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2003
The 2003 Mermaid Parade was held in drenching rain, which meant that the mermaids were truly in their own watery milieu. As usual, Forgotten NY chronicles the ichthyic frolics...

At right, parade maestro Dick Zigun of coneyislandusa leads the parade as usual, flanked by Helen of the all-singing, all-dancing Pontani Sisters and Brooklyn Boro President Marty Markowitz (hiding under umbrella)

Topsy gets her due. In the old days, pachyderms roamed free in Luna Park, earning their peanuts by giving rides and helping to pull equipment and erect the attarctions of that fantastical, long-lost amusement park. Topsy was among the biggest and most popular of the elephants, which were routinely struck and abused by their handlers... who would reportedly feed her lit cigarettes. Topsy had struck back and killed three handlers in 3 separate incidents until finally, Luna Park's owners decided to destroy her, initially feeding her poison carrots until hitting on a unique solution...electrocution. Thomas Edison was at the time attempting to prove that his direct current was safe and that George Westinghouses's alternating current was a deadly menace; and so Topsy was led to a metal platform, the switch was thrown, the AC current flowed, and Topsy collapsed in a heap after but 10 seconds, Edison capturing the whole thing on film. No matter: alternating current became the industry standard.

Elephant (not Topsy) ride in Luna Park, about 1910

Ars Subterranea recently held a design competition for a memorial for Topsy the Elephant which will be revealed on July 20, 2003 at the Coney Island Museum; New Orleans artist Lee Deigaard won. Your webmaster was on the panel of judges.
You see a whole lotta purple hair at these Mermaid Parades. The same week, Tampa Bay Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella vowed he would dye his hair any color in the rainbow if the Rays could put together a 3-game winning streak.

Except purple.

This year with the kind of rain we were having, there was a lot of slipping and sliding. There was the constant danger of falling. A crack medical team was brought in from England and they were ready to treat any injuries that might have been sustained. Funny thing, the nurses dress a little differently over there.

Majorettes of the Hungry March Band

Playing a mix of dixieland jazz, punk, klezmer and hiphop, Brooklyn's Hungry March Band is always one of the Mermaid Parade's major(ette) attractions.
This year the Hungry Marchers had a stilt walker and a Topsy the Elephant impersonator
The silver paint is gonna wash off in a hurry in that rain.

Swingers


She's working on her raintan.

Sometimes, just being blue is not enough. You gotta shut up & play yer guitar.
The Pabst Blue Ribbon lifestyle. Drink it, wear it, live it.
Loch Ness mermaids.
Hey, is Lizzie Grubman here again this year?


Whaddya know. Zigun thinks of everything. This year, there was actual sawhorse service. And to think, we had just finished off our flask when Fifi shows up with another J.D.

A pink poodle and a mega-magnum.

A little post-parade fun with your webmaster.
Klez Mermaids Karen, Mary Beth, Ellen and Gerry. We're told the pink hearse is going to meet its demise in a demolition derby soon. Perhaps the Forgotten NY cameras will be there.

Thanks to Diane Bonder and Gerry Guadagno for their assistance with this page.

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E me at erpietri@earthlink.net or kevin@forgotten-ny.com
Cash strapped Coneyislandusa needs your help. If you want to keep events like the Mermaid Parade--NYC's wildest but least-covered parade--as well as the Coney Island Museum and Sideshows by the Seashore going, drop a donation their way. To us, they provide the perfect mix between Coney's family-friendly side and slightly illicit, risqué side.

MERMAID PARADE 2002

MERMAID PARADE 2001

MERMAID PARADE 2000