Contributor Naomi Black
The Mermaid’s Market is in its 3rd year and has become known as a local marketplace to find unique and eclectic ‘mermaid treasures’. . . gifts, clothing, candy, home decor, paintings, photographs and much more. Each 1st and 3rd Saturday (during the months of October through April) you can find ‘mermaids’ selling their wares at the Shrimp Park in the center of Rocky Point.
As a grand finale to the outdoor season, on April 18th, 2015 the Mermaid’s Market will present its 2nd Pirate and Mermaid Extravaganza. The event is a New Orleans Cajun Party with Pirates and Mermaids galore!
Ok. Ok. I hear your questions: What do Mermaids, Pirates, New Orleans, Cajun Food and Zydeco Music have in common? What is the connection? Well, I would love to explain.
In 1970, I was a little girl living in Arizona and my parents took my sister and me on a trip to Disneyland in California. I think the most mesmerizing ride at Disneyland was the Pirates of the Caribbean. Apparently others feel the same as this ride is still considered by many to be one of the most spectacular attractions ever created for a theme park!
The Pirates of the Caribbean was originally to be a walk-through attraction with wax figurines. Walt Disney (along with his team of Imagineers) decided that the rousing pirate story should become a boat ride instead. It was the last attraction whose construction was actually overseen by Walt Disney himself and he died three months before it opened. However, on March 18, 1967 the Pirates of the Caribbean ride opened at Disneyland Park in California.
Today it is located in New Orleans Square. Hmmm. (New Orleans and Pirates, of course!) The ride includes detailed scenes, lavish special effects and memorable characters. It has remained a beloved classic! Spiraling over to Hollywood with the blockbuster film series starring Johnny Depp.
But, what of Mermaids? Well now, did you happen to see the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides? Yep. You guessed it – Mermaids!
Pirates were terrified of mermaids, or so the story goes. Pirate lore depicted mermaids as perilous creatures associated with floods, storms and, shipwrecks! Pirates told of mermaids who were drawn to the surface by man-made light and singing sailors, only to drag the sailor into the depths of the ocean . . . Never to be seen again! Of course, on the brighter side, mermaids can also fall in love with humans. Remember, Ariel in another famous Disney story?
What can I say? For me, it’s all a part of the fantasy: Pirates, Mermaids, New Orleans. Nothing scary. Nothing too real. And, all in fun.
So . . . The Pirate and Mermaid Extravaganza – A New Orleans Cajun Party. Now, doesn’t it just sound like fun? Besides all of the Mermaid’s “treasures” that you normally find at the Mermaid’s Market, we will add: Great food (Cajun Boil and Gumbo)! Fun drinks (Blue Mermaid Margaritas or New Orleans style Hurricanes)! Costume contests for adults and children to dress up as a Pirate or a Mermaid. Just a great day to dress-up, pretend and be a kid at heart.
This year to really put us in the mood, we have the Bayou Brothers coming from San Diego to introduce us to Zydeco music. You just cannot keep your feet still when you hear this music. So, do not miss the fun! Saturday, April 18th, 2015.
Stories and Photos from last year:
http://www.sonoranresorts.mx/april-5th-mermaids-market-adds-pirates-for-extravaganza/
http://www.mermaidsmarket.com/2014_04_01_archive.html
https://rockypoint360.com/pirates-mermaid-extravaganza/