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TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP)
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park’s famous mermaids made history this past week
when they performed at the Sea Life London Aquarium in England. The trip marks
the first time the mermaids have travelled internationally to perform.
“The Mermaid show has been a part of Florida’s history since 1947 and the
Florida Park Service is pleased to present the magic of the mermaids
internationally,” said DEP’s Florida Park Service Director Mike Bullock. “One of
Florida’s original roadside attractions, the mermaid show is a unique tradition
that you cannot find anywhere else.”
Mermaids Marcy Terry, Stayce McDonnell and Shannon Tooker ‘swam’ all the way
to London last week, representing Weeki Wachee Springs State Park with two days
of performances for their international fans. The mermaids performed three times
a day in front of standing room only crowds to the familiar tunes from Weeki
Wachee Springs. The mermaids made some new underwater friends swimming with
string rays, sharks and a variety of fish at the Sea Life London Aquarium and
spent time out of the water signing autographs.
The mermaids plan to leave the Florida waters again to perform in other
aquariums throughout 2010, including Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in
Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Located in Hernando County, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, ‘The Only City
of Live Mermaids,’ is an important cultural resource and became the newest
Florida State Park in 2008. One of Florida’s 33 first magnitude springs is found
in the park, providing a valuable natural resource for preservation and
protection. The park is home to the only underwater observatory built directly
into a natural spring. The mermaids can be seen performing three times daily at
the park, open 8:00 a.m. to sunset.
Created in 1935 by the Florida Legislature, the Florida State Park system has
grown from eight to 160 parks in the last 75 years. Today, the Florida Park
Service manages more than 700,000 acres of Florida’s natural environment,
including 100 miles of beaches, eight National Historic Landmarks and 39 sites
on the National Register of Historic Places. Florida State Parks has been
recognized by the National Recreation and Park Association as the nation’s first
and only two-time Gold Medal winner for the nation’s best park service.
For more information about Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, visit
www.floridastateparks.org/weekiwachee. To learn more about the 75th
Anniversary and the history of Florida State Parks, visit
www.floridastateparks.org/history. To follow Florida State Parks on Twitter,
visit www.Twitter.com/FLStateParks.
Images of the Weeki Wachee Springs State Park mermaids' trip to the Sea Life
London Aquarium are available upon request.
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2012 State of Florida