Delicious “fair” food is available every day, but a special treat on Sunday, June 9, is the 4th Annual BBQ at the Beach cook-off. Come enjoy a funnel cake and corn dog, then have a helping of barbeque for dessert! But be careful not to eat too much before you ride the rides — heart-pounding twirling and splashing may not go well on a full belly! In the evenings, kick back and enjoy the sounds of local bands where you’ll get energized for the next day’s fun.

And if delicious food, spectacular midway rides and live music weren’t enough, check out the times on www.mscoastcoliseum.com/events/event_summerfair.html for the Racing Pig contests — a Summer Fair favorite! And what makes the pigs run so fast? Why an Oreo cookie as the favorite treat for the winner, of course!

Check out the website for more information on tickets and schedule for the summer’s most popular event!

A major Coast festival tradition, the Blessing of the Fleet is not without solemn honoring of those who died working the seas with a Memorial Mass for Deceased Fishermen on Thursday, May 30. When seafood canning plants sprung up along the Coast, thousands of immigrant workers came there for employment. The Mass is in respect to those fishermen who contributed to making the Coast seafood industry the phenomenon it is today.

The tradition of blessing the fleet marks the beginning of the fishing season for shrimp fishermen to invoke a safe and prosperous fishing season for each boat in the procession. As the procession passes by the anchored “Blessing Boat,” the officiating bishop and priest sprinkle holy water on each passing boat. Over the years, the procession has expanded to include boats of all shapes and sizes, anointing safe travels on the water.

But on Saturday, June 1, it’s party time, with dancing and feasting at the Biloxi Town Green from 10:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. with a fais do-do Cajun dance party. Then, at 7:00 p.m., The Molly Ringwalds take the stage. Having been called the “world’s greatest ’80s experience,” The Molly Ringwalds (hailing from Sheffield, England) don makeup and tease their hair in tribute to the musical genres of the decade. Check out www.themollyringwalds.com!

For more information about the 84th Annual Biloxi Blessing of the Fleet, visit www.biloxiblessing.com.

Festivals are no strangers to Bay St. Louis, where they know how to throw a party. But this inaugural event is sure to raise the bar! If you’re from the Southeast, you can bet there’s a favorite band playing, such as local bands Rochelle Harper and Phil Williams & House Katz. Michael Grimm, a Saturday headliner with a voice defined as “soulful and earthy,” hails from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and is best known for his win on NBC’s American’s Got Talent. Coupled with superb guitar playing talent, Grimm’s voice and instrumentals have earned him openings for tours such as B.B. King, The Doobie Brothers, the rock group Heart and most recently Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers.

Then, on Sunday, straight from New Orleans, Flow Tribe takes the stage. Described as “coming at you with the delicacy of a sledgehammer, Flow Tribe is said to create “backbone cracking music.” Sounds like fun! Of course, no Mississippi Gulf Coast music festival would be complete without an exceptional spread of Coast cuisine and wide array of local artisan creations. Need a festival break? Stroll the beach or shop the historic downtown district. It’s beautiful in the Bay!

For more info, go to www.bayharborfest.com.

At this coast-wide celebration ecotourists will enjoy activities along the Jourdan, Wolf, Tchoutacabouffa and Pascagoula rivers, along with bays and bayous. Community celebrations can be found on Biloxi Beach, Bay St. Louis Main Street, D’Iberville’s Fountain Marine Park, Ocean Springs Front Beach and Pascagoula’s Blueway. Not a kayaker or paddler? Rent a kayak and give it a try. Classes available. Feeling a little romantic? Sign up for a moonlight paddle? Check out the full moon (Strawberry Moon) on Saturday, June 22, as the Festival finale. You can even camp overnight at Deer Island!

For more information on South Coast SummerFest 2013, go to www.SouthCoastSummerFest.com or visit on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SouthcoastSummerfest.

Start out the festival on Friday evening, May 10, with a good hearty 5K run at 6:00 p.m. to warm up your muscles for the next two days of dancing in the streets. The musical lineup includes Flow Tribe, Captain Green and Gravy Flavored Kisses, to name a few.

Flow Tribe	Captain Green	Gravy Flavored Kisses

Bring your penny with you for admission. Yes, one whole penny (per person)—get the kids to pay their own way. As the event poster claims, this is “the most family-friendly, pocket-book friendly, pet-friendly, carbon-footprint friendly, friendly-friendly music festival on the Coast.”

For more information, check out www.oceanspringsfestival.com.

Festival day features a day full of entertainment and food, arts and local vendors, shopping, storytelling, classic cars and children’s activities. As for festival music?

You won’t want to miss Sugarcane Jane, one of the Mississippi/Alabama Gulf Coast favorites. One reviewer commented as to the band’s sound: “Armed with numerous instruments, their audiences experience an exceptional presentation of organic sounds highlighted by homespun harmonies and quality musicianship.” www.sugarcanejane.com

Also enjoy the sounds of Misha: “This pop/country, somewhat retro artist delivers uniquely pure, clear, innocent and silky-smooth vocals in an introspective collection of classy, elegant, artsy and moody songs.” www.cdbaby.com/cd/misha22

On Friday, May 3, the race teams arrive, and you are invited to come meet them and view their boats from 7:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. Then on Saturday, races begin at 10:00 a.m. with a full schedule of race events until 6:00 p.m. Races continue on Sunday too! For a detailed schedule, see www.smokinthesound.com.

Held at Jones Park at the site of the Gulfport Harbor, just east of the intersection of Highway 49 and Beach Boulevard (Highway 90), the Festival will showcase 14 bands on Friday, May 10, and 21 bands on Saturday. Check www.gulfportmusicfestival.com for schedule and tickets. Discount weekend passes may be found online prior to the day of the event.

About some of the entertainers:

The Smashing Pumpkins: “…have created one of the most acclaimed bodies of work in musical history having sold more than 30-million albums.” Their hits “defined the alternative music era.”
Shinedown: “I never want the audience to know what we’re going to do musically. I want them to be shocked…to think, ‘They did it again. They surprised me.’” (front man Brent Smith)
Wiz Khalifa: “One of the rap game’s brightest young stars to watch.”
OneRepublic: “Their debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, included the smash single ‘Apologize,’ which shattered digital sales and airplay records worldwide.”

Also, The Wallflowers, AWOLNATION, The Offspring and more!
Come enjoy food, fun and entertainment at this can’t-miss two-day festival that redefines that it means to party on the Coast!

While you’re building, skippering or watching the boats, enjoy entertainment by area bands all day long! Ever popular Cedric Burnside takes the stage Saturday evening and Chickin’ Daddy and the Hot Wings closes out the weekend on Sunday. There’s a beer tent for your sipping pleasure, as well as southern cuisine favorites. Feast on red beans and rice, crawfish and pork boudin, fried shrimp, crawfish plates, pulled pork, tator bombs, fried pork skins, funnel cakes and more!

When ot boat racing or watching, check out the antique car show in downtown Moss Point. Hot rods, muscle cars and antique treasures! Let the kids play in the bounce house while you shop the arts and crafts. And learn something new at one of several educational booths, such as the Pascagoula River Audubon Center’s Scavenger Hunt and the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Animal Exhibit.

Fun for all ages! For more info, www.rockintheriverfront.com.

Kite trivia: According to www.NationalKiteMonth.org, the earliest written account of kite-flying was about 200 B.C. when a Chinese general flew a kite over the walls of a city he was attacking to gauge how far his troops would have to tunnel to reach past the defenses. In Korea, another general was said to have subdued a revolt when his troops spotted a large falling star and took that to be a bad omen. To regain control, the General used a kite to carry a fireball into the sky, chasing the shooting star back to heaven. The troops then rallied and defeated the enemy. From there, inventor Benjamin Franklin’s kite flying proved there was electricity in lightning, and the Wright Brothers tested their theories for the first “flying machine” by sailing kites aloft.

Come make your own history on April 27!  Bring your kite and see what you discover! For more information, www.mscoastchamber.com.