Esther Bridges
Esther Bridges, long suffering wife of Floyd Bridges, entertained the crowds
while they waited for the band to sink. Billed as "The Mermaid Mandolinist,"
she would warm up the crowd with variations on old favorites like "London
Bridges", do tailstands, and dive for coins and whatever other items
people threw at the band. . . much of which, unfortunately, floated.
During what she referred to as Floyd's "dirt years", she spent her
time gardening to support Floyd's growing vegetarian disorder and developed
a rare nasal condition from the clothespins she wore when she slept with him.
She is credited on the recording of "Cattle Hymn of the Republic"
as Lady Pendleton VanDiver: mandolin and Tuvan throat singing.
Like Floyd, Esther dreams of rekindling former glories. She occasionally drags
out her old tail to entertain the folks at the home (they think it is sooo
quaint) and more than once has staged her finale in the fountain in the front
lobby.
When asked to reveal the secret of their long marriage, Esther smiled and
said: "It was that dang banjo."