San Marcos celebrates annual Mermaid Capital of Texas fest

“This began with the spirit of actually highlighting one thing that was actually distinctive about San Marcos and the historical past that we had with mermaids,” stated Mermaid Society SMTX Creator/Government Director July Moreno. “I simply had the thought to create one thing that was actually consultant of San Marcos in a approach that we might maybe come collectively as a group in celebration, however for the purpose of bringing consideration in the direction of the San Marcos river and how one can defend it.”

Moreno stated the tie to the legendary creatures stems again from the early Nineteen Fifties to the Nineteen Nineties when Aquarena Springs, an amusement park, had an underwater theater. The “submarine-like” theater would submerge the viewers into the water the place the group would see mermaids swimming.

“Folks got here from all around the nation to expertise it,” Moreno added. “It was fairly superb.”

Competitors between a number of amusement parks left Aquarena Springs within the rearview mirror. Finally Texas State University purchased the property and now has remodeled into the Meadows Heart for Water Atmosphere, Moreno stated. Aquarena Springs can be the place the headwaters start for the San Marcos River.

The pageant is a two-week celebration just like San Antonio’s Fiesta celebration that’s held within the spring yearly. 

“We play with the entire mermaid theme,” Moreno stated. “We get out have fun through the pageant and convey consciousness about our river, have interaction with our group, and assist have fun the superior issues in San Marcos.”

The Mermaid Society SMTX is a 501(c)3 group and is now in its seventh 12 months. San Marcos was designated “The Mermaid Capital of Texas” in May 2021. The society has two youth instructional applications, “mermaid chats” is the place Mermaid Mya goes into the colleges and speaks with kindergarten via second grade college students about how the kids can defend the river. The second program is the Summer season SPLASH patch camp for third to fifth graders. They concentrate on the acronym SPLASH (stewardship, preservation, native arts, sustainability, and heritage) for badges throughout this system.

“The truth that its in San Marcos and other people assume, ‘oh mermaids? That is by the ocean, proper?’ And that is the entire level, it opens up the dialog as to why San Marcos could be the Mermaid Capital of Texas,” Moreno stated.

She stated for the primary parade in 2016, the San Marcos Police Division informed her that the parade was the most important parade town ever had. Moreno added that the pageant has introduced over 5,000 folks for the parade. After the parade, the Downtown Avenue Faire begins with distributors, music, meals, and extra for company to get pleasure from.

“It was designed to convey the group collectively in celebration of the San Marcos River, nevertheless it’s additionally designed to create an financial influence,” Moreno stated. “We’ve each purpose to imagine that 2022 would be the finest 12 months but.”

The event is free and the most important a part of the celebration begins on September 24 from 10 a.m. to midday with the a parade in downtown San Marcos. The Downtown Avenue Faire goes from midday to 7 p.m. with over 130 distributors on web site. There can be performances from Wendy Colonna, Time of Evening Brass, Tracy Weinberg and Co., La Gitana, Kelany and the All-Nighters, and Ace Pepper Group.