In 1999 the City of Norfolk adopted the mystical and mythical mermaid as the city logo.

Attorney and city booster the late Peter G. Decker Jr. and his wife, Bess, pushed city officials to be creative, and do something similar to Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” art exhibition. The city bought into the concept of life-size mermaids and hired local artists, commissioning more than 100 half-woman, half-sea-creature statues to be mounted around downtown and various neighborhoods. Each mermaid is themed, dressed up with gold scales, American flags, and nautical symbols-just to name a few.

Today, the mermaids’ popularity shows no sign of cresting, with the symbols proliferating throughout town.  http://www.mermaidsonparade.com/

Suburban Acres is blessed with our own mermaid…Flora…who appears in the neighborhood from spring to fall recognizing particularly nice lawns and landscapes.  The designated Yard of the Month gets a month-long visit from Flora, and the envy of the rest of us!

Our Flora is made of plywood rather than the fiberglass of Norfolk’s bigger-than-life-size mermaids, so she requires regular rehabilitation, accounting for her absence in the winter months.  We can only assume she travels south each year, but always reappears in the spring refreshed, often with a new outfit.

If you think Flora has missed a deserving household, we understand she takes suggestions and occasionally checks her email at suburbanacres@gmail.com.