Mermaid Society SMTX announces 2022 ‘AquaReinas’

The Mermaid Capital of Texas and Mermaid Society SMTX have announced their first-ever Mermaid Society Aqua-Reinas (Queen of the Waters).

The AquaReinas will assist with the Mermaid Society SMTX Youth Eco Programming, river cleanups, community outreach, Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest and represent the Mermaid Capital of Texas in public appearances, including parades in surrounding cities and creative media efforts to promote guardianship of the San Marcos River, the society said.

Mermaid Society SMTX hosted its first-ever AquaReina welcome and orientation Thursday evening at Mermaid Headquarters — located at Wonder World Cave & Adventure Park.

“We have members that are passionate about eco education, art, environmental stewardship, the Mermaid Festival, and all around being involved in our public relation efforts and parades. It feels so exciting to have a group that is wholeheartedly enthusiastic about supporting Mermaid Society,” said Mermaid Society SMTX Founder July Moreno.

The AquaReinas of 2022 are Charlene Tiner, Angela Turner, Jill Lemoine, Mary O’Hara, Meagan Lavender, Chelsea Cancem, Kristian Chen, Emily Avila, Claire Thorpe, Ines Magaña, Kimberley Johnson, Sheila Beck, Joanne Beaton, Terri Mitchell, Celeste Hollister, Laura Cardona, Katie Schutze, Marisol Muth, Norma Jimenez, Lenisa Careaga and Tiffany Morvant.

“I’m most excited to be surrounded by an amazingly powerful talented group of women that I can now call my MerSisters,” said AquaReina Laura Cardona. “I look forward to the opportunity to connect and create lifelong relationships with them.”

Cardona says she wants to continue to educate those around her about the significance of our San Marcos freshwater mermaids and support the Mermaid Society in any way that she can.

“It’s an absolute honor to be a Mermaid Ambassador,” said AquaReina Ines Magaña. “It’s representing something beautiful, organic, and powerful.”

Magaña said she is hoping to build relationships through the program and focus on empowering the youth and the community to do all in our power to keep the San Marcos River clean and safe for all unique species.

“The AquaReina initiative has been a dream of Mermaid Society for several years and finally made a goal for this year. We are pleased to announce we can now share this exciting milestone with the community,” Mermaid Society SMTX said in a newsletter.

The society put out a call for AquaReinas in February. Moreno said that there were more applications than anticipated.

“Our MerTeam selected individuals that had a genuine passion for guardianship of our natural environment to include the San Marcos River. We were intentional in choosing individuals that represented a broad range of talent, skills and experience that support our founding pillars – stewardship, preservation, local, arts, sustainability, and heritage,” she said.

The title of the new Mermaid Society ambassadors pays homage to the legendary San Marcos Aquamaids, who were underwater performers at Aquarena Springs — an amusement park — from the 1950s to early 1990s.