amandapalmer:
not-so-fun fact: NYC’s coney island mermaid parade is endangered and might not happen for the first time in 30 years. “huh? mermaids?” you may be asking…YES!! MERMAIDS! the mermaid parade dates back to 1983 and is a march where thousands - dressed up as various sea-friendlies - ring in the beginning of summertime. it’s like an underwater mardi gras (except on land). when “superstorm sandy” shit all over the east coast in october 2012, it did an approximate $500,000 worth of damage to coney island. reports indicate five feet of water ended up rushing through their HQ, and despite rebuilding efforts, there’s a lot of work (and money) still needed.
“It is painful to say it, but if we can’t raise the money, there will be no Mermaid Parade. For real,” Dick Zigun, head of Coney Island USA and the founder of the parade, told Yahoo News. “It would be a blow to the neighborhood and to the city. But we just can’t afford it.” (via yahoo)
…but guess what: WE CAN HELP SAVE THEM.
they’ve put together a beautiful kickstarter, which you can find at SAVEMERMAIDS.org
remember kids, we can do good things every day, but how often do you get to save a mermaid?!
BTW, if you’re interested in learning/seeing more, after you hopefully pledge & share, here are a few sites you can check out:
• official site
• @mermaidparade
• facebook
• lots and lots of photos
• a blog & photos from the parade in 2010