Idea for festivals?

[Aziara]

So, where I live, every little nearby town has its own festival, with rides and carnival booths. Rice festival, cattle festival, 4th of July, etc. Since there are so many, I'm trying to think of some way I could get involved as a mermaid. But I can't figure out how. Buying a tank is well out of my price range, so a merbellas type show is likely out. Any ideas?

[Echinacea]

Couple of quick thoughts... One is to play on the environmental aspect, contact your state fish and game/wildlife department and ask about availability of pamphlets/brochures/literature on conservation and hunting/fishing. Then see about setting up a booth to hand out literature and maybe answer questions. Another possibility might be to work on the 'Meet a Mermaid' aspect, and give kids (and adults) a chance to meet a 'real' mermaid.

Find out who the fair organizers are, and see if you can meet with them, and talk about how there would be a way to fit a mermaid into the fair.

[Rogue Siren]

Also, if you're a craft person, being a "real" mermaid could help draw them to your booth to sell crafts/art. :) I have plans for something similar. Even checking into pricing for renting tanks.

(I got into Anime Weekend Atlanta's Artist Alley a few years back....I could attract so much more attention as a mermaid! Lol!)

[Mermaid Lorelei]

I got into one of the festivals in my town by offering face painting as a live mermaid.

[Theobromine]

Probably infinitely preferable to face painting as a dead mermaid!
(actually that could work on Halloween)

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Probably infinitely preferable to face painting as a dead mermaid!
(actually that could work on Halloween)

Cyanea, I love you. XD

[BlueMermaid]

You could just do a mermaid meet and greet. We use a splash pool that we fill with treasures we give to the kids, we let them get in the pool with us and take pictures. (The adults love to get in too!) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=691055200927738&set=a.691055180927740.1073741836.316237178409544&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ash3%2F1424280_691055200927738_1089486735_n.jpg&size=717%2C960

You could also do something a little bigger. I am going to be getting this in 2014: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Intex-20-x-12-x-48-Oval-Frame-Quick-Set-Swimming-Pool/22061253 to use it at festivals so people can actually see us swim, and dive down and get treasures for people. Some festivals will be willing to purchase and set this up for you, others will make you do it. They have lots of sizes of this so you can get what best suits you and your wallet. It sets up really easy too.

[Aziara]

Probably infinitely preferable to face painting as a dead mermaid!
(actually that could work on Halloween)
:rotfl:
You could just do a mermaid meet and greet. We use a splash pool that we fill with treasures we give to the kids, we let them get in the pool with us and take pictures. (The adults love to get in too!) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=691055200927738&set=a.691055180927740.1073741836.316237178409544&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ash3%2F1424280_691055200927738_1089486735_n.jpg&size=717%2C960

You could also do something a little bigger. I am going to be getting this in 2014: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Intex-20-x-12-x-48-Oval-Frame-Quick-Set-Swimming-Pool/22061253 to use it at festivals so people can actually see us swim, and dive down and get treasures for people. Some festivals will be willing to purchase and set this up for you, others will make you do it. They have lots of sizes of this so you can get what best suits you and your wallet. It sets up really easy too.
I can't believe I never even thought of using an aboveground pool! Certainly cheaper and easier to transport than a plexiglass tank. I'm loving all these ideas, folks. Keep 'em comin'!

[Echinacea]

Only thought with an above-ground pool - make sure there is a way to fill it available!! I know some fairs/festivals are in big fields kind of out in the boondocks, and that is a lot of water to have to schlep by hand if you don't have a fire plug or something nearby. Awesome idea, though! :)

[PearlieMae]

Not only that, but water straight from the tap (fireplug, etc.) is usually C-C-C-C-C-COLD when you initially fill a pool!

[BlueMermaid]

Yes, those are good points! You have to have a way to fill it! My last event, we had a 200 foot hose hooked up to the fire hydrant, but you have to get permission. You could also get it from a nearby house/business, but remember that it will cost them to fill it, so you need some arrangements in place before hand. You also have to consider how you are going to empty it! Whoever runs the fair can help you figure all this out.

Yes, it's cold water. You can get some sort of heater, or fill it up early and let it warm up for a bit before getting in.

[Aziara]

The tempeture likely wouldn't be a problem if the pool was filled an hour ahead of time. It gets very hot here in the summer! Looks like a quickfill-type pool is going on my wish list. If I can't get any of the festivals to let me in, I could always just set it up in the back yard, lol!

[PearlieMae]

I'm a big chickenfish when it comes to cold water!

[Mermaid Fenicia]

This summer I have been face-painting as a mermaid at a music-festival (theme was water). The kids loved it.
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=16350&d=1386886784

[Aziara]

Oh crap, I just remembered something... that brain-eater amoeba has been found in local tap water. I'm gonna have to treat the pool water with something... I'm finding stuff online about how the amoeba doesn't live in saltwater, wonder if I could just dump a bunch of cheap sea salt in the pool? Or maybe I should just chlorinate it, grr...

[PearlieMae]

With so much stuff in the water trying to kill you and eat your brains, maybe you can make a papier maché rock that fits over a chair. ;)

Nothing wrong with being a mermaid that sits on a rock out of the water!

[Rogue Siren]

Tap water usually has chlorine in it already. :/ You could try aquarium salt maybe. But it would take some time to kill the amoeba if it is in there.

[BayouMermaid]

The only problem that I can see with adding salt is that draining the pool could negatively impact plant growth if the water is drained on the ground. You would have to make sure that you have access to a sewer/holding tank. You could also just keep your head above water/ be super careful not to get water up the nose. At least 3 people in Louisiana have been killed because of the amoeba in tap water... very scary!

[Aziara]

The low levels of chlorine in tap water isn't enough to kill it. It wasn't much concern to cities to keep it out because they figured that people would only be drinking the water (stomach acid kills it). It wasn't until people started doing neti pots with tap water that it came out that 'yep, that THING is in your water'. Although lately the water coming out of my tap smells VERY chlorinated. I wonder if they decided to kill the thing once and for all.

[BlueMermaid]

You can buy chlorine tablets that will chlorinate the water. I have my floating sharky, it gradually releases chlorine. I use him for my tank and he will also go in my portable pool when I get it.

You can also get a filter for portable pools like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Swim-Time-Sandman-18-Sand-Filter-System-with-1-HP-Pump-for-Above-Ground-Pools/19861880 It will help keep the water clean if your in a dusty fair ground.

[Thalassa]

I have a large pool that my mermaids swim in at faires. It's great, but there are definitely factors to consider.

1) It is COLD. I'm talking...oh my gosh. We filled ours a couple of days early, had temps in the 90s, and still it was so cold our--ahem-- less-insulated mermaids couldn't spend more than 15 minutes in before jumping out to get warm. I'm still trying to find a good pool heater since we can't run a generator during faire hours.

2) If it's up for more than a day, it's going to get murky. Like, people-can-hardly-see-you murky. Invest in a pool vac or filter or at least a skimmer.

3) Remember that people won't be able to see you through to pool walls. Either set the pool on lower ground or make some sort of platform so they can step up and see. And always, always make sure to have ropes so people can't fall into the pool.

4) Be prepared for disaster. This may seem pessimistic, but I've yet to be at a faire where something hasn't gone wrong with the pool. Once we had a pin snap in the night and half our water drained out, we also built on a sinkhole, another time our platform didn't get built so patrons were slipping in the mud our splashes made...another time I ran into the wall with my shell tiara and poked a hole in it! XD Just be ready with a plan B and stay positive if disaster occurs. ;-)

Hope this helps!

[Thalassa]

Oh ps we have a 25 foot intex pool.

[Kumori Kitsune]

some times hot tube companies are at things like that you could hand out their flyers