by Ezabelle Janssen, Staff Writer

BAY ST. LOUIS (GG) — Old Town Bay Saint Louis felt Fri-da party on Saturday, July 12th, during their 10th annual Frida Fest. The festival centered around the Mockingbird Café, but the party really took place throughout the Historic District of Old Town Bay St. Louis. On this day, the city came together to celebrate the life, art, and culture of the iconic Frida Kahlo. 

Frida Fest was born in 2015, nurtured by Ann Madden and Sandy Maggio. The festival has done much more than simply honor Frida Kahlo. Frida Fest is a celebration of diversity, supporting artists, and making a positive impact on the artistically vibrant community of Bay St. Louis. The festival has continued to grow and remains a highly anticipated event of the summer season. 

Like most of what goes on in Bay St. Louis, Frida Fest truly is a community affair. The city comes together to support one another, which contributes to the festival’s success. The local shops were filled with Frida flair. From ornate flower crowns to vibrant dresses. Allowing one to sport the town’s fashion while enjoying its festivities. 

An all-day extravaganza!

The morning left sweat beading at bushy unibrows during the Frida 5Kahlo Fun Run, organized by the Bay Saint Louis Running Company, to kick off the day at 8 a.m. Participants showed up in Lululemon with Mexican flair while some forgoed activewear entirely and ran in traditional Mexican attire.

Have you seen Frida in tennis shoes?

As the summer day drew to a close, the nightlife readily commenced. A barrage of live music, food, drinks, and dancing was housed at party central, Mockingbird Cafe.

“Play that funky music white boy,” DJ Dougie Funk, the owner of Good Earth Records, got the night started. The Afro-Cuban Jazz band OTRA, followed suit, keeping the party going 6 p.m.- till… forever!

A cultural conquest, Mockingbird Cafe curated a Special Frida food & drink menu. The menu was a mashup of Mexican flavors and the Mockingbird foods you know and love. A Latin American novelty, Street Corn, was a fan favorite. Eaten as a meal or side to your Mockingburger.

Need more veggies? The Mexican quinoa bowl provided a healthier option for those concerned. But if this was your cheat day, the Beef Empanadas were the way to go, baked to perfection, with housemade sriracha sour cream. However, sriracha is an interesting Thai addition to Hispanic cuisine.

Wash it all down with the signature Frida-Rita, a margarita with a wild (blueberry) side, just like Frida. 

What would Frida Fest be without art? The Bay St. Louis Art Pop Street Market filled the street, and two unique sellers popped up at Mockingbird. The La Bella Loca Latin Market featured an array of art, including mini Frida sculptures, hand-painted plates, vibrant fish, and much more. The beloved Spencer Gray Jr. made an appearance with his whimsical sculptures we have come to know and love. 

The festival’s atmosphere was inviting and addictive; all were dancing and laughing together as Frida would have wanted, as she said, “Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light.” The best moment was when Selena’s hit, “Biddi Biddi Bom Bom,” came on and the lyrics were chanted so loudly and proudly, Waveland could hear the fun being had.

Possibly the most awaited event of the day, the Frida look-a-like contest, where 23 men, women, children, and even dogs strutted their Frida Fashion in front of Mockingbird Cafe before a panel of judges and a cheerful crowd. Every year, the Frida look-alike contest raises money for a good cause. This year, Frida’s love for animals inspired the charity, supporting Woodside Wildlife Rescue, a volunteer-run nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates Mississippi’s local wildlife. 

The judges’ panel was nothing short of magnificent, featuring the award-winning journalist Rachel Dangermond, who is passionate about race and equity, and notably the owner of the beloved 100 Men Hall in Bay Saint Louis, where the community often gathers for cultural and musical events. Last year’s Frida Look-alike winner, Judge Natalie Chabera Meeks, is the co-owner and vegan chef behind Saint August Maison in Old Town Slidell, Louisiana.

The venue offers delicious plant-based and organic dishes, appealing to those who prefer plant-based and eco-conscious options. Of course, the event’s cofounder, Judge Sandy Maggio, had to witness the spectacle. An award-winning artist, owner of Sandy Maggio Jewelry, co-owner of Smith and Lens Gallery, and founder of both Frida Fest and DollyShould, she is passionate about community and inclusiveness.

Local artist Judge Paulette Dove left her Biloxi studio, “Side Door,” to serve as a judge. She is a member of the Ocean Springs Art Association, president of the South Mississippi Art League, and a board member of Mississippi Art Colony. Dove has been painting and exhibiting across the Gulf Coast for many years.

Last but not least, Judge Leanne Murray, a nurse practitioner, author, and founder of Bay Saint Louis Running Company, enjoys hosting fun runs at the Mockingbird Café—her favorite local spot for community connection—and now adds judging to her repertoire. 

Frida said, “The most important part of the body is the brain. On my face, I like eyebrows and eyes.”

We all had to agree as we viewed these amazing Frida Look-alikes. There were two categories, with an honorable mention of the one furry contestant.

In the kids category, the charming toddler in yellow, Elle Rose, secured third place. The second place was awarded to the duo, Jay and Monket (carried by their parents), while the top honor went to the stunning redhead, Franky, with her frame, strolling like a living painting.

In the adult category, Millie, with her frame and pet monkey, claimed third place. Nancy, with her fabulous bag and makeup skills, took second, and the overall winner of the contest and our hearts was Valorie Hart. Hart strutted on stage with an ornate crown made of flowers and paintbrushes, a paint-stained top, a rose corset adorned with the communist symbol and la cirazon, and a dress draped with paintbrushes.

All winners received beautiful Frida Art as their trophy from local artist Michelle Allee. One-of-a-kind plaques in an array of colors, adorned with Frida’s face, having an Andy Warhol vibe. 

I had the pleasure of interviewing winner Valorie Hart: “[ Where are you from?] Here! Two blocks away. [How much time and effort did it take to make your whole costume?] Well, I started thinking about it for months, and then it wasn’t that hard to put together once I had the idea. The idea came from this headpiece that a friend from Facebook, who I don’t know, sent to me. The paint brushes and the whole thing about being an artist, I built my whole look around it, and Frida laid in the hospital bed many times in a plaster cast, immobile from her accident that she had with a street car when she was young, and she would paint the cast. So that was my inspiration for Frida, and she was a communist, and that’s her corazon, and so that was my inspiration. And these are my real clothes, but they look like paintbrushes stroked to me. So I wanted to do something a little different this year, but this headpiece was the inspiration. [What do you do when you are not Frida?] I am an author of a book called Bohemian Soul and I’m working on another book called Bohemian by the Bay about this area. [How does it feel to be the winner?] Great! Oh my god, great. I never thought I would be. I mean today I was feeling really blue, and I just came out to hang out with all the cool people here and people that I love. I really wasn’t expecting it, so it’s wonderful.” 

Valorie Hart is an amazing woman with many talents. Valorie created the popular blog Visual Vamp, captivating a broad audience with her vibrant fashion and interior decor. It has now transferred to social media.

Her book, Bohemian Soul, “is a Valentine to New Orleans,” and Bohemian by the Bay will be “a love note to an extraordinary community,” as Hart said during an interview with Cindy Hattersley. 

But the question remains, why Frida?

She is not a local, but it’s not about where you’re from; it’s about who you are, which embodies the town of Bay St. Louis. A woman known for her resilience, painting through the pain, as Bay St. Louis braved the storm of Hurricane Katrina.

Frida once explained, “I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.”

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is a place where all the “strange” folk can gather and celebrate their differences and similarities.

(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette)