What’s cooler than bein’ cool? An ice cold Statue of Liberty at The Next Cool Event 2012! Held Friday, February 17th and Saturday, February 18th at the Atlanta Expo Center South, The Next Cool Event was a flamboyant fusion of designers, performers, artists, caterers, and creative geniuses from the entertainment industry packed together under one roof rolling in from all over the state. The event was a celebration of successes of the Georgia entertainment industry, with exciting anticipation of what is yet to come this year. Actors, acrobats, cosmetologists, models, architects, engineers, virtuosos and fans filled the sets and walkways. The expo center was full of installments and booths from prehistoric times showcasing The Flinstones, to post-apocalyptic Wizard of Oz. Here are a few highlights from my MisAdventure attending The Next Cool Event.
The Oz crew was created by Penny Dreadful Productions. Penny Dreadful Productions had the most captivating costumes in the place with hundreds of folks stopping to get a picture taken next to The Good Witch’s light-up dress.
Tables were scattered throughout offering delicious food and samples including: chicken quesadillas thanks to No Mas! Cantina; basil rolls from Bhojanic Vegan Indian; and crab cakes from Max Lagers Wood Fired Grill & Brewery. The Great Cupcake Company served the cutest, most delicious compact cupcakes from a variety of flavors- Madagascar vanilla, chocolate overload, and salted caramel were just a few! Zoe’s Kitchen served the best pimento cheese I have ever had, and Carole Parks Catering loaded us up with Dirty Martini cracker spread and edamame guacamole!
The whole event was saturated with sugar. The Sweet Auburn Bread Company offered folks sweet potato cheesecake! The best cakes of the night went to Nothing Bundt Cakes. Moist and delicious bundt cake squares perfectly baked sent my taste buds to another planet.
Delicious Cupcakes By: SmallCakes - A Cupcakery
It was easy to visit other planets here, but most of the adventures were set in Georgia. Peaches proud to have movies and tv shows filmed in their backyards had stations set up boasting signs such as Covington: The Hollywood of the South. I had to double take to re-read this sign, because the last time I was in Covington, we drove very fast to get out. But the city goverment is proud that Vampire Diaries is filmed there. Despite the claim to fame, the stage was still quite silly and ridiculous. It was next to “Sandy Springs!” Athens- Clarke County was giving away mustaches! Ellijay was serving Pink’s Pig BBQ and Alpharetta had a mannequin of “The Run Away Bride.”
The best mannequins and most brilliant art of the night came from a company called “Mannequin.”
Furniture made from recycled tires? You got it!
There was even a set up of Fangtasia for all the Trubies, (which I am a die hard fan, so I was in awe of the furniture.)
The rig used to make cars flip in The Walking Dead was awesome to sit in. There was a stage set up in The Garden of Good and Evil, placing us in a familiar Savannah setting with actual Spanish Moss in the trees.
The best performance of the event was Von Grey, the family of 4 beautiful girls derived from the home of the Run Away Bride- Alpharetta. There is always something powerful observed from family bands that play in perfect harmonies and brilliant rhythms. The crowd was enchanted with beckoning smiles and enthusiasm. One girl was rockin’ it on the guitar, another on the cello/mandolin, a violinist, and a little tiny person on the keyboard, (she must have been around 8 years old!) Great songwriting skills flourished in “Love’s Not Supposed to be a Chore.” They even dared to cover Damien Rice’s song, Volcano. I can’t believe I loved their version more than the icon himself! Photographers were swarming the stage to try and capture the magic through their lenses, and I was frantically writing to try and pen the essence. Words can’t really express the power Von Grey wielded.
I sat down to seek respite for my feet. I looked up and came face to face with the Twin Towers blazing on fire. WTF?!?! It turns out Nabil Mousa is collaborating with artists on a documentary called Judgement Day 911 exploring judgments made from the attack. Mr. Mousa came around the corner to ask me a few questions about the subject at hand. I thought this was peculiar considering all of the luxury and excess that surrounded me, and yet I chose to support his cause.
Off with her head! Paris on Ponce’s Marie Antoinette display was bewitching and a favorite.
Epting Catering wowed us all with a Hook Bar and Lost Boys’ Buffet- a table full of candy! I ate so many Pixie Stix that I started to turn into a pixie!
A flash mob wooed the red carpet busting out dance moves to a live performance!
The best and most magical part of the entire event was getting to interact with folks in their element, doing what they love the most. That is the COOLEST element which breeds The Next Cool Event.
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Here is the Day 1 article in case you missed it!
Thanks Barbara English for setting up this miraculous evening!
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