Mermaid contest winners announced
Organizers estimated that over 20 mermaids participated (several were late-comers, and missed the parade to the bridge) during the annual Pirate Fest.
The winners were:
* Littlest Mermaid: Stella Skorupski, 1 1/2, of Bokeela/
* 1st Place child mermaid: Maddie Alspaugh, 9, mermaid name: Star Light
* 2nd Place child mermaids: Sisters Sophia Tomlinson, 8, mermaid name: Mary Mermaid on the Water; and Grace Tomlinson, 3, mermaid name: Honor of the Sea
Adult mermaids:
* 1st Place: Eileen Wood, aka Green Goddess, of Cape Coral.
* 2nd Place: Jackie Reichardt, aka Wacky, of Matlacha.
* 3rd Place: Mary Robertson, aka Maria, of Matlacha.
Next year, Eileen Wood, the Green Goddess, 1st Place Mermaid, will arrive by boat to set off the festivities with enthusiasm and excitement. Organizers hope to have even more mermaids participate in the future, as the Mermaid Festival, which started in 2007, continues to grow and evolve into an island-wide celebration of one of the oldest romantic legends – the existence of the mermaid in our oceans and seas, and the idea of magic!