07/30/1961 – Florida.
On Sunday afternoon, July 30, 1961, Elvis appeared at Weeki Wachee Springs Park in Florida, on the west coast where he was then filming “Follow That Dream.”
There thousands of fans were waiting for him.
Colonel Parker interrupted the filming of the Elvis feature film “Follow That Dream” and prepared a great media expectation with this visit to the park, which Elvis was going to make.
Elvis together with his film partner Anne Helm, visited the Weeki Wachee Springs water park in Florida, and the main attraction of it: a colorful and beautiful underwater show with “real” Mermaids.
In the early 1950s, this attraction became a very popular tourist spot. The glory days began in 1959 after American Broadcasting Co. (ABC) took over the attraction. The new owner built a magnificent underwater theater with 500 seats. The mermaids performed pieces like “Alice in Wonderland”, “The Wizard of Oz” or “Peter Pan”.
Hollywood also used this water park for various film projects.
Even to this day, these days, the park remains a very popular attraction and is a sight to spend an extraordinary day.
In the video you can see Elvis in the park meeting some of the 3,000 fans who camped out to see him.
https://youtu.be/BkzOsKz-fK8.
These beautiful girls acted like Mermaids and put on an amazing underwater show for Elvis.
Vicky Smith, one of the Mermaids, remembers the day Elvis visited Weeki Wachee:
“There have been sightings of Elvis all over the world,” she said, “but not like the one that took place in the Tampa Bay area 60 years ago. That’s when “El Rey” met The Weeki Wachee Mermaids.
It happened on July 30, 1961.
Vicki Smith remembers the day like it was yesterday. “Elvis Presley came to Weeki Wachee. He could have gone anywhere. But he came to Weeki Wachee,” she said.
The event drew some 3,000 fans who were screaming madly to see Elvis.
But Vicky wasn’t there just for Elvis. She was there to put on her bathing suit and slide with her fish tail, transformed into a mermaid and perform in front of him.
“He was so handsome and he was a total southern gentleman and supreme. He had each of us come over and presented his latest LP!…she gave me her autograph and signed:” My best Wishes for Vicki. Elvis Presley,” she recalled.
Vicky is Weeki Wachee’s oldest artist. And she says that she is something of which she is very proud, and she is also proud to have lived that beautiful story of that special day in her life together with Elvis.
“I always tell the audience before every show that I swam for Elvis Presley and that he was so cute. But I was too in 1961!”
The event drew some 3,000 screaming fans just to see the man himself, Elvis Presley.
ELVIS. The Tupelo Boy
Rosa Garcia Mora.
