Page 14 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2022

COAST NOTE
Bridging
the Mind
and Body,
the Young
and Old,
the Active
and Inactive
story by Luke Height photo courtesy of Bridge Expo
Richard Hawthorne
The Bridge Expo is coming to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center to raise funds for mental health and bring people together around a variety of positive, community-oriented activities. The inaugural event will be a family-friendly, interactive physical and mental health awareness fitness festival built to raise money for our future generations. Activities include weightlifting competitions, wrestling, cornhole, archery, dance, an auction, and much more.
Richard Hawthorne, former Pound for Pound World’s Strongest Man,
and Tony Caprari, a 20-time Powerlifting World Champion of St. Martin, Mississippi, are bringing together groups from all over the Gulf Coast to host an event like none we’ve ever seen. A portion of the proceeds from The Bridge Expo will be donated to the Mental Health Association of South Mississippi and Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services to aid them in serving our community members who truly need it.
Hawthorne was dreaming up an opportunity to bring this kind of an event to the Coast and post-COVD, the need is greater than ever. He says, “I was inspired to start The Bridge Expo because of my experience being a part
of big fitness expos like the Arnold Festival in Columbus, Ohio, and the Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, creating this event is truly driven by my passion for helping people find themselves through various physical activities so they can conquer their lives.”
When you come to the Bridge Expo, you have to bring the right vibe. “This event will be a fun, high-energy environment that aims to cultivate discipline, focus, excitement, and inspiration, not just in the competitors but the onlookers too,” says Hawthorne. “You’ll get to see the mindset and confidence that grows within the competitors and viewers as the day goes on.”
In putting together this event, it’s clear that Hawthorne’s vision is to build
a bridge between people, the activities, and the positive mental outlook that goes along with exercise of all kinds. His experience and passion has been the perfect recipe for this event.
Tickets to this event will be sold at the door for between $25 and $40. For more information, call 228.594.3700.
14 | June 2022
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