The shallow waters of the Russian River in Healdsburg were the scene Saturday of lighthearted mayhem at the second annual Healdsburg Water Carnival.
A floating Tiki hut nearly collided with a pirate-themed vessel but managed to avoid catastrophe during a water parade of 20 crafty floats on the cool, sunny morning.
Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane, perched on a lifeguard stand on the pirate float, brandished a water gun at the spectators as a fellow mariner growled, "Arr!"
"Way up here," yelled Dov Campbell, 41, of Healdsburg, taking in the scene from the railroad bridge with his 3-year-old son perched with anticipation on his shoulders.
Both hoped for a splash of water. But mom Jeneen, 36, quickly stepped away.
"I don't want to get sprayed!" Jeneen said.
Spectators on the bridge were spared, but a crowd watching the floats from a bank across from the beach got hosed by firefighters on yet another float.
"The kids are having a blast," Dov Campbell said. "This is one of the great times of the year."
The event was a benefit for Sonoma County Regional Parks to raise money for the summer dam that creates the swimming area at Veterans Memorial Beach. It attracted about 4,000 revelers, organizer Bert Whitaker said.
"This is the last publicly lifeguarded swimming area on the Russian River," Whitaker said. "There's a lot of history here. Water carnivals really were strong here."
Such festivals were popular in the 1910s and 1920s, but tapered off in the 1930s, organizers said.
The concept was revived last year to help pay for installation of the dam, which enlarges and deepens the swimming area in the summer and costs about $65,000 a year, Whitaker said.
Jeanne Button, 70, of Healdsburg said she learned to swim in the Russian River and recalled jumping off the railroad bridge as a little girl.
"When you're little, you're real scared, but everyone else did it so you did it, too," she said. "It's probably just by the grace of God that we're still alive."
On Saturday, a bevy of mermaids made their way under the bridge, gliding through the water like sirens. When they reached the shore, mermaid Vira Burgerman splashed her svelte gold tail, which shimmered in the sunlight.
Fellow mermaids in sparkling sea green and deep purple slithered around her, posing as people snapped photos.
"It takes practice, and very good core strength" to be a mermaid, Burgerman said. She assumes the alter ego at local events to promote river stewardship and environmental causes.
The afternoon featured wine-barrel racing, a vintage swimsuit contest and a rubber-duck race. Jazz Mafia Allstars and Kaza Moze entertained the crowd with music, and food trucks served tasty bites.
Healdsburg native Sarah Valencia, 25, traveled from her new hometown of Campbell to visit family and soak in the heritage.
"I love this town," Valencia said. "This was a turn-of-the-century event that they only resurrected last year, so it's new and fun and a reason to come home."
(You can reach Staff Writer Cathy Bussewitz at 521-5276 and cathy.bussewitz@pressdemocrat.com.)
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