The series culminates the weekend of Sept. 16-18, which features a ball, parade and festival. But Moreno said the events leading up to the final weekend are crucial to Mermaid Week SMTX’s mission.
“This is the one event that brings all communities together to participate on some level, to be part of it,” she said. “The idea is that throughout the days leading up to those primary events it presents an opportunity for everyone to get involved.”
The festival is organized by Mermaid Society, a grassroots community organization that is looking to receive 501(c)3 status.
The city of San Marcos is scheduled to issue a proclamation recognizing Mermaid Week SMTX on Sept. 6.
Here are a few of the festival's featured events. For more information, visit www.mermaidsocietysmtx.com.
Sept. 6
Fantasy Crowns
In celebration of Mermaid Day, an internationally recognized holiday, Mermaid Society hosts its first fantasy crown-making event. This hands-on activity is aimed at getting San Marcos residents and Mermaid Week attendees geared up for the upcoming festivities planned throughout the 13-day event. Attendees should bring their own materials.
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: Price Center, 222 W. San Antonio St., San Marcos
www.pricecenter.org
Sept. 7
Creating Opportunity For Current and Future Entrepreneurs of San Marcos
Splash Coworking, a San Marcos-based organization that advocates for collaborative workspaces, teams with Accion, a financial services nonprofit organization, to host a webinar on the topic of startups and entrepreneurs accessing capital.
Time: 2-4 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, 211 Lee St., San Marcos
www.mermaidsocietysmtx.com/mermaid-week-smtx-1
Sept. 9
Mermaids, Movies & Music
The San Marcos Artists Retention and Training, or SMART, Orchestra and San Marcos Cinema Club host a collaborative event during Mermaid Week that examines the intersection of music and film. George Melies’ “The Mermaid,” a silent film created in 1904, is shown on the lawn of the Hays County Courthouse while the orchestra provides a live musical score. The film, which is about 4 minutes long, is shown multiple times. With each showing, the orchestra provides a different score. There will be an interactive panel discussion between the audience and local experts about the power and influence of film music on one's aesthetic understanding of what takes place on the screen.
Time: 7 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: Hays County Courthouse, 111 E. San Antonio St., San Marcos
https://www.facebook.com/events/1262212183813057/
Sept. 11
Mermaid Brunch
Chef Ray Abazi creates a buffet that includes crepes, eggs, rustic potatoes, custom omelets and an assortment of European-inspired entrees, including a seafood dish and three fresh salads. Seating is limited. RSVP is required.
Time: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Cost: $14.95 per person
Location: Price Center, 222 W. San Antonio St., San Marcos
512-317-7152
www.pricecenter.org
Sept. 12-15
Crystal River Inn Mermaid Lounge
In celebration of Mermaid Week, the owners of Crystal River Inn invite guests to sample light refreshments and mermaid-themed libations. The inn also shows the film “Aquarena Springs and Ralph the Swimming Pig: The Documentary of a Texas Treasure,” which is about the Aquarena Springs Amusement Park that formerly occupied what is now the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University.
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: 326 W. Hopkins St., San Marcos
512-396-3739
www.crystalriverinn.com/index.html
Sept. 12
The Mermaid Mix-N-Mingle Artist Social
Author Ron Coley is scheduled to sign his new book, “The Fountains of St. Mark—The Amazing San Marcos River.” The book mixes photography, essays and paintings to examine Spring Lake’s history and cultural significance.
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: Patio Dolcetto Wine Lounge Bier Garden and Artisan Gallery Patio, 322 Cheatham St., San Marcos
Sept. 13
The Mermaid Gallery
Twenty local artists display their mermaid-inspired works at the curated reception.
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: Dahlia Woods Gallery, 232 N. LBJ Drive, San Marcos
www.dahliawoodsgallery.com
Sept. 14
A Community Conversation: An Arts and Cultural District in San Marcos
The San Marcos Arts Commission hosts a panel discussion on place-making and revisiting the Arts Commission’s master plan.
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: San Marcos Activity Center, 501 E. Hopkins St., San Marcos
www.sanmarcostx.gov/index.aspx?page=228
Sept. 15
Gallery Night Downtown
Downtown merchants, including 218 Studioworks, Rio Claro Studio and Dahlia Woods Art Gallery, keep late hours, host sidewalk sales and popup event activities.
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: downtown San Marcos
Sept. 15
'Selena'
The San Marcos Cinema Club hosts a free screening of the film “Selena” at Cuauhtemoc Hall. Tejano star Selena Quintanilla performed at Cuauhtemoc Hall prior to her death in 1995. Free pizza is also available at the event, which, in addition to the screening, features live accordion music, a raffle and a newly designed batch of Cinema Club shirts.
Time: 6-10 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: Cuauhtemoc Hall, 1100 Patton St., San Marcos
www.facebook.com/events/313093899051341/
Sept. 17
The Mermaid Parade
Austin Samba and Las Monas de San Antonio lead the parade, bringing their brand of “radical creativity, fantasy and imagination” to downtown San Marcos. The parade features music, dancing, giant mermaid puppets, floats and marchers. Serving as the mascot for river stewardship, the arts and the city's unique cultural heritage, the San Marcos Mermaid will make her return debut. Those recognized at the event include grand marshals Billy Ray and Beverly Mangham, representing the art community of San Marcos and Eye of the Dog Art Center; Julie Balkman, owner of Wake the Dead Coffee House; Derrick Lee, Zach Halfin and Nathan Lawrence, co-founders of the Eyes of the San Marcos River; and Mario Garza and Maria Rocha, founder and executive director, respectively, of the Indigenous Cultures Institute.
Time: 10 a.m.-noon
Cost: free
Location: parade begins near the intersection of Cheatham Street and CM Allen Parkway and makes its way up South LBJ Drive.
www.mermaidsocietysmtx.com
Sept. 17
Mermaid Splash Festival
After the SMTX Mermaid Parade, festivities move to San Marcos Plaza Park for a day of family-friendly games, live music, an art market, food trucks, and speakers in the park’s Fish Hatchery building discussing conservation and stewardship.
Time: 1-8 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: San Marcos Plaza Park, 206 N. CM Allen Parkway, San Marcos
www.mermaidsocietysmtx.com
Sept. 18
Condor Danza Sacred Springs Powwow
Condor Danza is a preview of the Sacred Springs Powwow that features an Aztec dance company from Dallas—Mitotiliztli Yaoyollohtli. The second half of the Sacred Springs Powwow, a festival at the Meadows Center, is held Oct. 8.
Time: 3-5 p.m.
Cost: free (children age 12 and younger), $10 (adults)
Location: Cuauhtemoc Hall, 1100 Patton St., San Marcos
www.indigenouscultures.org
