Submitted Westport Winery
The nonprofit International Mermaid Museum has scheduled its groundbreaking for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12, at Westport Winery Garden Resort. The museum’s mission is to teach ocean ecology from seashore to sea floor immersed in mermaid mythology. The museum’s displays will include mermaid mythology from Aphrodite to Ariel and ocean ecology from pufferfish to sunfish.
As part of the groundbreaking, the museum directors have invited Una the Mermaid who will be in her 900-gallon freshwater tank from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Una has been a professional mermaid pioneer in Oregon since 2012. She is the producer and owner of the renown Traveling Fanta-Sea Cove and the Portlandia Mermaid Parade.
Members of the Seattle Mermaids will also be in attendance, but without their tails. There are over 1000 professional mermaids in the United States. This is the first mermaid museum in the world. Northwest mermaids are especially excited to have it located near their waters.
The museum’s board of directors (some groups of mermaids are called pods and some are called a gossip) remind those who choose to attend the outdoor groundbreaking that all humans and mermaids are required to wear masks and observe social distancing protocol.
North Cove metal artist Yosef Adams has hand-crafted the ultimate mermaid shovel for the ceremony. He has been commissioned to create a 14-foot mermaid sculpture that will be unveiled on a later date as part of Westport Winery Garden Resort’s 15-acre sculpture and display garden.
Kim Roberts, winery co-founder and museum director said, “We have been working hard to design a space that will offer our guests the opportunity to vicariously experience the underwater world. There are mermaid myths throughout all oceanic cultures that endure through the centuries. These stories offer the opportunity to share aspects of the ocean environment through storytelling.”
The Roberts family who also operate Ocean’s Daughter Distillery contribute a portion of the proceeds from the spirits to the museum. Blain Roberts, a renown underwater photographer has donated his entire photo collection to the museum. His wife Kim, and daughter Carrie serve on the board of directors.
Inquiries about making financial donations, mermaid memorabilia or ocean artifacts are encouraged by emailing info@mermaidmuseum.org or kim@westportwinery.com. The museum’s planned opening is March 29, 2021, which is International Mermaid Day and Westport Winery’s 13th anniversary. For more information go to the International Mermaid Museum website.
