She had worked there longer than anyone else,” Vickers said. She was also an important source in Vickers’ first book on the park. In 1970, she helped the University of Florida during an archeological dig of a Native American burial ground at Weeki Wachee. Georgiadis had a big soft spot for history, and played a significant role in preserving Weeki Wachee’s past.

“Because of management’s hasty decision to fire her, Georgiadis’ voice is silenced and that’s a loss for local wildlife and those who care about it.” “Her greatest joy was seeing a recovered bird go back to its home in the wild,” the Times said. Petersburg Times’ editorial page lambasted the new owner over their decision, calling Georgiadis a “vital part of the Weeki Wachee Springs Attraction.” She left quietly, but not before rescuing as many old photographs as she could. The company began destroying old props and burning promo photos.Īccording to Vickers’ reporting, Georgiadis and the other fired employees were threatened with the loss of their severance if they spoke out. īut Georgiadis’ long career at the park ended in 1989 when Florida Leisure Acquisition took over, nixing the bird show and her position. This was one of many photos Bonnie Georgiadis provided to author Lu Vickers. Tasula Georgiadis, right, brings tea to her mother, Bonnie Georgiadis, in an underwater photograph taken during the mid 1970s. ABC hired photographers to shoot aquatic publicity photos Georgiadis hammed it up, holding her breath as she struck various poses.

Mermaids were fitted for shiny lamé tails and performed to circus music and classical songs in a new underwater theater. When American Broadcasting Company took over the park in 1959, Georgiadis embraced the changes. Then they dried off to take tickets and announce the other programs. Girls typically swam in multiple 40-minute shows a day, eating bananas and gulping down bottles of Grapette soda underwater. She was asked to come back to the park for mermaid training the following week.īack then, mermaids performed in silence, amazing audiences with elegant underwater ballet moves in between puffs from an air hose. By then, she had spent hours at the local pool honing her skills, from a graceful dolphin kick to smiling underwater with her eyes open. Georgiadis eagerly awaited 1953, when she would turn 17 and become eligible to apply for a job. Along with dancing and eating snacks underwater, mermaids in early Weeki Wachee shows were known to feed fish underwater, as Bonnie Georgiadis did in this undated image.

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