Bonnie Georgiadis and Weeki Wachee Mermaids

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Dublin Core

Title

Bonnie Georgiadis and Weeki Wachee Mermaids

Alternative Title

Bonnie Georgiadis with Weeki Wachee Mermaids

Subject

Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
Springs--Florida
Parks--Florida
Mermaids--Florida

Description

Bonnie Georgiadis and three other Weeki Wachee mermaids training for future performances by practicing a pose. Bonnie Georgiadis was a mermaid from 1950 to 1968. After retiring from underwater theater, she took on other responsibilities at the park, working a total of 37 years.

Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.

Creator

Schumacher, Elmer "Sparky"

Source

Original black and white photograph by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Weeki Wachee, Florida.

Publisher

Date Created

ca. 1953-1968

Date Copyrighted

ca. 1953-1968

Has Format

Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher.

Is Part Of

Weeki Wachee Collection, Hernando County Collection, RICHES.

Requires

Format

image/jpg

Extent

12.6 MB

Medium

black and white photograph

Type

Still Image

Coverage

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Humanities Teacher

Provenance

Originally created by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher and published by RICHES.

Rights Holder

Copyright to this resource is held by Weeki Wachee Springs State Park and is provided here by RICHES for educational purposes only.

Contributing Project

Rebecca Schwandt's Thesis Project

Curator

Schwandt, Rebecca

Digital Collection

External Reference

Allman, T.D. Finding Florida: The True History of the Sunshine State. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2013.
Ammidown, Margot. "Edens, Underworlds, and Shrines: Florida’s Small Tourist Attractions." The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts 23, 1998, 238-259. Accessed November 9, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1504171?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.
Georgiadis, Bonnie and Lu Vickers. Weeki Wachee mermaids: thirty years of underwater photography. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2012.
Hollis, Tim. Glass Bottom Boats &
Mermaid Tails: Florida's Tourist Springs. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2006.
Pelland, Maryan. Weeki Wachee Springs. Arcadia Publishing Inc, 2006. .
Revels, Tracy J. Sunshine Paradise: A History of Florida Tourism. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2011.
Vickers, Lu, and Sara Dionne. Weeki Wachee, City of Mermaids: A History of One of Florida's Oldest Roadside Attractions. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2007.

Citation

Schumacher, Elmer "Sparky", “Bonnie Georgiadis and Weeki Wachee Mermaids,” RICHES, accessed November 4, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/10476.

Locations

Categories