Inkin the Coast pairs well with Halloween weekend
BILOXI, Miss (WLOX) – There’s nothing quite like a little body art, just in time for Halloween. For the 10th year, “Inkin The Coast” is back at the Coast Coliseum and Convention Center. And the holiday weekend only adds more flavor to an already colorful event.
The timing could not have been better.
“It’s really fun being on Halloween,” tattoo artist Emily Elegado said. “Obviously we can dress up, have a little fun with it. Right now I’m disguised as a pirate and I happen to be getting a US Navy tattoo.
And that’s what happened on the arm of Navy veteran Galo Hernandez.
“Every tattoo has a story,” he said. “My sleeve is my entire service sleeve, and my other arm will actually be all the places I went while I was in the Navy.”
Elegado has a strong connection to Inkin the Coast, now in its 10th year.
“I have been participating in this event since the very first year,” she said. “It was my very first tattoo convention in my career. So it’s a bit nostalgic to come back here every year.
Elegado was one of 200 tattoo artists and vendors from across the country on the coast.
It was Brandon Howell’s first professional tattoo, but he knew what he wanted and knew who he wanted to do it.
“You know, I saw this nice guy right here, and he had a really good job, so I thought I’d come over here and get a tattoo, you know,” Howell said. “I don’t want tattoos with a bunch of wobbly lines. If they have a good line art, man, that’s okay with me.
Christopher Shear of Purvis has waited a long time to get his prime. He wanted to make sure it was special.
“I got a tattoo in memory of my father, who I lost last year to cancer,” he said. “And, he rode Harleys, which was one of the things he loved to do. So, I decided to go in and get a Harley tattooed on my arm. … I know he loved to ride Harleys and every time I look at him I will remember my dad.
“Inkin the Coast” continues Sunday from 11 am to 8 pm with “Family Trick or Treat” from 3 pm
Admission is $ 20, but it’s free for children 10 and under.
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