The Mail-Journal, Volume 27, Number 18, Milford, Kosciusko County, 15 June 1988 — Page 21

Three queen candidates in first Mermaid Festival

The North Webster Lions Club sponsored the first North Webster Mermaid Festival in 1946. During that first festival, which originated as an activity for opening the fishing season, there were three queen candidates and a parade. Townspeople reportedly lined the streets to watch the school band, queen candidates, and youngsters carrying fishing poles march by. The one-day evening took place entirely on the school grounds and saw the crowning of Peg Kammerer as “Queen of Lakes.” The coronation took place on the back of a cattle truck. In 1947 the festival once again had a slow start and nearly faded away for lack of support. There were only three queen candidates along with a merry-go-round and a ferris wheel priding rides. But in 1948 the enthusiasm of continued supporter and originator John Herrmann became contagious, and the Lions tried again. This time with more success, as there were 16 queen contestants that year. The Farmers State Bank staged the first of several annual buried treasure hunts, during the 1948 festival. However, it too had its share of capricious incidents, as the first treasure had been buried with a bulldozer. After hours of labor, Jim Stieglitz of Milford was finally able to unearth the chest of silver dollars. It was noted that thereafter Homer Shoop took the task of burying the treasurer upon himself, doing it during the late hours of the night. Through the years the festival grew in popularity and by 1961 it had truly come of age, and had a

AUGSBURGER’S Syracuse North Webster - ; - — jggL Lower Prices • Hictoer Sta m mthl war I ‘OPEN J [*SR. CITIZEN 1 I *DOuiBLE I 24 HOURS TT DISCOUNT I I COUPONS X * X X* ••• X | • Open Sat. Till Midnight | | Every Wednesday | | Every Thursday | • Open Sun. Till 10 P.M. | | Details In Store | Details In Store ; x% ; s% ; ;*xwx i ; ; x , x ; K i x<’X«x , ?x<»x»x ; x , X’X &X*X-X"X ; X"X ; X<-X-X*SX : SSx : iWSS:%y£S£!W&K , MW*X*X’X , j | ? • X’X<<<<<<’X<<<<<<<<<<<<£<?X££££££££SsS!WsSssSS: |!m|j Full Service Deli — Bakery

record high of 62 queen candidates that year. It was also during the ’6os that the governor of Indiana attended the festival for several years, and the “Queen of Lakes” was sent to Washington, D.C., to meet the president. She was also sent to New York city to be on national television. Reporters from all over the country came to North Webster to cover the festival and its events, and recorded that there were between 75,000 and 100,000 persons present on parade day. Over the years the festival has seen many additions to the event list and has had talent shows, wrestling, tugs of war across the lagoon, fly casting, basketball free throwing, horseshoe pitching, pennies from heaven, golf, tennis and table tennis tournaments. It was also observed that the festival introduced outdoor summertime basketball tournaments to the nation. This proved highly popular, and soon caught on everywhere. Another event said to have originated during the 1949 Mermaid Festival was the carrying of flares by nighttime water skiers. The skiers circled the queen contestants as they toured Webster Lake on the everpopular Dixie paddle boat. This, too, was soon copied around the world. \ Over the last 42 years many events and activities have been added and some have been deducted, but the excitement of the festival has remained through it all. And this year is no different than those of the past, as the festival is once again drawing a lot of attention, and shows promise of being one of “America’s greatest small town festivals.”

4: HO! ITf I \VwSPM IJ 1 1 jK I I IJB y Mi SpßOi ■ bwlr WfafcmM W i O# Hila' jVo|f IIBIH mllnK ' * ' ■ II IQ- Iwift w B , IBMMI i ak a.’-, - • i iMI a ' '

GOTCHA’ NOW — During the 1984 Mermaid Festival Parade, Sylvester had finally caught Twitty Bird. The children along the sidelines weren’t too happy about the catch.

Wednesday, June 15,1988 — the PAPER

3