As the line from the classic Disney film states, “Life is much better down where it’s wetter, under the sea” and the Great Bend Public Library gave visitors a chance to experience an underwater party Saturday morning as it hosted the “Under the Sea Mermaid Tea” for kids of all ages.

Visitors had the opportunity to join Ariel and her friends from the animated film, “The Little Mermaid,” for a mermaid tea party. Children’s librarian Jessica Ney hoped it would be a chance for parents and kids alike to feel a little extra special. 

“I hope they all feel like royalty,” she said. “The (kids) get to be princesses, and they get to be kings, and they get to be little mermen and little mermaids. It’s just a fun time.”

Music from the popular film provided background atmosphere for the morning festivities. Tables were decorated in pink and sea blue, along with seashells and glitter, with paper coral hanging from the ceiling to provide ambiance for the party. 

Accordingly, many of the youngsters accompanied by adult guests, attended the morning tea in their finest and brightest “under the sea” regalia, as princesses, mermaids and mermen. But Ney hoped the event would be about more than just the kids.

“(We want families) to get a chance to bond and really be a family,” she said. 

A buffet of ocean-themed sweet treats greeted the tea party’s guests, including goldfish, gummy fish, sweet “starfish” sandwiches, cream-filled rolls shaped as crabs, cookie sandwiches designed to look like clams, rock-candy “coral,” mermaid splash pudding, and more.

As guests dined, the youngsters colored and created mermaid crowns decorated with craft gems and glitter. Other mermaid-themed coloring pages were also available for the kids.

Tea time also included a story, “How to Catch a Mermaid,” by children’s author Adam Wallace, and an under-sea station for parents to take pictures of the kids dressed in their finery.

A mermaid-themed board game and Mermaid Twister were also available for the kids, if program time permitted, Ney said.

The special “Under the Sea” theme tied into the theme of the library’s summer reading program, “Oceans of Possibilities,.” 

“It’s an opportunity for them to think of the possibilities of what it would look like if you were a mermaid, and we got together and had tea,” Ney said.

The library will host other themed programs and activities throughout the course of the summer. Visit greatbendpl.info or call the library at 620-792-2409.