Sirens of the Sea to debut new floats; It’s a mermaid tale you should know

Sirens of the Sea to debut new floats; It’s a mermaid tale you should know

By Stephanie Knight
The Sirens of the Sea Mardi Gras krewe of Orange Beach has overcome many obstacles in the past fewyears, but this all-female krewe that was formed 21 years ago just keeps bouncing back! We Sirens are known for one thing in particular – our whimsical, lavish floats. The Queen’s float (pictured) once featured a larger-than-life papier-mâché mermaid on the bow. The beautiful creature with graceful flowing hair gently cradled a large white pearl in her outstretched hands.
The second float, known as the Emblem’s float, was adorned with three-dimensional sea horses (the symbol of our Emblem), along with whimsical sea creatures like a purple octopus and brightly colored fish and reefs. But in 2020, our beloved floats fell victim to bad weather and location changes.
The floats had been kept for many years at a local facility large enough to house them inside, but the property was sold to new owners who needed to re-purpose the space. So, while we searched for an indoor facility, our floats moved temporarily to several outdoor locations. During that brief period, the weather was very unkind to our papier-mâché beauties. An unusual weather pattern of extreme wind and rain that lasted over the course of several weeks kept the Sirens busy trying to save their beloved floats. Our devoted parade chair, Charlene Doody and her husband, Gordon, along with several members of the krewe and their husbands, went out daily to cover the floats with gigantic tarps and tie and weight them down with ropes and cinderblocks, and basically anything we could find to keep them protected from the elements. But despite our best efforts, tarps and ropes were no match for 30 mile per hour winds and rain, and the papier-mâché eventually succumbed to the moisture and wind and began to disintegrate.
Despite all our efforts, we could not find any indoor location that could accommodate our over-sized floats. When they were first created, the artists didn’t take into consideration the width of a typical city street. So the floats were too wide to pull on many of our local streets, and they wouldn’t fit into any standard garage or storage unit. When we did find a storage unit, the doors were too narrow to accommodate the width. Sadly, by the time the weather pattern moved on, there was nothing left of the beautiful floats except the wooden farm wagons that served as their base. The beautiful mermaid maiden that graced the bow looked like the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz after Dorothy threw a bucket of water on her. We could almost hear her cry, “I’m meellltingg!” We were devastated.
Every Mardi Gras krewe works all year long just for those few amazing days of parading when we get to throw beads to parade-goers. It’s a cornerstone of our krewe – and since we were known for our beautiful, ornate, over-the-top floats, what were we to do?
Throughout history, Sirens have been known to be quite magical creatures. So, we grieved our beautiful floats, and then we decided to find a little magic and move forward. Our parade chair, Charlene, picked up her shell-phone and tracked down a new float creator. Using photographs from our original floats, she re-created a newer, slimmed-down version of our Queen’s float that used canvas panels that could be removed and stored inside when the float was not in use. This made it easier and more economical to sustain our floats throughout the year. The inaugural appearance of our new Queen’s float was last year in 2022 and everyone was thrilled with the new look!
This year, our new parade chair, Linda Abston has tirelessly continued the process of restoring us back to our 2-float krewe. After months of sketches, carpentry work, updating and repairing axels and wheels and tires, our brand-new Emblem float will make her debut in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach parades this year! The Emblem float was also given a facelift, reducing her to a slim 10-foot width so that she might be stored easier and be more street friendly. And after three moves, Linda persevered and was able to find a new home to store both our floats under one canopy.
Along with hurling thousands of dollars of beads and toys at parade goers, the Sirens of the Sea also generously give back to our community with scholarship programs designed to give college scholarships to at least two female students in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach high schools every year. In addition, every year the Queen and Emblem each select a charity to support.
This year our Queen, Sally O’Donnell has chosen the Kidney Foundation as her charity and our Emblem, Barbara Pugh has chosen to add an additional scholarship for an Orange Beach High School student. In the past, we have purchased bullet proof vests for the Orange Beach Police Department’s K-9 units, raised money for local afterschool programs, Makos girls’ softball and volleyball teams and booster clubs, and supported various other local charities. We hold a major fundraiser each fall to support not only our community, but also our lavish Mardi Gras Ball held every year at the Perdido Beach Resort. A Mardi Gras krewe is a year-round effort and krewes face financial obligations to keep their members and parade-goers safe and happy. But come Mardi Gras season – all the hard work pays off.
Throughout the challenges of Covid, a devastating hurricane, changing economies, over-sized floats, and extreme weather patterns, the Sirens of the Sea have overcome all obstacles and continue to make an impact on our community! We have been #SirenStrong for 21 years and we’re ready to shell-a-brate Mardi Gras with you this year!
During the parade, when you see us, make the Hang Loose hand signal. To us, it symbolizes a mermaid’s tail– and when we see it, we’ll know you support us and we’ll throw you a strand of beads or our signature throw – a decorated flip flop!
Yes, we decorate ornate flip flops and throw them during parade. Why flip flops? We’re mermaids. What else are we gonna do with flip flops?
So look for our Queen and Emblem floats in this year’s parades. They will be adorned with mermaids and sea horses, and when you see us, know that we are one dedicated group of ladies who are united to overcome any and all obstacles thrown at us. We are looking forward to throwing you beads, flip flops and a big smile! If you would like info about joining our krewe, please send an email to our membership director at SirensofOrangeBeach@gmail.com for an application.
This year’s officers: Queen, Sally O’Donnell; Emblem, Barbara Pugh; President, Charlene Doody; EVP Membership, Stephanie Knight; 1st VP, Ball, Allyson Walters; 2nd VP, Parade, Linda Abston; 3rd VP, Ways & Means, Shelia Stephens;
Secretary, Sylvia Hinson; Treasurer, Jennifer Jackson; Social Chair, Sonya Jackson; Parliamentarian, Nancy Pickering; Historian, Betty Marino.