Frida Fest
Old Town celebrates the birth of one of North America's greatest artists, Frida Kahlo, with an extravaganza of color, music, dance and art during this month's Second Saturday Artwalk!
July's Hot Spots: Identity Vintage and Vinyl, 131 Main Street, and Gallery 220, 220 Main Street.
- by Traci Shields
July's Hot Spots: Identity Vintage and Vinyl, 131 Main Street, and Gallery 220, 220 Main Street.
- by Traci Shields
Last year's first place winner in the Frida costume contest, Michelle Allee. photo by Ana Balka
Over the past twenty years, the monthly artwalk has become one of the most popular events in the region. Old Town stays lively all day, with many merchants and restaurants offering specials. The pace picks up from 4pm – 8pm, when gallery openings and live music keep the streets humming with activity.
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This specially themed Second Saturday artwalk on July 8th celebrates the birthday of iconic artist Frida Kahlo with an extraordinary costume contest and a fiesta of other special happenings!
This event has quickly become one of the absolutely do-not-miss annual celebrations on the coast. Make sure to visit Hot Spot businesses Identity Vintage (111 Main Street) and Gallery 220 (220 Main Street).
Complete Frida Fest Schedule!
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This Second Saturday column is sponsored by
Click here and scroll down to read archived Second Saturday columns
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2015 costume contestants, photo by Ana Balka
http://passmainstreet.com/businesses/All Afternoon :
~ Flower Crowns available at French Potager, 213 Main Street
~ Special menus at:
- Starfish Cafe, 211 Main Street
- Mockingbird Cafe, 110 S. Second Street
- Sycamore House, 210 Main Street
- Sonny's Cypress Cafe - 300 S. Second Street.
- Trapani's Eatery - 116 North Beach
- 200 North Beach - 200 N. Beach Blvd.
~ Frida-themed door prize at Hot Spot Identity Vintage, 131 Main Street (no purchase necessary to enter!), drawing at 7:30. Taquitos and Punch served at Identity Vintage beginning at 5 til....
~ Roaming Luchadores available for photo ops
~ Community Mural at Social Chair, 201 Main Street
~ Frida inspired art and gifts all over town
~ Mexican Folkloric Dance from New Orleans Hispano America Dance Group (spontaneous start time)
Scheduled Events:
4:00pm - 2nd Saturday begins - listen for the sounds of the Bay's own Bay Ratz Marching Battery with the amazing Skinz & Bonez from New Orleans
4:30pm - registration opens for Frida Be You & Me Look Alike contest at Smith & Lens Gallery
4:30pm - Imagination Station at French Potager, 213 Main Street: make Papel Picado (Mexican cut out flags)
5:00pm - Loteria (Mexican Bingo) opens on courtyard next to Smith & Lens Gallery, 106 S. Second Street
5:00pm - Frida Food at Hot Spot Gallery 220, 220 Main Street
5:30pm - strolling mariachi begins at Hot Spot Identity Vintage, 131 Main Street, and will wander through old town
5:30pm - Pearl's Girls will begin their Salsa Dance demo at Shops at 126 Main Street.
5:30pm - super-cool airbrushed tattoos available from Paul's Tattoo Parlor at Bay-Tique, 125 Main Street
6:30pm - Blue Magnolia performs at The Mockingbird Cafe, 110 S. Second Street.
7:30pm - Frida Be You and Me Look Alike contest begins at Smith & Lens Gallery, 106 S. Second Street
Identity Vintage & Vinyl
131 Main Street, Suite A
Bay St. Louis
Identity Vintage carries pristine, highly collectible vinyl albums, vintage décor, owner Suzi Walters’s own jewelry line, Avec Amour, and much more. When you walk through the door you take a step back in time and escape the stresses of the world. This store is a place where you hear the music playing, and you walk around reminiscing and feeling like a part of a retro world that so many of us miss.
Owner Suzi Walters has nearly 1000 albums for sale at Identity Vintage & Vinyl. If you are looking for a certain piece that isn’t in stock, she is happy to order it. Requests are generally in the shop within a week.
Walters adds new vinyl to her shop every Saturday morning. Each record is in remarkable condition, and all are professionally cleaned, re-sleeved and play tested. If you miss the joy of buying a record and taking it home to spin it on your turntable while absorbing every image on the cover, Identity Vintage & Vinyl is your store.
Walters also showcases her jewelry line, Avec Amour. Each piece is individually designed and crafted using charms, crystals and religious medals. No two pieces will ever be completely alike, as they are each made with found treasures.
Walter enjoys making custom pieces for clients with either their own found items, or with trinkets from her collection. “I hope that my jewelry brings hope, peace and harmony to the new owners.”
Walter is proud that everything found in Identity Vintage & Vinyl is "green," or comes from a fair trade business. “The items you find in my store speak to people, and when they speak to people they speak loudly."
“I am proud to be a small business in Bay St. Louis,” says Walters. “I cannot imagine being in a better place."
Identity Vintage & Vinyl is open Wednesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday 12:15-4:30 p.m.
Owner Suzi Walters has nearly 1000 albums for sale at Identity Vintage & Vinyl. If you are looking for a certain piece that isn’t in stock, she is happy to order it. Requests are generally in the shop within a week.
Walters adds new vinyl to her shop every Saturday morning. Each record is in remarkable condition, and all are professionally cleaned, re-sleeved and play tested. If you miss the joy of buying a record and taking it home to spin it on your turntable while absorbing every image on the cover, Identity Vintage & Vinyl is your store.
Walters also showcases her jewelry line, Avec Amour. Each piece is individually designed and crafted using charms, crystals and religious medals. No two pieces will ever be completely alike, as they are each made with found treasures.
Walter enjoys making custom pieces for clients with either their own found items, or with trinkets from her collection. “I hope that my jewelry brings hope, peace and harmony to the new owners.”
Walter is proud that everything found in Identity Vintage & Vinyl is "green," or comes from a fair trade business. “The items you find in my store speak to people, and when they speak to people they speak loudly."
“I am proud to be a small business in Bay St. Louis,” says Walters. “I cannot imagine being in a better place."
Identity Vintage & Vinyl is open Wednesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday 12:15-4:30 p.m.
Gallery 220
220 Main Street
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
228-466-6347
photo by Ellis Anderson
Gallery 220 is one of the most energetic artist co-ops on the Gulf Coast. This epicenter of creative energy is owned by Jenise McCardell and husband Mark Currier, who are artists themselves.
Gallery 220 is located just a few blocks from the beach in one of the few examples of Art Deco architecture in Old Town Bay St. Louis. But while it is filled with amazing artwork by award-winning artists from the local area, Gallery 220 will not give you a stereotypical art gallery experience when you walk through the doors.
Twenty-three local artists belong to this cooperative gallery and split up the work schedule. These are artists who feel passionate about their work, and who share their knowledge and enthusiasm while staffing the gallery.
The gallery features paintings, drawings, sculptures, jewelry, t-shirts, pottery, photography and more. Some artists even bring their works-in-progress with them so that between helping customers they can draw, paint, or sketch.
Everyone feels welcomed and at ease at Gallery 220. It is the type of place where art and real life meet, and where customers stay long after their purchases to relish in the energy and good vibes.
This Second Saturday Gallery 220 will be serving “Frida” food, so stop by this town anchor and have a snack while you shop or talk to artists about their work.
Gallery 220 is open seven days a week, Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday Noon-5pm.
Gallery 220 is located just a few blocks from the beach in one of the few examples of Art Deco architecture in Old Town Bay St. Louis. But while it is filled with amazing artwork by award-winning artists from the local area, Gallery 220 will not give you a stereotypical art gallery experience when you walk through the doors.
Twenty-three local artists belong to this cooperative gallery and split up the work schedule. These are artists who feel passionate about their work, and who share their knowledge and enthusiasm while staffing the gallery.
The gallery features paintings, drawings, sculptures, jewelry, t-shirts, pottery, photography and more. Some artists even bring their works-in-progress with them so that between helping customers they can draw, paint, or sketch.
Everyone feels welcomed and at ease at Gallery 220. It is the type of place where art and real life meet, and where customers stay long after their purchases to relish in the energy and good vibes.
This Second Saturday Gallery 220 will be serving “Frida” food, so stop by this town anchor and have a snack while you shop or talk to artists about their work.
Gallery 220 is open seven days a week, Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday Noon-5pm.
July's Featured Artists
Amy Kramer and Nancy Lowentritt
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work by Amy Kramer
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Amy Kramer
Amy Kramer is a self-taught Bay artist known for her colorful and energetic underwater and floral abstracts presenting her love for water and the garden.
Since receiving her Bachelor’s degree from LSU, Kramer has taken numerous formal and informal lessons using a multitude of mediums, but is always drawn back to her acrylic blues and greens on large canvases.
You will find Amy working at Gallery 220 on Sunday. “I enjoy working at Gallery 220 and having the remarkable opportunity of conversing with magnificent people from all over the world,” she says.
“A few of my favorite things about living and working in Bay St. Louis are the gulf, oak trees, my friends, and of course, the wonderful people I've met.”
Amy Kramer is a self-taught Bay artist known for her colorful and energetic underwater and floral abstracts presenting her love for water and the garden.
Since receiving her Bachelor’s degree from LSU, Kramer has taken numerous formal and informal lessons using a multitude of mediums, but is always drawn back to her acrylic blues and greens on large canvases.
You will find Amy working at Gallery 220 on Sunday. “I enjoy working at Gallery 220 and having the remarkable opportunity of conversing with magnificent people from all over the world,” she says.
“A few of my favorite things about living and working in Bay St. Louis are the gulf, oak trees, my friends, and of course, the wonderful people I've met.”
Nancy Lowentritt
“I am a proud weekender of Bay St. Louis,” said Nancy Lowentritt. She has been part of the art scene here in Old Town Bay St Louis for the past eight years.
Lowentritt paints exclusively in acrylics, painting seascapes, crabs, boats, birds, houses, restaurants, and other sights of everyday life. She is always hoping to capture the culture of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A unique aspect of Lowentritt’s work is that she usually primes her canvases in red before starting a painting.
A lot of Lowentritt’s paintings are small, affordable pieces that locals and visitors alike can easily take home, although she paints large canvases as well.
“At Gallery 220, I have the opportunity to work on Sundays, meeting simply wonderful people from all over the world, some who come back year after year to add to their collections,” she says. Lowentritt’s paintings and note cards can also be seen at Bay Life, her other favorite place to shop.
“I am a proud weekender of Bay St. Louis,” said Nancy Lowentritt. She has been part of the art scene here in Old Town Bay St Louis for the past eight years.
Lowentritt paints exclusively in acrylics, painting seascapes, crabs, boats, birds, houses, restaurants, and other sights of everyday life. She is always hoping to capture the culture of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A unique aspect of Lowentritt’s work is that she usually primes her canvases in red before starting a painting.
A lot of Lowentritt’s paintings are small, affordable pieces that locals and visitors alike can easily take home, although she paints large canvases as well.
“At Gallery 220, I have the opportunity to work on Sundays, meeting simply wonderful people from all over the world, some who come back year after year to add to their collections,” she says. Lowentritt’s paintings and note cards can also be seen at Bay Life, her other favorite place to shop.
