Weeki Wachee Springs in the news... - Beyond Tiki

P PolynesianPop Tiki Socialite Corona, Ca Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 2371	P PolynesianPop Posted posted on Wed, Sep 24, 2003 3:48 PM Update: Weeki Wachee will stay open and try to make a comeback with repairs and new events. Check out the story here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030924/ap_on_re_us/weeki_wachee BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - Weeki Wachee Springs, a pre-Disney Florida tourist attraction known for its underwater mermaids, will stay open and try to make a comeback with needed repairs and new events. The governing board of its landlord voted Tuesday to keep the 56-year-old park afloat, but the Southwest Florida Water Management District also wants frequent reports on the park's efforts to stay profitable. The water agency owns the land and leases the 27-acre attraction to the city of Weeki Wachee, about 35 miles north of Tampa. The city plans to add concerts and events to generate more revenue, develop its scuba diving program to attract more people, upgrade computer systems to simplify accounting, and hook the park to the local sewage system. Donations from local stores and individuals will pay for paint and lumber to spruce up the park and bring everything up to code. The park's plight attracted national attention and spurred a "Save Our Tails" campaign that netted thousands of dollars in donations. Weeki Wachee's underwater mermaid show, which features young women breathing compressed air through tubes while somersaulting in choreographed routines, debuted in 1947. The mermaids made the park one of Florida's top tourist stops, long before interstate highways crisscrossed the state and Walt Disney began planning what would be his Orlando theme-park empire.

Update: Weeki Wachee will stay open and try to make a comeback with repairs and new events.

Check out the story here:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030924/ap_on_re_us/weeki_wachee

*BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - Weeki Wachee Springs, a pre-Disney Florida tourist attraction known for its underwater mermaids, will stay open and try to make a comeback with needed repairs and new events.

The governing board of its landlord voted Tuesday to keep the 56-year-old park afloat, but the Southwest Florida Water Management District also wants frequent reports on the park's efforts to stay profitable.

The water agency owns the land and leases the 27-acre attraction to the city of Weeki Wachee, about 35 miles north of Tampa.

The city plans to add concerts and events to generate more revenue, develop its scuba diving program to attract more people, upgrade computer systems to simplify accounting, and hook the park to the local sewage system.

Donations from local stores and individuals will pay for paint and lumber to spruce up the park and bring everything up to code.

The park's plight attracted national attention and spurred a "Save Our Tails" campaign that netted thousands of dollars in donations.

Weeki Wachee's underwater mermaid show, which features young women breathing compressed air through tubes while somersaulting in choreographed routines, debuted in 1947.

The mermaids made the park one of Florida's top tourist stops, long before interstate highways crisscrossed the state and Walt Disney began planning what would be his Orlando theme-park empire.
*

Post #52442 by PolynesianPop on Wed, Sep 24, 2003 3:48 PM