Community

Merfolk on a mission to invade South Haven beaches this Memorial Day

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published May 21, 2018 at 4:39 PM EDT

Sadie Johnson as Sadie Mermaid posing by a pool

1 of 3

Carrier said to expect a "fun time with a serious message" at the upcoming Mermaid MegaFest.

Courtesy of Sadie Johnson

Lily Holshoe in her Mermaid Nadie costume touching a fish

2 of 3

Carrier said to expect a "fun time with a serious message" at the upcoming Mermaid MegaFest.

Courtesy of Lily Holshoe

Sadie Johnson as Sadie Mermaid posing by the ocean

3 of 3

Carrier said to expect a "fun time with a serious message" at the upcoming Mermaid MegaFest.

Courtesy of Sadie Johnson

If South Haven figures in your Memorial Day plans, get ready: You're going to see mermaids, mermen, and even merkids.

It's the first-ever Mermaid MegaFest – four days of celebrating merfolk while focusing on preserving our natural freshwater resources.

Brad Carrier, leader of Mermaid MegaFest Productions; Sadie Johnson, one of the founding members of the festival team and a performing mermaid; and Lily Holshoe, a 15-year-old aspiring mermaid performer, joined Stateside to tell us what to expect at the festival, and what it's like to be a mermaid.

Listen above to hear how the festival will pair fun with a larger message of activism and ecology, how mermaid performances can "bring magic to the world," and how to get your own mermaid tail swim-ready.

(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or with this RSS link)