Weeki Wachee Weekender II! Underwater Boogaloo! 2011

OK folks, save the date!

Labor Day Weekend, 2008. August 29, 30 and 31st

Weeki Wachee Weekender!

Why Labor Day Weekend? Because on Saturday, August 30th, the Former Mermaids will have control of the lagoon. What better way to experience this bit of Roadside Americana than with the ladies that made the place so special to begin with.

Join us on Friday, August 29 for a Pot-Luck Luau and Pool side Carving and Music Jam.

Saturday, August 30 in the Park for the Mermaid Shows, Animal Shows, Riverboat Cruise, and if you have any energy left you can play in Buccaneer Bay on the far side of the Lagoon.

Saturday Night we'll gather for dinner and drinks, and for those still standing there will be a Room-Crawl (plenty of time to sleep after your dead!)

Sunday, August 31st will be an Aloha Breakfast and from there we will turn you loose on the local thrift stores and leave you your holiday Monday to recover.

The last couple of details are being worked out..... more information this weekend.

Park Details can be found here: http://weekiwachee.com

edit - title updated to reflect the new date of the event

[ Edited by: Chip and Andy 2011-05-03 10:57 ]

On 2008-07-08 19:27, Chip and Andy wrote:
OK folks, save the date!

Labor Day Weekend, 2008. August 29, 30 and 31st

Weeki Wachee Weekender!

Why Labor Day Weekend? Because on Saturday, August 30th, the Former Mermaids will have control of the lagoon. What better way to experience this bit of Roadside Americana than with the ladies that made the place so special to begin with.

Join us on Friday, August 29 for a Pot-Luck Luau and Pool side Carving and Music Jam.

Saturday, August 30 in the Park for the Mermaid Shows, Animal Shows, Riverboat Cruise, and if you have any energy left you can play in Buccaneer Bay on the far side of the Lagoon.

Saturday Night we'll gather for dinner and drinks, and for those still standing there will be a Room-Crawl (plenty of time to sleep after your dead!)

Sunday, August 31st will be an Aloha Breakfast and from there we will turn you loose on the local thrift stores and leave you your holiday Monday to recover.

The last couple of details are being worked out..... more information this weekend.

Park Details can be found here: http://weekiwachee.com

aww.....i haven't been there since i was a little kid......loved the mermaids!!.....i found a souvenier mug from weeki watchee this summer..it's an old siestaware mug with the logo and mermaid on it.....brought back memories....this sounds like a great time....wish i could swing it....

Damn, whay are all the mermaids in Florida ? We have no mermaids in SoCal. :(

Finally someone interested in the Florida Springs!! While in the area be sure to go to Homassa Springs - just up the road (State of FL animal rehab center and general tourist trap - VERY COOL). Be careful you may have a GMAN siting.

Sounds like a great event, sorry to miss it. I had a lot of good memories from there. Whenever our relatives came into town it was a guaranteed visit.

Oooh, that looks like fun! Will have to see what the work schedule brings!

Finally! How long have I been begging someone to go to WW with me? Mark me as there! I will have to work Firday..too early in the year to take a day off...but look for me to arrive late FR evening and be there through SUN or MON! Is everyone staying at the same hotel or what?
Chip, can't wait to see you, Andy, Stump, and Loki!! I'll try to bring ya a candle holder like Stump's :)

Sounds like a great weekend...waiting for more info. Cool another Florida event!! :) 8)

OK, step One..... The Hotel.

This is the hotel directly across the highway from the Park. It has been recently remodeled, has nice rooms, a nice pool, and you can't beat how close it is to the Mermaids!

Quality Inn Weeki Wachee Resort
6172 Commercial Way, Spring Hill, FL 34606
(352) 596-2007

Rooms rates are between $80 and $90 a night. If you have AAA or some other discount type card you can get your room for less.

When you make your reservations, tell them you want to be with included with the group for the Kerr reservation (thats me). That will get your room near the group.

And the dates, just so you don't have to find your calendar..... Friday Aug 29, Saturday Aug 30, Sunday Aug 31.

Step Two - The Park.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the park can be found here: http://weekiwachee.com/

But here is the important bits: Tickets!

Ticket Information

Parking
$3.00
Cash Only

Daily Admission
Adult: $24.95 Plus Tax
Child (Ages 3-10): $16.95 Plus Tax
Daily admission includes Weeki Wachee & Buccaneer Bay.

Summer Two-Day Ticket to Fun
Adult: $30.95 plus tax
Child (Ages 3-10): $24.95 plus tax
Two-Day ticket includes Weeki Wachee & Buccaneer Bay.
Offered seasonally.

Cool. Cool, Where are we going to set up for carving< I'll be there with projects and extra wood!
YIPPEEEEE!

Is there really going to be carving?? Seriously? If so, Trevor will come with me because he wants to watch someone carve so he can learn how. He has talked about going to Coontiki, but it never seems to work out. I would say I can't wait for Labor Day, but that'd mean the school year had started and I'd be back at work, so I won't rush it! lol I like sleeping late too much!!
SBT

Yeah, We Be Carving!

On 2008-07-14 19:47, SouthBamaTiki wrote:
Is there really going to be carving?? Seriously?

Yes!

Carving Jam!

Carvers... bring your wood and bring your tools!

Friday afternoon and into the evening as late as the light will allow you to work.

To pull this off we need a couple of tents/ez-up's to provide some shade for working. Got something to provide shade you can bring? Post here so we know who is bringing what and how many.

A couple of extension cords would be handy, unless everyone is willing to work exclusively with hand-tools.

Musicians: This Jam is for you too! You carve out of music as much beautiful stuff as those guys carve out of wood. Bring your instruments and do your thing.

We have one tent 10 X 10 and some power cords. Will bring those And a load of bZart wood for carvings.
Does this mean we can make reservations now?

On 2008-07-16 05:11, Benzart wrote:
Does this mean we can make reservations now?

Yes! Operators are standing by.....

Its a smaller hotel from a smaller hotel chain, they don't have one of those fancy reservation systems. Tell them you want your room to be close to the Kerr Reservation (thats me) and they will get all of our rooms as close together as they can.

Unless, of course, you want to be away from the group...... then just make your reservation and pretend you don't know us until after you check in.

My reservations are made!! I'll try to throw an extension cord or two in the car to help out the carving people, but I will sit over with Andy and have a drink while Trevor tries to talk one of you into showing him how to carve. Power tools out in the heat are not my thing....a drink with fruit and rum on the beach is more my thing lol
Hey Andy...did you like Elizabeth's candle lantern? Maybe I will have time to make you one to bring down.

No, I don't like it. I LOVE it!

See everyone at Weeki Wachee!

Mucho Mahalo, Andy

Tried to make reservations last night but their computers were down...will try again today.

What time is the pot-luck luau planned for? What is everyone bringing?

Looking forward to the fun :)

On 2008-07-17 03:20, MrsBenZart wrote:
What time is the pot-luck luau planned for? What is everyone bringing?

Looking forward to the fun :)

Pot-Luck Luau

Friday evening, from whenever to sometime later...... (hows that for a time-frame?)

Please bring something to share, and something that doesn't require cooking unless you bring your own means to cook it. Plan on 'formally' starting about 5:00 ish and it will last as long as there is something to share. And please post here what you plan on bringing so we don't wind up with ten macaroni salads but no forks to eat it with.

Not that there is anything wrong with eating macaroni salad with your hands.... :wink:

Andy and I are bringing a crock pot full of pulled pork for sandwiches, and all of the bits and parts to go with it.

Quality Inn is Pet Friendly! According to their website Pets are allowed, but will cost you an extra $15 per night.

I will be there, and right now Trevor plans to come as well. I think we are bringing fruit salad to the pot luck luau...it's good, I promise :)
A couple of questions....for the carving thing, what kind of wood should Trevor bring? What kind of tools should he bring? He has never carved before, so will people mind if he watches their technique and copy it so he can learn to carve? Will that be enough time for him to pick up anything really useful? Thanks!!
Can't wait to see y'all and the mermaids!

This sounds like a TON of fun. I've visited the river fed from the spring, but never the park.

Does anyone feel like a kayak trip while visiting? I might be able to round up a few kayaks to make a little trek. The put-in fee at the outfitter is relatively cheap and is right next door to the park. They also rent kayaks if I'm not able to find enough (if lots of folks are interested).

Basically you head down-river about six miles, leisurely paddling with the current that is fed from the spring. You pull out once you reach a park that has parking and a bar/restaurant. It's an extremely easy paddle if you haven't been in a kayak before.

When I've done this in the past, we usually meet up at the park at the bottom, leaving our personal vehicles there, and ride up to the top in one vehicle. We've had a great time doing this with friends and family.

If anyone is interested, let me know, and I'll try to put some plans together that mesh with Chip and Andy's schedule. Chip & Andy, if folks are interested, let me know what day and timing would be best based on the events you have planned, so that nothing conflicts. The kayak trip is normally 2-4 hours.

Here are a few photos from our last time over. Jen, myself, Laura, Andy, two of my uncles, and an Aunt. We saw 5-6 manatee that day (third photo below caught one). I'm not sure if the manatee would be travelling up the river this time of year, but you never know.

-adrian

Well I'm in! I finally get to steal some of surfintiki's wood!
I thought it was funny. Maybe not. But seriously. I'll be there next month! Anyone need a kayak for then? I have have an extra 1, or 45.
d

If I could see a manatee in the wild up close like that I would die a happy man :) Very cool pic!!!!

On 2008-07-22 19:27, MobileTikiBar wrote:
If anyone is interested, let me know, and I'll try to put some plans together that mesh with Chip and Andy's schedule. Chip & Andy, if folks are interested, let me know what day and timing would be best based on the events you have planned, so that nothing conflicts. The kayak trip is normally 2-4 hours.

Thank you for that vote of confidence in my planning and scheduling! But, this is a very casual weekend with exactly two goals.....

First, hang out with all of the Ohana.

Second, watch the Mermaids and enjoy a vintage Florida "Tourist Trap."

(There is a third goal of doing some thrift shopping, but I am pretty sure that was a given with this crowd.)

So you plan the Kayaking at the time the group wants to go.

The river is amazing everyone, so if you are into kayaking contact MobileTikiBar. You will enjoy the trip very much!

Get out of those Kayaks and float in a tube!! I have been down many rivers in FL and there are many fond memories that my friends have to remind me about :) Seriously fun stuff - floating down the river with numb ass and a pickled liver. Enjoy

Sounds like fun! Wish I was going to be in the area for that, but we'll be up north behind the cheddar curtain.

:)

Thanks for coordinating this C&A!

Canceling previous plans and figuring out the logistics. I will be there for part of it no doubt. The last time I was at WW was when I was 6 or 7 years old and I remember my older brother as a teenager was tormented and embarrassed to no end and they had locked us in and he could not get out. This was the sixties and he was to cool 4 mermaids at the time but I loved it and the fact that it tortured my brother was a nice bonus.
I might bring my girls for the show and send them home with Mrs. Bo for Adult Swim. Of course Mrs, Bo may not see it that way.

Thanks and kudos to C&A for putting this together! I'm so excited! Floating down the river sounds like a lot of fun....I want to spend Sunday at Homossassa Springs or Tarpon Springs, but Trevor has friends who will be at Tampa, so I guess we will have to meet them and see what they want to do. Wonder if I can find a shirt with a mermaid to wear.....

We just found out our pet sitter isn't available that weekend :( We will not be able to come after all. We are so bummed - we were really looking forward to getting together with all the Ohana. Maybe next time.

C&A - I guess we won't be supplying the grill for the luau - sorry for the inconvenience.

Aloha keikis,
Wahine Marian and I are planning for this. Sounds like our kind of laid back & informal tiki affair. Might bring a few tiki novices too.
Who else is in?
Wayno and Becki?
Pablus?
Karbora?
The 3 Kats?
Kono?
GatorRob?
Jonpez?
Flounder? (Oh, he is going to be freshly back from Tiki Oasis and probably feeling too uppper crusty for a potluck luau.)
Neptune? (Nah, he will be cruising that weekend with two too hot blondes.)
KG

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff 2008-08-05 19:32 ]

I plan to be there! Hopefully we will have a good turnout of folks. I'm crossing my fingers that TikiBree will come at least for the day. Pablus needs to be there because I owe him a drink from when I didn't go to Atlanta when he was there. Can't wait to meet some of y'all again or for the first time!

I plan to be there! Hopefully we will have a good turnout of folks. I'm crossing my fingers that TikiBree will come at least for the day. Pablus needs to be there because I owe him a drink from when I didn't go to Atlanta when he was there. Can't wait to meet some of y'all again or for the first time!

Well.... if Flounder is feeling all crusty, then I am going to eat his share of the pulled pork.

Andy and I are making a big-ole batch of pulled pork and the bits to make sandwiches out of same.

For the carvers, I am bringing my Benzart Training Program for Tool Sharpening (tm) to do what I can to help the carvers. as well as a couple of log-bits that are begging to be turned to wood chips.

For the musicians, I am bringing my two Ukueleles. You will have to tune them before you jam out, or not if you wanna go in that more free-form jazz kind of direction.

What are you bringing?

Boy, when it rains it pours! :P
I would be there in a heartbeat...but already have plans to be out of state for the month of Sept, leaving Labor Day weekend!
Y'all have fun paddling, carving, mermaid watching, manatee watching, thrifting, eating, dancing and drinking! Have a bottle of rum on me...
:drink:
Hope to catch up with the FLohana at the next event!
K.

Hi...new to the list...dang, DJ Ana Lu (or is it Onyi Birri here?) gotta DO this.

On 2008-07-08 19:27, Chip and Andy wrote:
OK folks, save the date!

Labor Day Weekend, 2008. August 29, 30 and 31st

Weeki Wachee Weekender!

Why Labor Day Weekend? Because on Saturday, August 30th, the Former Mermaids will have control of the lagoon. What better way to experience this bit of Roadside Americana than with the ladies that made the place so special to begin with.

Join us on Friday, August 29 for a Pot-Luck Luau and Pool side Carving and Music Jam.

Saturday, August 30 in the Park for the Mermaid Shows, Animal Shows, Riverboat Cruise, and if you have any energy left you can play in Buccaneer Bay on the far side of the Lagoon.

Saturday Night we'll gather for dinner and drinks, and for those still standing there will be a Room-Crawl (plenty of time to sleep after your dead!)

Sunday, August 31st will be an Aloha Breakfast and from there we will turn you loose on the local thrift stores and leave you your holiday Monday to recover.

The last couple of details are being worked out..... more information this weekend.

Park Details can be found here: http://weekiwachee.com

---

Pants Off.
Life On.

[ Edited by: chip and andy 2008-07-14 14:53 ]

Only 3 weeks away! I can't wait :) :) :) Now let's just hope that dad's health cooperates. I planned on Trevor making fruit salad for the luau, but I guess that can't really be eaten with fingers...we will either bring plastic forks with it or come up with something else to make. His fruit salad is really good...it has granola and yogurt mixed in with it. Much more importantly, I gotta pick up some liquor for the room. Wish the hotel had a fridge in rooms.

On 2008-08-08 17:38, SouthBamaTiki wrote:
I planned on Trevor making fruit salad for the luau, but I guess that can't really be eaten with fingers...

I dunno.... sounds like fun!

We will send appropriate notice to the local villagers and markets that there will be a shortage of ice and limes in the area that weekend.

Aloha Chip & Andy,
Marian and I have reservations for Friday night - at least. We are going to leave Orlando around noon on Friday and expect to be at the hotel by mid-afternoon. I'm going to grill some spam-kabobs for the luau.
We've also been busy trying to round up some other folks. We should be bringing a couple of tiki novices with us, and a few active and semi-retired pros from around here are thinking it over. After touring Weeki-Wachee we may head down to Tarpon Springs for Saturday night... Maybe stay a night at the Tahitian Resort. We love that place.
Mahalo for suggesting this.
KG

Damn! That is the weekend we are going to Jersey to take my father in law to see hsi sister. Homasassa Springs / Weekee Wachee is about an hour from my house in Ocala. I am a dental rep and pass by the park every tuesday to see accounts, although my wife and I haven't been yet. All of the Florida Ohana should e-mail or pm me, I have a nice place tikified in Ocala and we are always looking to make new tiki friends! Aaron

Have fun at Weekee wachee!!

On 2008-08-12 05:31, Kailuageoff wrote:
Aloha Chip & Andy,
Marian and I have reservations for Friday night - at least. We are going to leave Orlando around noon on Friday and expect to be at the hotel by mid-afternoon. I'm going to grill some spam-kabobs for the luau.
We've also been busy trying to round up some other folks. We should be bringing a couple of tiki novices with us, and a few active and semi-retired pros from around here are thinking it over. After touring Weeki-Wachee we may head down to Tarpon Springs for Saturday night... Maybe stay a night at the Tahitian Resort. We love that place.
Mahalo for suggesting this.
KG

Heck ya! The more the merrier.

I am so excited we are supporting this vintage Florida treasure.

I heard from E33 and Luru (some of you probably met them at Hukilau) and they will bring two side dishes.

See ya soon.

Andy

Aloha Weeki Wachee revelers

The thought of a luau with ohana as well as supporting a Florida treasure is just too tempting. I am in for at least part of the weekend. My goal is to make it to the hotel by 3pm on Friday. I will be bringing pineapple casserole, some sort of salad and coconut cake. Will there be synchronized swimming in the hotel pool following the shows? Mahalo to C&A for getting this rolling............

Karbora

On 2008-08-13 20:24, Karbora wrote:
Will there be synchronized swimming in the hotel pool following the shows?

That will depend entirely on the amount of rum available.

But you can probably bet on it happening.

Maybe not the synchronized part, but the pool is a given.

I think I crossed some of my posts along the way, I blame the rum.....

Friday pretty much all day long as people arrive is going to be a Pot-Luck Luau, and Friday Night will be a Room Crawl.

Although I expect the actual crawl to be from the pool back to a room as I suspect it will just turn into a giant pool-side bar with some sort of mixology throw-down with all of the bartenders present.

So basically, bring something that can be shared to eat. Bring something to share at the bar. We'll serve everything family style by the pool.

how does that region of florida handle hurricanes? :/

Like all others...with RUM, mystic protection chants and tarps and rum. I am currently conducting emergency drills by mixing a MaiTai and evacuating my mugs from the "Tiki Hut".