typical Florida (which means atypical compared to anything else). Like the giant pink dinosaur on US 19 past Tarpon Springs (another typical Florida town).

Mallory, well, that's why *I* love it there. It's very peaceful and laid-back. Of course all my business is here in the fast-paced city environment. But this area is mostly grown out, and they're building further north and south of here, so many of the people who work in the metro area may live closer to Weeki Wachee than Fred, Michelle and I do.

TLP, isn't it something else? That's just another reason why I love Florida. There's really no place else like it on earth. Oh, check out The Lazy Iguana's site today for a story on another Florida eccentricity.

Polanco, I don't know how you moved away!

dddragon said...

I saw them on some kind of "roadside america" show - it was interesting!

btw, you've been tagged! Check my blog for the rules. It's not hard, and should prove interesting.

Fred said...

You're Nancy Alexander!!! (Local joke, folks.)

Saur♥Kraut said...

Fred, *g*, nope... but I've met her!

Dddragon, OK - I'll post it tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

Another great post, Saur. I can see why you won that award. I LOVE the video! What a great song! I'll bet it makes it in the US too...

Saur♥Kraut said...

Bananarama, thanks, hon.

Jamie Dawn said...

I've never heard of this. If I'm ever in Florida, this will be a must see. How very, very cool!!

Saur♥Kraut said...

TC, I'm really glad I could convey some of that poignancy to you. You should go see it!

Jamie Dawn, yeah! Florida has lots of cool little spots that are unique. Another time I'll tell you about the haunted old hotels that were used as barracks during WWII and are open for business today.

The Lazy Iguana said...

I think I have been to this place. My grandparents on my mother's side lived in Tampa/St Petersburg, and my dad had an uncle who lived in Brooksville. The road from Tampa to Brooksville ran right past this place.

There are many places that did not make it in Florida. Circus World comes to mind. I went there once. It is gone now.

Saur♥Kraut said...

Lazy Iguana, you're right. I remember Circus World! I always wanted to go, and never had the chance. What was it like?

Gledwood said...

Do you think that's where Tanya Streecher got the idea for the mono-foot-fin?