BayouMermaid
05-26-2014, 03:50 PM
So I thought I'd go ahead and share how my first public event went, and hopefully some of this info will help other newbies like myself.
First off, have some kind of transportation method. With so many people there, it would have been difficult for me to change without someone seeing. My beau and I used a wagon that was decorated with pearls and fishnet for me to sit in and he pulled me from the car to the party. I brought the test copy of my children's book, The Mermaid of Lake Pontchartrain, with me along with my box of ocean items for show and tell. Not even 30 seconds after I had gotten in place I already had kids running up to me, their parents trailing behind.
After a small group formed, I read my book aloud and then passed it around so that parents could see it and sign up for our preorder list. After that, it was getting really hot (bring water!) so we moved to the grass and I did show and tell with my sea treasures.
Lake Pontchartrain, the large lake that I live near, is not actually a true lake. Rather, it is a brackish estuary that is connected to the gulf by a small pass. My character's story goes that I live in the lake, but swim out and to travel around the world. While many mermaids collect human treasures, I collect treasures from the sea.
What I thought was funny was that the thing the kids were most interested in was some black sand from Tahiti. Many of them had never heard of black sand beaches before, so they were amazed by it. The things that I brought included barnacles, a starfish, a sea urchin, fossilized reef rock, seashells, a fake stingray, coral replica, black sand, and ocean water. Best way to do this is have the kids sit in a circle and pass the items around. that minimized me losing track of things, haha.
21164
After show and tell, I swam in the lake with some of the kids (made sure to get parent permission) and drew a small crowd. This was probably not the smartest idea as the lake has less than 3 feet visibility on a good day, so I made sure to swim H2O style with my hands in front of my head in case I hit anything. Oh well.
Biggest thing that I learned is that you need to stick to a timeline. It is really easy to get sidetracked and forget how much time you have. This is where an assistant with a watch is useful.
And speaking of assistants, get one. My beau was passing out fliers and handling the preorders for my book while I was entertaining kids. There is no way I could have done it alone. He is such a wonderful person, and I'm lucky to have someone so supportive.
Now for the tail.
Spandex tails are not as realistic as silicone or latex, but they can be just as beautiful. The kids loved how shiny my tail was in the water and it didn't seem to ruin the magic for anyone. I think that since my tail is not very realistic that I got a few more nonbelievers than mers with other types of tails, but I'm really not sure. Here were some of the things I said in response to tough questions/statements.
Kid says: Where did you buy your tail?
I respond: I didn't buy it, I grew it myself. But I've heard that if you learn to sew, you can make a very nice one. Have you ever sewn before.
Kid says: I can tell that's a costume.
I respond: Are you wearing a human costume? What kind of things have you dressed up as before?
Kid says: Are you real.
I respond: I sure hope so! Are you?
Putting the focus back on them seemed to really help.
There are some things that I would have done differently. First off, I didn't expect a sudden rush of people. I hardly had any time to set up. Now I know to prepare for that. I also would have planned my timeline a little better. I had my beau keeping track of things for me, which helped a lot, but with no clock it was hard to stick to a schedule. Also, I need to get better at focusing on all the kids instead of spending so much time with the few who really cling to me. I don't want shy kids to feel left out.
As I was leaving, one of the little girls gave me a seashell that she found in the lake. I plan on incorporating it into my costume. It was such a sweet gesture.
Overall, I felt that everything went really well, and I'm glad that I got to make people smile!
First off, have some kind of transportation method. With so many people there, it would have been difficult for me to change without someone seeing. My beau and I used a wagon that was decorated with pearls and fishnet for me to sit in and he pulled me from the car to the party. I brought the test copy of my children's book, The Mermaid of Lake Pontchartrain, with me along with my box of ocean items for show and tell. Not even 30 seconds after I had gotten in place I already had kids running up to me, their parents trailing behind.
After a small group formed, I read my book aloud and then passed it around so that parents could see it and sign up for our preorder list. After that, it was getting really hot (bring water!) so we moved to the grass and I did show and tell with my sea treasures.
Lake Pontchartrain, the large lake that I live near, is not actually a true lake. Rather, it is a brackish estuary that is connected to the gulf by a small pass. My character's story goes that I live in the lake, but swim out and to travel around the world. While many mermaids collect human treasures, I collect treasures from the sea.
What I thought was funny was that the thing the kids were most interested in was some black sand from Tahiti. Many of them had never heard of black sand beaches before, so they were amazed by it. The things that I brought included barnacles, a starfish, a sea urchin, fossilized reef rock, seashells, a fake stingray, coral replica, black sand, and ocean water. Best way to do this is have the kids sit in a circle and pass the items around. that minimized me losing track of things, haha.
21164
After show and tell, I swam in the lake with some of the kids (made sure to get parent permission) and drew a small crowd. This was probably not the smartest idea as the lake has less than 3 feet visibility on a good day, so I made sure to swim H2O style with my hands in front of my head in case I hit anything. Oh well.
Biggest thing that I learned is that you need to stick to a timeline. It is really easy to get sidetracked and forget how much time you have. This is where an assistant with a watch is useful.
And speaking of assistants, get one. My beau was passing out fliers and handling the preorders for my book while I was entertaining kids. There is no way I could have done it alone. He is such a wonderful person, and I'm lucky to have someone so supportive.
Now for the tail.
Spandex tails are not as realistic as silicone or latex, but they can be just as beautiful. The kids loved how shiny my tail was in the water and it didn't seem to ruin the magic for anyone. I think that since my tail is not very realistic that I got a few more nonbelievers than mers with other types of tails, but I'm really not sure. Here were some of the things I said in response to tough questions/statements.
Kid says: Where did you buy your tail?
I respond: I didn't buy it, I grew it myself. But I've heard that if you learn to sew, you can make a very nice one. Have you ever sewn before.
Kid says: I can tell that's a costume.
I respond: Are you wearing a human costume? What kind of things have you dressed up as before?
Kid says: Are you real.
I respond: I sure hope so! Are you?
Putting the focus back on them seemed to really help.
There are some things that I would have done differently. First off, I didn't expect a sudden rush of people. I hardly had any time to set up. Now I know to prepare for that. I also would have planned my timeline a little better. I had my beau keeping track of things for me, which helped a lot, but with no clock it was hard to stick to a schedule. Also, I need to get better at focusing on all the kids instead of spending so much time with the few who really cling to me. I don't want shy kids to feel left out.
As I was leaving, one of the little girls gave me a seashell that she found in the lake. I plan on incorporating it into my costume. It was such a sweet gesture.
Overall, I felt that everything went really well, and I'm glad that I got to make people smile!