Day 27...Mermaids on Parade

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

     Gary and I along with our daughter Sara and granddaughter Cara went to the Norfolk waterfront.  First we all toured the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in the Nauticus Building in Town Point Park. 

These were bronze copies of letters written by soldiers.

     While Gary took the tour of the battleship WISCONSIN, Sara, Cara and I went mermaid hunting. The mermaids were introduced to Norfolk in 2000.  At one time there were about 100 of them.  Some are still there, some have been moved, some have been vandalized and some have been stolen so we didn’t know what to expect during our search.  According to the website, “Sculptures would be fashioned after the logo adopted by Norfolk the year before — a free-spirited, young mermaid that signified the "new" Norfolk. And the promise that at the end, an auction of mermaids would raise more money for the arts.  Mermaids reflected nautical and Norfolk themes, civic pride, the diversity of the region, or whatever else artists and sponsors could dream up; a mermaid covered in coins is sponsored by a bank, a mermaid sporting a chef's hat and apron sits in front of a bakery.  Other sponsors selected schools, hospitals, recreation centers and other public areas to display their mermaids, giving their communities a close-up view of Mermaids on Parade.”

     Here are the ones we found on our walk.  We were able to find out almost all of their names but couldn't find out one of them. We also took a picture of a couple of "friends" for Cara.

Mermaid Cara 

Princess Azalea

Miss Definitely Downtown

Gem of the Sea

Plated Mermaid

Flower Garden

Jewel of Norfolk

Ocean Patina

Low Tide

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Cara and "Friends"