Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
North Webster Lions Club Mermaid Festival Committee members are (L to R): Wayne Beery, Tommy Thystrup, Steve Ward, Tony Holle, Mark Tevis, Tom Williams and Bob Richards.
North Webster Lioness Club members are (L to R): Janice Williams, president; Connie Williamson, cutie parade chairwoman; Vivian Kessler; Susan Corn, secretary; Susanne Robinson, vice president and Queen of the Lakes pageant chairwoman; and Sylvia Richards.
NORTH WEBSTER - The North Webster Lions Club is gearing up for this summer's Mermaid Festival, now in its 59th year, June 18 through 26.
Festival committee members say the event will run along the same lines as last year with most events held on the festival grounds, at the west end of Washington Street.
One of the changes is the Queen of the Lakes Pageant's return to the gymnasium in the former elementary school. The Lionesses believe the highly polished pageant will run even smoother in the refurbished facility, now the North Webster Community Center,
The event, which draws young women from all across the state, was held in Camelot Hall, an area inside the Counting House Bank, now the location of Pilcher's Shoes. In 1990 the pageant was held in the North Webster School gym and moved to the festival grounds in 1998, the same year the Lions began to charge admission. The pageant date also was changed from the week's end to the start of the festival.
The admission fee was dropped in 2002 due to its unpopularity.
A complete schedule and more information will be available on the Net at www.northwebsterlionsclub.com next week.
Application forms for the cutie parade and cutie pageant must be postmarked no later than June 11. The Lions, Lionesses and The International Palace of Sports offer $50,000 in education bonds to the first four places in three categories during the parade and the first four places for boys and girls entered in the pageant.
This year's Mermaid Festival theme is "Hollywood Nights (A Night at the Movies)."
