Mountain Mermaids Collective

12/18/2024

In the Department of:
Last Minute Family Fun for Everyone
Sparkles, Pure and Bright

The Mountain Mermaids Collective will be hosting the 2024 Sparklefest at The Todd Mercantile this coming Thursday, December 19th. 6pm-830pm. Please join us for an evening of cookies and fun, a moment to gather and share the wonder of the season.

There will be a cookie swap; participation is optional. All who attend may EAT cookies! To those swapping, please bring 2 dozen cookies in bags, 4 cookies per bag. Bring another 2 dozen to share at the Sparklefest! (4 dozen total.)

Jim Henson’s “Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas” will be shown at 7pm. please join us for a viewing of this beloved classic.

We look forward to seeing you at TThe Todd MercantileThursday night, cookie baker or eater, for a touch of the merry and bright.

Subscribe for more Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas!http://bit.ly/1vBdUZC Emmet and his pals practice for the talent show.The Jim Henson Company has remained...

10/08/2024

words from our Executive Director on our recent trip to the ZRC - Stateline Resource Station!

"Today Molly Lewis and I went to the Zionville Ramp Company (ZRC) rural resource hub on 421 at the TN/NC state line. What an amazing job Valentine Cranford Reilly and Ashley are doing! Such an impressive and well-run operation!

Mountain Mermaids Collective, the local nonprofit Molly and I help lead, partnered with Valentine to establish Brittany's Fund, a special fund set up to support Helene aid efforts at ZRC. All donations go directly to meet the critical needs of people affected by the storm. The Zeffy Link below will lead you a donation page where you will receive a receipt for your tax-deductible donation from our 501c3. Many thanks to folks who have donated already. "

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/c26a482d-8fb8-42ee-aa06-5376ca0d05d3?fbclid=IwY2xjawFyBQxleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHeVDPdXcXwgGr4oZWJgG8o2hKB6boseq61uZn16g-tnmYpSAGHuDLqZfwg_aem_6fFVgElRVYiDnjDjyERgJQ

10/06/2024

Friends of Mountain Mermaids, our western NC community was devastated by Hurricane Helene just over a week ago. We are only beginning to comprehend the scale of the recovery effort, but we know already that our community's short-term and long-term needs are overwhelming and massive. To aid in the recovery, Mountain Mermaids Collective is collecting donations in a special campaign, Brittany's Fund (link below). Donations are tax-deductible and will go directly toward meeting critical needs in our community. Our good friend Valentine Cranford Reilly has been a leader in organizing this mutual aid endeavor, which is being coordinated at the Zionville Ramp Company. They are doing amazing work to send supplies, food, and aid to where it’s needed most. Please consider donating to support this crucial effort.

https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/c26a482d-8fb8-42ee-aa06-5376ca0d05d3

Mountain Mermaids Collective and Kind Design are taking donations to provide rural hubs for supplies, food, water, and essentials in areas most affected by the western North Carolina Helene hurricane. Our goal is to find where support is most needed and provide funding to meet the most critical post...

09/24/2024

thank you thank you! to our friends and Mermaid family: we are so grateful. our fall fundraiser was a grand success with over $1500 raised towards matching our Watauga Arts Council grassroots grant! We thank Liz Lanham and Amanda Opelt who brought their beautiful music to the occasion, Peter Perkins who made an Alabama white BBQ feast, The Todd Mercantile who hosted us, the artists who donated their work to the auction, and those who bought the art. It was a beautiful evening of warm love to start to the season on. may the goodness carry on!!! more pictures soon to follow 🧡🤎💛🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🧜‍♀️🧜🏾🧜‍♂️

09/20/2024

A moment to celebrate the fabulous MUSICIANS who will be playing tomorrow at our Fall Fundraiser. We are honored to have Amanda Held Opelt and Mermaids Mentor Liz Lanham grace the stage. You may be familiar with them from performances at The Todd Mercantile on their "Second Tuesday" dances which have gained a grand following here! No doubt these lovely ladies will treat us to an evening of first rate old time tunes, folk and bluegrass. We look forward to seeing you there! $20 gets you a plate of delicious food AND admission, admission alone is $5. Thank you for your consideration, and for supporting the arts!!

Ticket Link:
https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/355b9c08-ec2a-4c36-be47-e4599459d41e

09/19/2024

Silent Auction is LIVE!!! Click through to take a gander at the amazing art and creations donated by the talented friends of the Mountain Mermaids. We have a range of beautiful items - paintings, sculpture, original art cards and jewelry, handmade quilts, exquisite floral arrangements and eye catching bejeweled plant stakes! You can donate online and participate in the auction even if you are unable to attend the fundraising event this Saturday at the The Todd Mercantile. Bidding closes 7:45PM on September 21st. A few items need to be collected in person (paintings, floral arrangements), but many can be shipped! We thank you in advance for your participation and consideration. Many many thanks to our friends & their generosity We are honored to share their art with you, and we look forward to raising money to support our mission! Examples of a few of the iterms are seen in the photos. All items can be seen at the zeffy link! 🙏💖🧜‍♀️🧜🧜‍♂️

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/9e5a1687-bcb8-42d5-b760-602bc87e164c

09/15/2024

This Saturday, we will be gathering for the Equinox and to support arts education in the High Country - and we wanted first to give our host and hostess The Proper Respect and thank them for having us. If you have not been to The Todd Mercantile lately, you are in for a treat. New owners Sarah Zurhellen and Will Johnson are giving their love to the endeavor, and their good hearts and spirit shine through. (Full disclosure: we are proud to call Sarah one of our Board Members!) The Mercantile is open on the weekends, with community dances and potlucks every second Friday, and an artisan's Makers Mart every third Saturday. They sell delicious baked goods and cold beverages, including beer and cider. There are bags of ice for sale, packs of Excedrin, homemade quilts, jewelry, elderberry syrup, and other local artisans' wares. There is free Wifi and a comfortable, welcoming front porch where you can sit and watch the leaves fall....an upstairs room that's more like a dance hall. That's where we hope to see you this Saturday. Ticket link here:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/355b9c08-ec2a-4c36-be47-e4599459d41e?fbclid=IwY2xjawFSYD5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVN1nqZSicEGAXhTzRB9Vq6rYOGDXS7pqdd4Xa2tdDy3qXnYQYRUT01B1A_aem_oC0Ic1-NSqVCOvBuD3alTQ

Come down this Saturday and support arts education....make a new friend....check out the The Todd Mercantile! It's a fine gathering spot and we are so honored to have our event here. Thank you, Sarah and Will!

09/13/2024

DIY: Heal the World!

One week until The Mermaids welcome you at The Todd Mercantile for fun, frolic, food….and fellowship. For those who have bought their tickets, THANK YOU! For those who have not yet, be prepared for a week of reasons why you SHOULD.

The first being that this is how we will heal the world. Lofty ambition, perhaps, but hear me out. The Mermaids’ mission is about building an inclusive and diverse arts community here in Western North Carolina. This is a worthy goal, and the effort to build it is indeed a great thing in and of itself. What I am talking about though, is a little bit bigger than even that.

Lots of talk today about the divisive culture. Lots of signs and buttons and WAY TOO MANY TV ads asking you to pick a side. But in general, in life, we folks DON’T pick sides. We all work together. Even though we spend time solo, punching keyboards, we here in the High Country DO go out. To concerts, to art, to church, to First Friday, to BBQs and floats. But when was the last time you made a NEW friend? We often go back to our same familiar group we don’t spend enough time with anyway. And all those people on the internet. Facebook, email…..maybe you think you have enough friends. I know I’ve been guilty of thinking that.

But this is how we change the world, heal it. By making NEW FRIENDS. Listening to different stories and sharing your own. Making new friends is a nice goal, but honestly it’s hard to achieve. Personally, I aim to be friendly to everyone I meet in the world, but being friendly isn’t making a new friend.

That’s where we Mermaids come in. We provide the space, the entertainment and the food - it is always good to break bread. $20 gets you in the door, and a delicious dinner to boot! Money raised goes towards supporting art education in the High Country. Gathered for a good cause, we dance a jig, sing a song, get our bellies full and maybe even make some new friends. All this without cleaning your house or dirtying a dish!!! We do all that, you just bring $20 and your kind sweet selves. Time to get started healing the world.

I’m looking forward to it.

TICKET LINK:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/355b9c08-ec2a-4c36-be47-e4599459d41e?fbclid=IwY2xjawFRj_BleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHR0jwJx5P3pzuojrt1ys1995AOao_vPNDTrl2N2RJJJuHYNgDZV8eJ6gEA_aem_MzJwsrbKcPA8wt1WzgtCWg

08/20/2024

(Exciting times in Todd NC as the sunlight turns to fall french vanilla.....)

Join us to kick off the Mermaids Mentors' fundraising campaign at the Todd Mercantile this September 21st!! We will groove and dance to live music - Amanda Heldopelt and Mermaid Mentor Liz Lanham will provide the groovy bluegrass tunes. There will be food! Donnie Hefner will be cooking his delicious BBQ Chicken. Dinners are available for $20 a plate. Sides will include: cornbread (GF), beans, slaw (vegetarian). A vegetarian BBQ entree option will also be available; please specify that at checkout when purchasing tickets. Drinks and dessert will be available for purchase. There will a silent art auction! Details coming about the auction....we have a few beautiful pieces available, but they deserve their own posts.
We aren thrilled to be expanding our Mentors Program with the help of a Watauga Arts Council Grassroots grant. Now we begin the exciting campaign of matching these funds and growing the organization so we may better serve our community....and have fun doing it. This should be a fun night with grand people in a great place. If you have not been to The Todd Mercantile lately, you really should. Fill your belly with food, fill your soul with beautiful music & art, and fill your heart with the good energy of friends. Join our mission to support Arts Education in the High Country!

link to facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/share/PESv4zY2ZgDXf8kZ/
link to buy tickets:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/355b9c08-ec2a-4c36-be47-e4599459d41e

On September 21, 2024, the Mountain Mermaids Collective, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is throwing a party with BBQ, live music, and a silent auction at the Todd Mercantile to raise funds for young artists in the High Country. The 2024 Mermaids Mentors program, now in its second year, is parti...

08/14/2024

Wednesday music to make your day a little sweeter 🥰

"One Less Question" by & , out nowStream & download at https://madidiaz.ffm.to/onelessquestionShot by Caity Krone on Super8Writte...

08/10/2024

BIG NEWS!
PROJECT EXPANSION
NEW FESTIVAL DATE
SEPTEMBER PARTY IN TODD!!!

The Mountain Mermaids Collective is excited to announce the expansion of our Mermaids Mentors Project, which will now include five mentors. This project was developed to help young artists in the high country gain professional experience with a mentor, and the expansion aims to provide even more support and guidance to young artists in the Western North Carolina community. Along with this expansion, the program dates have been shifted to better accommodate the needs of the participants.

The Mermaids Mentors Project, originally consisting of three mentors, will now grow to include five talented local artists who are passionate about supporting young artists. Artists working in all mediums who want to contribute to the development of a diverse, sustainable, and inclusive arts community in Western North Carolina may apply. Preference is given to applicants who have experience as mentors or educators. Additional information about the Mentors Project, including the application, are at the Collective’s website: www.mtnmermaids.org
The original program dates were set for a summer program concluding in September 2024, but the newly expanded program will begin in January 2025. The final projects of the Mentors Project will be presented at Sirens on the Mountain, now scheduled for May 31st, 2025. This shift in dates allows for a more comprehensive and impactful program for the participants.
In addition, the Mountain Mermaids Collective is proud to announce that we have been selected as the recipient of a Watauga County Grassroots Arts Grant. This grant allows for the expansion of the Mentors Project. To celebrate these milestones and to further support our initiatives, we will be kicking off a matching funds campaign with a party at the Todd Mercantile on September 21st. This event will feature live music, a silent auction, and a delicious BBQ dinner.
For more information about the Mountain Mermaids Collective and the Mermaids Mentors Project, please visit our website (www.mtnmermaids.org) and follow us on social media.
Applications to be a Mermaids Mentor can be found HERE:

https://form.jotform.com/WataugaArts/mermaid-arts-collective-mentorship-

We hope you will join us on September 21st in Todd!!! See you then.

Please click the link to complete this form.

06/17/2024

CALLING ALL HIGH COUNTRY ARTISTS, ages 13-18!
Applications are open for the Mountain Mermaids Mentor Program 2024. If you have a creative spark, we are excited to hear your voice! From the applicants, three youth artists (age 13-18) will be selected to work with a local professional artist in a supportive environment. During the course of the mentorship, these young artists will have an opportunity to take an idea from inception to presentation. Final projects are presented at Sirens on the Mountain, our annual festival, now in its eighth year.

APPLICANTS: You will need to be available for two dates in particular: Sirens on the Mountain, Saturday, September 21 (please be available ALL DAY), and for our orientation on Tuesday, July 9, from 3-6PM. Over the course of the summer, mentors and mentees will craft their own schedules for continued collaboration. If you can commit to being with us on 7/9 and 9/21, then please apply!

The Mountain Mermaids Collective is proud to be the recipient of a 2024 Watauga County Grassroots Arts Grant, and we are thrilled to partner with three outstanding mentors for the second year of our program. Biographies of the mentors are available on our website (https://www.mtnmermaids.org/mermaids-mentors-2024).

Liz Lanham (bluegrass musician & teacher)
Kelsey Merrick Wagner (mixed media artist)
Katie Rose DeLucia (visual artist, mental health advocate)

We can’t wait to meet you and celebrate your passion. Apply today! Thanks in advance for your consideration.
https://www.mtnmermaids.org
https://form.jotform.com/WataugaArts/mentee-application

Please click the link to complete this form.