The following story was written for the 1995 Festival--the 50th Anniversary. The author was Paul Royer, a former Lion, now deceased.  It is a history of the festival, written by someone who was close to it. It is as relevant today as it was 10 years ago.

            The North Webster Lions Club is celebrating its 50th birthday in 1995.  The Mermaid Festival is also celebrating its 50th year of operation. In some ways it seems that the two are inseparable. The festival is dependent on the Lions and the Lions spend large amounts of time and energy on the festival.

            The festival came about as a way to celebrate the opening of the fishing season. In 1945 the season opened on June 16. The club had about 30 charter members  and most were a gung-ho bunch. The big pushers were H. Larson, J. Herrmann  and O. Link. they organized the first festival and it functioned for one day. The school gym was the scene of action. Various Lions members set up carnival booths, games of chance and food  booths. It was such a success that it was decided that one day wasn’t enough. Two days, then three, and finally when the Lions bought and developed enough ground to provide a full week of festival, it was moved to its present location, where a carnival and rides were added.

            During the years many things have been added and also subtracted from the festival. One item soon added was a queen’s contest. The first contests consisted of local girls, but in time it grew until it included contestants from many other communities. The first few contests were bathing suits only. Then it grew to include formals and the question and answer format. To help popularize the event, a queen’s dance was organized. Many were held at the old Tippecanoe Lake dance hall, then later when Homer Shoop built the bank building they were held in what is now Pilcher’s Shoe Store.

            A parade was part of the festival from the start. It started small but grew to its present size over the years.  At one time it was popular enough that bands wanted to be in the parade, especially if they had a queen contestant in the parade. In the 1960s there were often between 30 and 40 queen contestants so there were often 15 or 16 bands in the parade.

            The success of the festival caused many other communities to copy the Lions and form their own festivals. This is the reason for a decline in numbers of bands and contestants in recent years. Even so, the parade is still the highlight of the festival.

            Another addition to the festival is the Cuties Parade and contest. This also started small, but has grown in size to be almost as great an attraction as the Festival parade. Irene Gerard was one of the boosters for both the queen and cutie contests. At present the Lady Lions handle both contests. Donations [in the form of college scholarships] by Homer Shoop through the Palace of Sports have been partly responsible for this growth. Significant prizes are offered for both parade and contest winners. 

            Shoop was also responsible for another attraction that ran for many years. That was the outdoor basketball tournaments, held on the outdoor courts.  The courts were built and lighted by contributions from the Lions Club. At one time the event was so popular that many teams were turned away.  We did 48 teams one year, but that was too many, so 32 became the limit.  Paul Royer ran the tournament for most of its existence. Two courts were used, which necessitated two sets of officials. Games started at 5:30 in the evening and continued until one or two o’clock in the morning on Monday through Thursday. The finals generally were on Saturday night, but when rain-outs occurred they sometimes ended on Sunday. By 1970 the ball games pretty much had run out of popularity. They were discontinued due to the fact that many other tournaments were being held at the same time. North Webster held one of the first tournaments in the state, and success bred competition.

     The Lions Club has always thought that the festival put North Webster on the map so to speak. It has become a community project as well as a Lion’s project. Many people in other clubs, as well as people in no clubs, have helped make the festival a success. This year the members of the North Webster Lions Club have been working on the festival all year. As soon as the festival is over plans are started on the next one. The North Webster Lions Club thanks everyone who has contributed to its success and hope the 1995 festival will be one to remember.

Editor’s Note:  In today’s times people are busier than ever.  In the past 10-25 years or so, we observe how technology—while bringing forth amazing advancements—has changed the way we live forever.  First it was computers that became affordable for all, then faxing, then the internet, then cell phones, text messaging, etc.,—all have sped up the pace of life more than is sometimes desirable.  In reading this article and talking to the “old-timer” Lions members, it is not surprising that the camaraderie, zeal and excitement that backed the former festivals and made them a bustle of local activity is over time being redirected to business pursuits and individual activities. Volunteerism is decreasing, and in many ways becoming a liability because we are so busy.  The  2005 Festival—the 60th Anniversary of the Festival—is only possible through the efforts of people donating time and talents to make it enjoyable for everyone.  The North Webster Lions would like to thank all who have donated of their precious time, and our corporate sponsors as well, while we enjoy this festival and look forward to the 2006 Mermaid Festival and beyond!

2006-2007