Aquarama: Beautiful Girls that Live Like Fish!

Aquarama: Beautiful Girls that Live Like Fish was just a great symposium and our friends, Jeff and Kelly of Vintage Roadside, provider so much history of an almost forgotten roadside attraction that we thought it deserved a post all of its own. Aquarama was a wonderful 1960s mermaid attraction once found on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri.

The symposium was started in a way that took the audience back in time to 1964 to give us an idea of what it would have felt like to be sitting front row at one of Aquarama's underwater shows. They played the opening sequence of the original narration and the music of one of their shows. It was great to see photos of the Aquarama from that time and to get to hear some of the original narration and music, but we are sure it was nothing like the real thing.  Something we are very sorry we never got to see ourselves. 


We were then taken through a history of the Johl Family who ran the Aquarama, as well as the Aquarama's history from 1964-1968 through vintage photos and film clips.  All of which the son of the owners had kept all of these years and entrusted Jeff and Kelly to share with others.  The presentation was wrapped up with a question and answer panel with not only Jeff and Kelly, but also Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid about aquatic entertainment, both past and present. 

Seating at the Aquarama.

Some of the Aquarama girls on opening day in 1964.

They did many different routines, including this one that included the girls coming out of huge clam shells that came from a Shell gasoline station.

Part of the menu from Aqurama.

Make sure to enjoy an Aquarama Sling!