Westport Winery’s Mermaid Museum set for weeklong grand-opening event

By David Haerle

The Daily World

The International Mermaid Museum, the brainchild of Westport Winery founder Kim Roberts, is holding its weeklong grand-opening celebration beginning Monday. The non-profit museum is dedicated to teaching ocean ecology from seashore to sea floor, all while immersed in mermaid mythology.

Monday is, of course, International Mermaid Day, and it happens to be the 13th anniversary observance for the winery, where the museum is located.

Roberts, a former licensed architect, is designing the facility and acting as general contractor. She also designed all of the other buildings on the property.

“What we’re trying to do is immerse people, through storytelling and artifacts, in what it means to be a diver and explore the ocean,” Roberts told The Daily World just prior to ground-breaking for the museum last fall.

She intends for this project to serve as her legacy.

“We’re older now, and so are our peers in (the diving community),” she said. “And what we’ve found over the years is that we’ve all collected some amazing ocean artifacts and images — but our kids don’t want them.”

As a result, she has been able to collect numerous donations of artifacts and equipment from members of the dive community all over the country.

Mermaid groups all over the country are committed to preserving the ocean’s ecology, Roberts said, and the ones in Seattle and Portland are “super excited that this first mermaid museum is in their backyard. It really gives them a home.”

The weeklong celebration culminates next weekend.

On Friday evening, an artist reception will enable the public to meet the feature artists in the museum’s gallery including: MJ Perela from Lincoln City, Oregon, discussing the museum’s entry mosaic; Beau Finley of Westport discussing the mermaid throne and the plaza; Yosef Adams from North Cove will unveil his 12-foot-tall mermaid Gray Sea (the roadside attraction); Jamie Walsh from Aberdeen will unveil the entry sculptures.

During the reception, Kevin and Karyl Vasereno from the Westport Charterboat Association and Adrienne Jones from WEfish, the commercial fishing family organization, will provide cooking demonstrations on the appetizers served during the reception, and Westport Winery will provide wine tasting for those age 21 and older.

Next Saturday’s festivities are highlighted by Secretary of State Kim Wyman presiding over the museum’s ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m., a day of mermaid meet-and-greets and a Pro-Am clam chowder competition.

Next Sunday, there’s a Mermaid egg hunt in the gardens; Una the Mermaid, among others, performs in her tank, and craft kits and handouts for children.

Una the Mermaid and others will greet visitors all week long. Una appears in a 900-gallon freshwater tank. A “professional mermaid” since 2012, she is the producer and owner of the Portlandia Mermaid Parade and the Traveling Fanta-Sea Cove in Oregon.

Schedule of Events

Monday

11 a.m.-6 p.m. — Seattle Mermaid Orla posing and playing her harp

11 a.m. — Blessing of the building

6 p.m. — Free “Northwest beachcombing” lecture by marine biologist Alan Rammer

Tuesday

11 a.m.-6 p.m. — Seattle Mermaid Maranda posing and performing

6 p.m. — Free “History of glass fishing floats” lecture by Alan Rammer

Wednesday

11 a.m.-6 p.m. — Seattle Mermaid Maranda posing and performing

6 p.m. — Free “Razor clams A to Z” lecture by Alan Rammer

Thursday

11 a.m.-6 p.m. — Seattle Mermaid Maranda posing and performing

6 p.m. — Free “Fun facts about Northwest sea life” lecture by Alan Rammer

Friday

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Seattle Mermaids Elora and Althaea posing and performing

2 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Wire artist Elizabeth Berrien from Olympia completing a mermaid sculpture

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. — Artist reception and wine tasting for those over age 21

Saturday, April 3

11 a.m. — Secretary of State Kim Wyman and the Greater Grays Harbor ambassadors museum ribbon-cutting.

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Una the Mermaid performing in her traveling tank

11 a.m. to 3 p.m, — Aura the Mermaid book signing

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Seattle Mermaid Siren Ophelia performing and posing

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. — Fisher poet reading featuring Westport’s Jon Branshaw, Dave Densmore from Astoria and Dano Quinn from Seattle

5 p.m — Pro-Am Chowder Competition featuring local chefs and celebrity judges in the tent at Westport Winery

Sunday, April 4

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Mermaid egg hunt in the gardens at Westport Winery Garden Resort. Kids need to get their free egg bag in the museum prior to starting their hunt. This event is for children up to age 10. All eggs will be hidden in plain sight. Kids need to come back to the museum after their hunt to see if they have the special egg that gives them an extra prize.

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Una the Mermaid performing in her tank

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Mermaid Eternity, Princess of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, performing and posing with craft kits and handouts for kids

11 a.m. to 6 p.m., — Olive the Alchemist Mermaid, performing and posing in the splash pond

If you go

Due to COVID guidelines, the weeklong event will be held with social distancing observed and masks required. All the events during the grand-opening week are free to attend, however, reservations are required for all evening events. You can make reservations by calling Westport Winery at 360-648-2224 between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

All ages are welcome. Children under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The museum will be open daily from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. with free admission through April. It is located on the grounds of Westport Winery Garden Resort — located halfway between Westport and Aberdeen — off State Route 105 at 1 South Arbor Road.

To learn more visit www.MermaidMuseum.org.