Mermaid Week SMTX 2016 festivities
Photos by July Moreno/Mermaid Society SMTX
Billy Ray and Beverly Mangham of Eye of the Dog Art Center are grand marshals of the Sept. 17 SMTX Mermaid Parade.
Tuesday, Sept. 6 – In honor of International Mermaid Day, the Mermaid Society SMTX will host its first fantasy “crown” making event. This is planned to be an annual activity to make ready for the festivities during Mermaid Week. Location TBD.
Sunday, Sept. 9 – San Marcos Cinema Club and SMART Orchestra will present a silent French film featuring mermaids with live score.
Saturday, Sept. 10 – Dripping Springs Vodka and Main Street San Marcos partner with Mermaid Society for the inaugural MERtini Shakedown Competition! Area restaurants and pubs will compete for the best MERtini cocktail. Seven judges will travel from site to site to find the winner. Announcement of the winner will take place at the SPLASH Festival on September 17th. 1st place winner receives the coveted trophy handcrafted by a local artist using two objects in their creation, a mermaid and a martini glass. Each year a new artist will be challenged to create this signature trophy.
Saturday, Sept. 10 - PRIDE PARADE in Downtown San Marcos. This fun parade takes place downtown and aims to be bigger and better than last year. Mermaids will be featured in this parade.
Saturday, Sept. 10 –– Stonewall has planned for an entire week of events to celebrate Mermaid Week. Additionally, Mermaid inspired cocktails will be featured all month long.
Saturday, Sept. 10 – The San Marcos Public Library is bringing the community together all week to create a special origami art installation in honor of Mermaid Week. This art installation will be featured at the library.
Saturday, Sept. 10 – Art Squared Art Market – A MERtastic good time! This is planned to be the biggest Art Market for Art Squared to date. Artists are already creating mermaid, aquatic and nature centric artwork in all mediums.
Sunday, Sept. 11 – I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing: Water Girls in Myth, Legend, and Lore. A Community Lecture by Katie Kapurch, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English at Texas State University. Location TBD.
Monday, Sept. 12 –AquaBrew - The Mermaid MIX-N-MINGLE Artist Social – An invite to all the creatives in SMTX. Author, Ron Coley will be present to sign his new book, The Fountains of St. Mark – The amazing San Marcos River.
Tuesday, Sept. 13 – Dahlia Woods Gallery – The Mermaid Gallery – A curated art reception featuring 20 artists and their mermaid inspired art.
Wednesday, Sept. 14 – Arts Advocates of San Marcos will host - A Community Conversation: An Arts and Cultural District in San Marcos. A panel discussion on place making and revisiting the Arts Commission’s master plan. Location TBD
Thursday, Sept. 15 – Gallery Night Downtown San Marcos. Downtown merchants will stay open late and include sidewalk sales and pop-up event activity.
Thursday, Sept. 15 – Kayli Head, Owner of The Bloom Bar will host a class on the making of Mermaid Flower Crowns. This is a ticketed event.
Thursday, Sept. 15 - 18 - Sirenalia Mermaid Retreat begins. Over 25 participants traveling from out of state and cities around Texas will join together for a 4 day retreat in San Marcos. This group will partner with The Eyes of the San Marcos River for a Mermaid River clean up on Friday.
Friday, Sept. 16 – The Mermaid Society Ball - The Mermaid Society “Art” Ball is scheduled for Friday, September 16th from 7:00 – 11:30p on the grounds of The Meadows Center located in San Marcos, Texas. The Meadows Center sits on the site of an environmentally, culturally, and archaeologically significant resource and headwaters to the San Marcos River, Spring Lake. The former Spring Lake Resort at Aquarena Springs, the ‘original home of the San Marcos Mermaids’, will come to life with a magical evening paying tribute to the enchanted world of Mother River. This private evening includes starry night rooftop views, sunset glass bottom boat cruises, live music, dancing, dining, specialty cocktails, live art performances and the crowning of the Society’s first Queen, Shirley Rogers, and her Mermaid Court – all former Aquamaids. This highly original Midsummer Night’s-like evening will draw to a close near midnight. River chic and other creatively inspired evening attire is highly encouraged. This is a ticketed event and attendance to this art inspired event will be limited.
Friday, Sept. 16 – The Heritage Association and a few mermaids will play hostess at the Cottage Kitchen. The Aquarena Springs book will be on sale throughout Mermaid Week to help raise funds for the Heritage Association.
Saturday, Sept. 17 –The Mermaid Parade will take place on Saturday, September 17th from 10a – noon. The SMTX Mermaid Parade is created to strengthen community engagement and celebrate San Marcos’ unique river and art culture. Leading the parade is Austin Samba and Las Monas de San Antonio bringing their brand of “radical creativity, fantasy and imagination” to the parade with a sizzling combination of rhythm, dance, movement, color, joy and . . . giant mermaid puppets! The parade will feature floats, marchers, music and “all things San Marcos.” Serving as the mascot for river stewardship, the arts and our unique cultural heritage, the San Marcos Mermaid will make her return debut during this ‘Texas original’ celebrating San Marcos’ vibrant community. Shirley Rogers, and her Mermaid Court – all former Aquamaids will be among some of the inaugural highlights of this all-inclusive parade. Additionally, The Mermaid Parade will serve as a creative centerpiece to publically highlight selected honorees representing the arts, conservation stewardship, local business and heritage of San Marcos.
Saturday, Sept. 17 – The Mermaid Splash Festival - The culmination of Mermaid Week SMTX is The Mermaid Splash scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17 from 1 to 8 p.m. The San Marcos River serves as the beautiful backdrop to this fun filled FREE festival that has something for Merfolk of all ages. The Mermaid Splash starts right after the downtown parade and continues the celebration at San Marcos Plaza Park! Listen to live music throughout the day while relaxing with the family. Take a seat at the festival’s Community Table and meet neighbors and new friends while you enjoy culinary foods from a variety of food trucks. Shop at the Artisan Alley, a juried art market representing over 60 artisans and a wide selection of artwork in different mediums, including ceramics, glasswork, metalwork, photography, wood, jewelry, sculpture, painting upscale/recycle, and mixed media.
Participants of the parade and festival will be encouraged to walk or bike when traveling to the park in support of our bike friendly community. Festival goers will learn about conservation stewardship at the Eco Village and take part in the variety of interactive activity planned for the whole family; to include hands-on workshops, scheduled presentations by environmental experts and art inspired learning projects for everyone. This is a pet-friendly festival! Some of the added highlights include the Presentation of the Mermaid Royal Court, Parade Grand Marshals, Honorees and the announcement of the 1st Place and Runner up of the MERtini Shakedown Competition!
The significance of The Mermaid Splash is to serve as an innovative platform to bridge the arts with conservation stewardship for the future of San Marcos!
Saturday, Sept. 17 – Stonewall Presents - The Mermaid AFTER PARTY! Following the Splash Festival get ready for added fun. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Mermaid Society SMTX.
Sunday, Sept. 18 - Indigenous Cultures Institute presents a matinee at 3:00 PM Condor Danza is an exciting preview of the Sacred Springs Powwow that features an Aztec dance company from Dallas – Mitotiliztli Yaoyollohtli.
