Five Films Feature Mermaids, Wrestlers, and a Pregnant Olympic Hopeful

 By Sally Deering

Filmmaker Delaney Buffett took a film crew to Florida to interview ‘mermaids†swishing their tales in underwater ballets at the Weeki Wachee Springs mermaid theater for her documentary THE SPRING. This award-winning documentary short can be seen — along with four other shorts by women filmmakers — at Hudson County Community Collegeâ€s first-ever Indie Film Festival on Thurs, Mar. 15, Thurs, Apr. 12, Tues, Apr. 17, and Sat, Apr. 28. 

Along with Delaney Buffett, the filmmakers are all up-and-comers, many of them grads from local films schools who have had their films screened at the Tribecca Film Festival and other competitions. Every day of the HCCC festival, all five films will be shown. They are:  First Match, directed by Olivia Newman about a determined 14-year-old wrestler who prepares for her first co-ed match. Kid Warrior, directed by Vanessa Black, which follows a teen activist who has taken on major oil companies in the fight against climate change.

New Deep South: Kayla, directed by Rosie Haber – a series that explores the LGBTQ culture emerging in the American South; Run Mama Run, directed by Daniele Anastasion about an elite track athlete who continues to train for the Olympic trials while pregnant; and, Delaney Buffettâ€s The Spring, about the women of Weeki Wachee Springs mermaid theater.

Filmmaker Delaney Buffett

 â€œIâ€m from South Florida, I grew up there,” Delaney Buffett says. “My parents told me about Weeki Wachee Springs when I was a kid. I remember I was discussing it with my dad. (Delaneyâ€s father is Jimmy Buffett of “Margaritaville” fame.)  I didnâ€t believe him at first. I went on their website and talked to a couple of friends who made films. We were breaking out, making short-form content and short-form documentaries. My best friend Katie Corwin, and then my other friend, my roommate Chloe Corner and the rest of the crew of women went down there with me and we shot it there.”  

THE SPRING is about the talented female swimmers who don mermaid tails and put on shows in a small underwater theater at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida. The shows are a huge tourist attraction and have been ever since founder Newton Perry, a U.S. Navy swim coach got the idea in 1947. Before he could train swimmers and teach them underwater routines, Perry first had to clear the spring of abandoned cars and rusted appliances dumped there by local residents. He eventually turned the spring into a mermaid cave with rocks and seaweed and discreetly placed air hoses for the “mermaids” to breathe oxygen under water. Today, the mermaids perform in a sophisticated 400-seat underwater theater.

“When we went down there we didnâ€t know what to expect,” Delaney Buffett says. “The mermaids perform an underwater ballet. They have tails on and they do tricks, drink Cokes underwater. One mermaid eats an apple. Its awesome.”

Wicki Wachee Springs Mermaid Circa 1947

HCCC Cultural Affairs Director Michelle Vitale invited Buffet and the other women directors to screen their films in honor of Womenâ€s History Month, she says. The festival, which opened on March 2^nd, has enjoyed enthusiastic attention from the general public and HCCC faculty who are bringing students to see the films, she says.

“Some of the films are inspirational,” Vitale says. “Itâ€s a special arrangement of films and filmmakers that Delaney brought together for the festival. You donâ€t have to be a woman to enjoy them either. One is about an environmentalist, the others are about LGBTQ life in the south, a mermaid community in Florida, a pregnant runner and a young wrestler. They run the gamut from sports to the environment.”

When creating the festival, Buffett took into consideration the diversity of HCCC students and the local community. Vitale says: “Itâ€s a broad range of directors and material.”

The success of the festival has inspired Vitale to host another film festival at HCCC, she says. Meanwhile, she encourages local residents to stop by the 6^th floor atrium in the HCCC library building and check out the work thatâ€s being shown – and for some buttered popcorn, too!

“Everybody loves film,” Vitale says. “Film is very relatable. Every art has their special thing. With film, its an intimate experience.”

If you go

Thurs, Mar. 15 at noon, Thurs, Apr 12 at 2 pm, Tues, Apr 17 at 10 am & 6:30 pm,

And Sat, Apr. 28 at 1:30 pm.

Womenâ€s Indie Film Fest

Hudson County Community College

Benjamin J. Dineen III and Dennis C. Hull Gallery

71 Sip Ave, 6^th Fl, JC

(201) 360-4176

www.hccc.edu/cultural-affairs

The post LIGHTS! CAMERAS! WOMEN! HCCC Celebrates Women’s History Month with Women’s Film Festival first appeared on River View Observer.

On October 14^th, Margaritaville Las Vegas Reclaimed the Guinness World Record for the Largest Margarita Ever Made in Celebration of the Margaritaville Casino Opening at Flamingo

 photo by  Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Now On Sale, Lucky Rita is A Concoction With A Cause

LAS VEGAS (OCTOBER 14, 2011) – On Oct. 14^th at 5 Oâ€clock in the evening Margaritaville broke the World Record for the largest margarita ever made as verified by Guinness World Records. The event was part of the Grand Opening festivities for the new Margaritaville Casino at Flamingo in Las Vegas.

 Halfway through the ceremony celebrating the new World Record, Jimmy Buffett surprised fans by coming out and raising a glass of Lucky Rita with the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team along with Flamingoâ€s Rick Mazer and Margaritavilleâ€s Tamara Baldanza in front of more than 1,000 Parrotheads and onlookers.

 “Much appreciation for these great wounded warriors, who Iâ€ve worked with for a long time. Gentleman, thank you for coming out. Weâ€re going to have a good time this weekend. Let the FIN begin,” said Buffett.

 Lucky Rita is now on sale to the public allowing guests a taste of history and an opportunity to contribute to a great cause. For every gallon of Lucky Rita sold, Margaritaville will donate $5 to the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team. More than a margarita, Lucky Rita is a concoction with a cause.

 “I am thrilled we have expanded our relationship with Margaritaville,” said Rick Mazer president of Flamingo Las Vegas, “and now together we have opened the first-ever Margaritaville Casino.”

 After six months of planning, the mixing of the colossal 8,500 gallon beverage, appropriately named “Lucky Rita”, began its first pour on Oct. 11, 2011. Lucky Rita took an estimated 300 work hours to mix the concoction.

 Lucky Rita kicks off Margaritaville Week with margaritas offered to the public up until October 23, 2011.

Surpassing the previous record holder by 873 gallons, Lucky Ritaâ€s Recipe Includes:

 Continuing Margaritaville Week are the 7^th Annual Street Parties that coincide with Jimmy Buffettâ€s Vegas concerts on the 15^th and 22^nd. Beginning at 11 a.m. each Saturday, the legendary, all-day, outdoor, free admission street parties will offer guests a taste of Lucky Rita along with live entertainment, interactive games, great food and drinks along with exciting giveaways including Margaritaville sunglasses, flip flops, frozen concoction makers and Jimmy Buffett concert tickets. Information about the two street parties will continue to be updated on Margaritaville.com.

In addition to the onsite festivities Margaritaville will also debut Margaritaville Online at the October 15^th Street Party. Guests can virtually escape to a tropical island getaway in THQâ€s innovative and humorous Facebook and iOS social game Margaritaville Online. Inspired by the laid-back, tropical paradise lifestyle of singer-songwriter and author Jimmy Buffett, friends will be able to party and play in an immersive 3D-perspective utopia with familiar island music, entertaining games, unique adventures and more! Send your friends delicious fruit drinks and relax by the beach while fending off party pirates, participating in mini-games and building your very own oasis. Margaritaville Online is developed by Exploding Barrel Games and published by THQ. THQâ€s booth is located in “Fin City” at the Margaritaville Street Party in Las Vegas.

 About Margaritaville Casino At Flamingo:

Margaritaville and Flamingo Las Vegas debuted the new casino on October 1, 2011. Margaritaville Casino is a gaming experience unlike anything else in Las Vegas. Guests of the casino feel the energy of the Las Vegas Strip while enjoying the laid-back vibe of the islands. Adjoining the restaurant and directly accessible from the Strip sidewalk, the casino includes 15,000-square-feet and offers 22 gaming tables, 220 slot machines and the centerpiece 5 Oâ€clock Somewhere Bar. The Margaritaville Casino at Flamingo gaming activities operate under Flamingoâ€s gaming license. The casino is certainly the perfect complement to Jimmy Buffettâ€s Margaritaville restaurant, currently one of the most popular spots on the Las Vegas Strip and one of the busiest in the United States.

 About Jimmy Buffettâ€s Margaritaville:

The atmosphere is inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett, whose evocative songs inspire a cross-generational yearning for an island adventure. Comprised of retail shops, restaurants, consumer products, hotels and even a national radio station on Sirius/XM, Margaritaville delivers a tropical experience where guests can enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of their favorite destination regardless of their current latitude.

 Since launching its first location in Key West, Margaritaville has expanded to some of the most popular US destinations including: New Orleans, Orlando, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Panama City Beach, Glendale, Mohegan Sun Casino, Nashville and Jimmy Buffettâ€s at The Beachcomber in Honolulu, Hawaii. In addition to the restaurants and hotel, the first Margaritaville Casino has opened in Las Vegas†famed Flamingo Resort in October of 2011. International locations can be found in the Caribbean, Mexico, the Republic of Panama and Canada. The Margaritaville Beach Hotel in Pensacola Beach, Florida opened July 2010.

Visit www.margaritaville.com for more information.

Find Margaritaville on Facebook www.facebook.com/margaritaville

Flamingo Las Vegas

Located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, the Flamingo Las Vegas is a true desert oasis. The center Strip resort features more than 3,500 guest rooms, including the newly renovated and award-winning, Flamingo GO Rooms. The historic hotel-casino is home to a sprawling 15-acre pool and wildlife habitat complete with waterfalls, mature island vegetation, tropical wildlife and three distinctive pools. Flamingo Las Vegas hosts a wide variety of entertainment and dining options. There is something for every palette with eateries such as Jimmy Buffettâ€s Margaritaville, Hamada of Japan and Burger Joint. An all-star line-up of entertainers keeps things lively at the fabulous Flamingo. Brother-sister duo Donny & Marie dazzle audiences as the resortâ€s headliners, comedians George Wallace and Vinnie Favorito keep audiences laughing seven nights a week and comedy-magician Nathan Burton entertains afternoon audiences.

Flamingo, along with all Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas resorts, including Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Paris Las Vegas, Harrahâ€s, Ballyâ€s, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Imperial Palace and Billâ€s Gamblin†Hall & Saloon, proudly prohibit adding hidden resort fees to hotel guest room rates. For more information, visit www.flamingolasvegas.com. Find Flamingo Las Vegas on Facebook www.facebook.com/flamingovegas and follow on Twitter – www.twitter.com/flamingovegas (@flamingovegas).

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