mermaids

Saturday was the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade.


Freaks and exhibitionists come out every year with their mermaid interpretations. It is an excuse for many to be as scantily clad as possible. For the cops, body paint and a g-string counts as being dressed. It also brings out photographers. At this moment, Flickr list 8752 photos tagged with this year's parade.
I was marching with my band, so I didn't get to take a lot of pictures. Two years ago, we won a trophy for best musical group.

Merboys.

Relaxed mermaid.
Colorful mermaids.

Cyclone rollercoaster. She is wearing a model of the Cyclone on her head.

Really.

Every year for the past several years, there are rumors that this one will be the last Mermaid Parade, which fuels everyone's enthusiasm and creative imagination and powers their bikinis and pasties. Developers have been buying Coney Island real estate in an aim to redevelop it. Development seems to mean tearing down the Astroland amusement park with its rides and carnival games and food stands, as well as much of its environs, to build shopping malls and high-rise apartments. In other words, removing everything that is unique about it and replacing it with homogeny.

Coney Island is a diminished, tatty version of its glory days of the early 1900s, but it is no less a cultural institution. It is a rare place that is like no other, not dominated by franchises and brands. The games and food stands are individually owned. Yes, it is dirty, and the water is questionable and there is broken glass in the sand. Yes, I cut my foot in the water. But who cares? It is great to be able to ride the subway to the beach. It is an inexpensive family outing, important for lower income families. I often see wet families on the subway on their way home at night, laden with strollers, coolers, shopping carts, exhausted from a day of sun and fresh air. The air, at least, is fresh. I can bike there in a half hour and fill my lungs.

This year's Mermaid Queen is currently holding a hunger strike to call attention to planning meetings going on and encourage people who care about Coney Island to attend them.

Astroland might, or might not, be closing this year. What will happen to Nathan's Famous hot dog stand (I don't eat meat anymore, but those are the best dogs!), Ruby's Bar on the boardwalk, the freak show, the burlesque show?