Provo 'mermaid' entertains at festivals, parties

Provo 'mermaid' entertains at festivals, parties


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PROVO — A Provo teacher decided to make the most of her summer months by transforming into a mermaid to continue bringing joy to children.

Elizabeth Bowns teaches fifth grade at Amelia Earhart Elementary in Provo. The BYU grad said that she enjoys being around children and making them happy, but the idea of becoming a "mermaid" was an accident.

Bowns said that she was looking for a swimsuit online when she stumbled upon mermaid fin swimsuits and other people that entertain as mermaids.

"I saw a website for Raina the Halifax Mermaid," Bowns said. "She was an amazing inspiration and help to me. She does amazing things with kids and brings magic to them and helps them learn about conserving the environment."

Bowns said that she has never been a strong swimmer, and she wanted to become a mermaid to improve her swimming abilities and because she thought it would be a fun side job.

"I wanted to learn to swim well enough to get a (mermaid) swim suit and be a mermaid, and then I could do some things with it," she said.

Bowns officially began her mermaid career as "Thalassa the Mermaid" in August 2012. She bought a mermaid fin costume from a Florida-based company, Mermaid Raven Merbellas Inc. Bowns said that she began practicing swimming with the fin at the Provo Rec Center and that it took her six months of practice before she could swim solo without someone helping her.

"(Now) it’s a lot easier for me to swim in my fin than out of it," Bowns said. "When you first start swimming in a mermaid tail you have to have someone with you to help. Now it’s so much faster and so much more fluid than just wearing my normal swimming suit. And I appreciate the people at the Provo Rec Center. They have been wonderful and always make sure I'm OK."


I love it, and it's something I enjoy. I feel like I'm doing good and the kids enjoy it. I bring a little bit of magic to them. As long as I can swim, I will keep doing it.

–Elizabeth Bowns


Bowns has since been hired to entertain at the Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Fair in May, and she spent 10 days at the Princess Festival at Thanksgiving Point. Bowns swims and takes pictures with people at the events, and sometimes provides gifts.

"It was so worth it," she said. "(The kids) are so excited to see a real live mermaid. It was a lot of fun."

Bowns said that she advertises herself as a "modest mermaid" to make parents more comfortable. Her costume sports a custom-made silicon tail and a swimsuit top that covers her stomach. She also wears a headress made of shells, seaweed and netting. She also displays a chair made of seashells and a trunk full of shells, sea dollars and sea stars that she lets the children touch and hold at the birthday parties and festivals.

Bowns also gives each child that comes to see her a small smooth stone that she calls a "mermaid tear" that she uses to teach children to use as a stress release tool.

"A lot of kids when I give them the tear, they want to know, 'What does it do?' " Bowns said. "They expect the mermaid to be able to do some magic. The stone helps them to calm down a little when they are sad or upset."

Bowns said that she plans to do perform as a mermaid during the summer and on weekends for as long as she possibly can.

"I love it, and it's something I enjoy," she said. "I feel like I'm doing good and the kids enjoy it. I bring a little bit of magic to them. As long as I can swim, I will keep doing it."

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Faith Heaton Jolley

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