Cocoa Beach Music is closed.
I don't know about you - but I do know about me. I have to write and let go.
If you've never been to Cocoa Beach - you missed a wonderful place in SL and some of the most wonderful family.
I started going to Cocoa Beach to get to the Safe Waters Foundation Mer-Meetings - meetings for mermaids and mermen. SWF is a wonderful group of dear friends - you should try being a mermaid or merman for a while... you would teleport to a hub and then click on the map to get to the meeting place which was underwater.
I didn't know what Cocoa Beach was all about until quite a while later. A group of us were practicing for a mermaid ballet performance - and at the end I heard someone singing live music there. I had no idea who it was - so I popped up from under the water and saw people in formal clothes.... a quick trip home and rummaging through inventory and tada - I had a pretty gown on. I went back to Cocoa Beach Music Mansion to find out who this singer was. Her name is: Shasta Soulstar. She was performing live and it was my first time to an SL live music event. I had no idea of such a thing before then.
I was greeted by someone who was very friendly - Ladybug Trafalgar - I'll never forget that night. We talked and talked - seemed like all night long. This encouraged me and I came back the next week to hear Shasta and to talk with Ladybug. Nearly two years later - I was still coming back on Sunday nights at 6pm slt to come hear Shasta.
It took a while - but then I remember meeting Dawn. Wonderful friend and sister of mine now. I remember becoming a Cocoa Beach Mermaid - a title I still love to have as it's rare - there aren't a lot of us.
For the Safe Waters Foundation newsletter I did a series of articles on the various parts of Cocoa Beach at that time - fun articles - with photos and adventure.
Over time, I got involved in various ways at Cocoa Beach - as a hostess. It's great fun greeting everyone at events. Helping at a Toys for Tots event. I met such wonderful people there - friends and family more than I could ever imagine. As a hostess I met a lot of wonderful performers - many of whom I've known for a while now.
I remember all the venues - Main Stage, Music Mansion, The Club at the Music Mansion, Tuscany Towne, Starlight Room and others.
I can remember so much of Cocoa Beach - the entry pavilion and the map to get other places. The amusement rides that we all over Cocoa Beach. The various areas - from romantic to informal to western - even a lighthouse. So very diverse and wonderful.
One day I was at an event at Cocoa Beach and a friend (Bonnie Revnik - wonderful designer, good friend) was dancing and I asked to join her. She was really dancing up a storm - wonderful dancer in SL. That got me curious so I started to learn about dancing in SL. That led to the Dance Queens group and their website (sldancequeens.blogspot.com). And that took me to having a Huddlez with some dance sequences that I started to share with my dear sisters. After a bit of dancing together, DJ Ray Trafalgar (Ladybug's hubby) came up with the name of the DJ Ray-lettes. Well... we created a little title for that and became known as the Ray-lettes. We've been dancing at DJ Ray's performances for quite a while now. It's always wonderful fun - I'm always glad to share and invite anyone to join us. We've had groups from two to over a dozen dancing together.
We danced a lot at Cocoa Beach - it always felt like home with family there.
This week Cocoa Beach Music was officially closed. It breaks my heart... but in the end - it was a so very wonderful place.
I'll miss Cocoa Beach Music - it was a place that was dear to my heart. Funny how we get so attached to a place - but in SL - places don't stay for all that long.
Cocoa Beach Music - I'll miss you.
I've met so many dear friends and family at Cocoa Beach - please keep in touch.
/me hugs tightly
