The Big Buzz - May 2015 - The Shoofly Magazine

The Big Buzz - May 2015

5/1/2015

Star-struck in the Bay this month! Find out why Bay-Waveland is a media darling.

Gregg in the Bay? Believe it!

Michael Rosato recently announced that the legendary Gregg Allman will be headlining the 2015 Bay Harborfest in Bay St. Louis. The three-day event runs Friday, July 17 – Sunday, July 19th. Allman will be performing on Saturday.

Locals expressed both glee and surprise at the announcement and tickets immediately began selling on the event’s website.

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Rosato says that the announcement hasn’t been made in papers or on radio yet. He wanted to give locals a chance to buy “Early Bird” tickets online for as little as $25.

While the festival will run from Friday through Sunday, Saturday will be the only ticketed day. Admission on Friday and Sunday will be free.

Rosato explained the unique set-up. “Saturday, we have the big guns bands scheduled, like Gregg Allman, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, Mel Waiters, Frank Foster and Brandon Niederauer.”

“On Friday and Sunday, we’ll have light music out there for atmosphere, a fun kids’ area and an art market. It’ll be more about showcasing the Bay-Waveland area on those days.”

Bay Harborfest has scheduled ten bands already and there are more acts being finalized. The main stage will be located on the beach for 2015, north of the harbor.

“People say they can’t believe it, and rightly so, it’s unbelievable,” says Rosato.

“I am determined to create a regionally significant and unique event and utilize our setting – the iconic beach, the harbor and the bridge. Nobody’s going to be able to touch it.”

The Bay Harborfest Website

Bill On-The-Road Falls For the Bay

Bill takes to the stage while touring 100 Men Hall in Bay St. Louis

Light, Cameras, Bay St. Louis!

In late April, the Bay worked it's charm on St. Louis-based radio commentator, writer and videographer Bill Clevlen.

Clevlen's website, Bill On The Road, is filled with articles, podcasts and videos from his trips around the country to "discover the people and places making America great."
Apparently, he fell hard for BSL. The article is titled,"Bay St. Louis, MS: Beyond Katrina, Beyond Hospitality." In his opening paragraphs, he eloquently states what we who live here know so well and never take for granted:

I hadn’t been out of the 39520 zip code for more than half an hour before I started to miss the friendly faces, great stories and hugs and handshakes from the people of Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi.

The small beach town of less than 10,000 residents sits along the states western coast. While the south is generally known for its “hospitality” – the people of Bay Saint Louis seem to go above and beyond just the typical southern smiles and charm.

This was one of the more interesting trips I’ve done as I really had no idea what I’d be doing or who I’d be visiting with before I arrived. Over the course of three days I found one thing in common with every person I interviewed or talked to – people are the reason Bay Saint Louis is such a special place.

Read the entire piece here and then share with friend, family and associates. They'll want to read more of Bill's articles while they're there!

"Isolation" Unit Production Manager, Jase Payne, from Gulfport thinks the Mississippi Coast is on its way to being a favored filming location.

To date, the main feather in the Bay’s Hollywood hat is the 1966 move, “This Property Is Condemned,” directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford, Natalie Wood and Charles Bronson.

But that's probably going to change. And soon.

On April 27th, two Old Town establishments were tapped as stand-ins for locations in the Bahamas as the movie crew of “Isolation,” filmed in Bay St. Louis.

Both the Mockingbird Café and the Sycamore House restaurant hosted cast and crew for the action feature, slated for release in November. The movie stars Dominic Purcell, Luke Mably, Tricia Helfer and Marie Avgeropoulos and is directed by Shane Dax Taylor.

"Isolation" began shooting in the Bahamas last December, with additional scenes being shot recently at Cat Island. The movie’s unit production manager, Jase Payne, lives in Gulfport. He says the producers fell in love with the authenticity of Bay St. Louis and decided to shoot some of the scenes here.

According to Payne, Bay St. Louis is a natural star and is sure to host more movie crews in the near future. He knows of two other major features that will be using Mississippi coast locations before the year is out.

“Producers call this the Mississippi coast ‘a hidden gem,’” says Payne. They’d like to keep it a secret, but it’s getting discovered all the same.”

Also, read the Sea Coast Echo's May 1st story about a Luke Perry movie shooting in Kiln.

Waveland Home Featured on "Tiny House Nation"

It's been nearly a decade since Hurricane Katrina destroyed the home of Pye Parson and forced her family to relocate from the coast to Birmingham. While she always dreamed of rebuilding in Waveland, it seemed unaffordable until she stumbled onto the concepts touted in the hit television show "Tiny House Nation."

Using plans designed by her brother-in-law, Bruce Lanier (Standard Creative, in Birmingham), Pye began building a new sort of dream house. The whole process was followed by the "Tiny House Nation" crews and is the subject of an hour-long episode of show on FYI network - "The 576 sq. ft. Mississippi Memory Home."

Pye's house is also showcased as the Cleaver "Home of the Month." Read Pye's story and take a visual tour of the house in this month's At Home in the Bay column!

Once Again - BSL is a Top Ten

In April, the website "The Culture Trip" named Bay St. Louis as one of the "Top Ten Most Beautiful Cities in Mississippi."

Located on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, a few miles from the border with Louisiana, Bay St. Louis is an idyllic seaside town brimming with rich history, beautiful sights and a lively cultural scene just begging to be explored.

Read the rest here and see who else made the cut.