Mermaid Parade 1
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Nothing but Sea Shells and Beads
The Coney Island Mermaid Parade takes place every year by
the sea in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, usually in mid-to-late
June. The Parade is a lively and welcoming ocean-themed event, which is open
to all comers. It is a form of alternative festival.
Source: ConeyIsland.com
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A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk" or "merpeople". Mermaids are represented in the folklore, literature and popular culture of many countries worldwide. Source: Wikipedia
Pretty Blonde Aqua and White Mermaid Displayed Prominently on the Hood of a Car
A completely original creation of Coney
Island USA, the Mermaid Parade is the nation's largest art parade and one
of New York City's greatest summer events. The parade is proud to have some
incredible sponsors. Click here for answers to common questions.
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"Mermaid" is a compound of mer, the French word for "sea", and maid, a girl or young woman.
In modern times, the mermaid is used as an official animal/mascot of many mythical stories involving pirates and the sea. It is also associated with "sea cows" that are called manatees. Sailors would see the animals and categorize them as mythical mermaids.
Three Broads, One With an Umbrella, Marching in the Mermaid Parade
Three Broads, One With an Umbrella, Marching in the Mermaid Parade
Many people like to watch the Parade on
the boardwalk, but the boardwalk only features marchers and push-pull floats.
Surf Avenue allows viewing of antique cars and motorized floats as well.
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Traditionally, mermaids have been depicted unclothed. When censorship is an issue, most prominently in movies, effort is made to have the mermaids? long hair cover their breasts. In areas with strong censorship, notably in some U.S. family movies, mermaids have been wearing different variants of tops or swimsuits. Source: Wikipedia.
A Man Dressed up Like a Doll Wearing Black and White Stripes
Coney Island is the westernmost of the barrier islands
of Long Island, about four miles (6 km) long and one-half mile wide. It used
to be an island, separated from the main part of Brooklyn by Coney Island
Creek, part of which was little more than tidal flats. There were plans into
the 20th century to dredge and straighten the creek as a ship canal, but
they were abandoned and the center of the creek was filled in for construction
of the Belt Parkway before World War II. The western and eastern ends are
now peninsulas.
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The sirens of Greek mythology are sometimes portrayed in later folklore as mermaid-like and thus are often considered to be the same or similar creatures. In stories of mermaids, some would use their beauty and charm to lure sailor men to their deaths; sirens would use their singing to lure sailors toward rocks, causing their ships to sink. Other related types of mythical or legendary creatures are water fairies (e.g., various water nymphs) and selkies, animals that can transform themselves from seals to humans.
Mermaid Fun and Smiles in the Back of an Old Blue Pickup Truck
Nathan's Famous original hot dog stand opened on Coney Island in 1916 and quickly became a landmark. An annual hot dog eating contest has been held there on July 4 since its opening, but has only attracted broad attention and international television coverage during the last decade.
Naked Boobs on Display Under a Parasol in the Hot Summer Sun
Development on Coney Island has always been controversial. When the first structures were built around the 1840s, there was an outcry to prevent any development on the island and preserve it as a natural park. Starting in the early 1900s, the City of New York made efforts to condemn all buildings and piers built south of Surf Avenue. It was an effort to reclaim the beach which by then had almost completely been
Bearded Couple Embracing and Women with Whipped Cream Hair with Starfish
The local amusement community opposed the city. Eventually a settlement was reached where the beach did not begin until 1,000 feet (300 m) south of Surf Avenue, the territory marked by a city-owned boardwalk, while the city would demolish any structures that had been built over public streets, to reclaim beach access.
Umbrellas Seem to Help to Keep the Mermaid's Delicate Skin from Drying Out
In 1979 the city purchased Steeplechase Park from Fred Trump and proceeded to evict Norman Kaufman's amusements. By this time, Kaufman had expanded his park and had plans to eventually rebuild the historic Steeplechase Park. He had even bought back the original Steeplechase horse ride with plans to install it the following season. But the city decided it did not want to wait decades for Steeplechase park to be rebuilt and believed it could attract a developer to build a large combination theme park and casino on the site. The property remained vacant for another five years.
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