Weeki Wachee, City of Mermaids: A History of One of Florida’s Oldest Roadside Attractions
Weeki Wachee is the quintessential Florida spring—at once primordial pool and kitschy tourist attraction. Vickers offers a nostalgic trip through this enchanted spring for a unique snapshot of Florida’s tourism heritage, showing how a local novelty became a stellar international attraction. She discusses the history of the spring, sharing a glimpse of mastodons, conquistadors, William Bartram, Elvis, Paris Hilton, real estate developers, and an in-depth look at the mermaids and the men who founded Weeki Wachee.
Lu Vickers is a former Kingsbury Fellow from Florida State University and a two-time recipient of the Florida Individual Artist Grant for fiction, as well as a recipient of the 2002 Astraea Award for fiction. In 2007, she published two books, Breathing Underwater, a novel, and Weeki Wachee, City of Mermaids: A History of One of Florida’s Oldest Roadside Attractions (University Press of Florida). Required equipment:
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LCD projector (optional)
screen (or blank/white wall)
microphone
podium
darkened room |
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