SUBSCRIBE NOW

Enjoy all your local news and sports for less than 6¢ per day.

Subscribe Now or Log In

Mama Lou brings her message of inner strength, show to MayFest

DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE STAFF

MARLBE FALLS — It was after one of her strongwoman shows when a father of a 7-year-old girl stepped up to Mama Lou and thanked her. Mama Lou, a professional strongwoman who rips apart phone books with her bare hands (try it if you think you can) was a little caught off guard. Sure, her show was entertaining and fun, but this father was saying thank you for more than just the show’s entertainment value.

“He told me that his daughter said she wanted to be like me when she grows up,” Mama Lou said. The father went on to explain, it wasn’t just Mama Lou’s physical strength that he saw reach his daughter, but the entertainer’s inner strength.  Through those attributes, the little girl realized she could grow up a be strong while still being a woman.

And it wasn’t just this one father who told Mama Lou her show and message resonated with his daughter, other dads shared similar stories as she traveled the world performing.

“I hope my show helps everybody find the awesomeness inside of you,” Mama Lou said.

On May 10 at 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., Mama Lou is bringing her act and message to the Marble Falls MayFest at Johnson Park, 230 South Ave. J. The four-day festival is May 8-11 featuring a carnival, live music, a magic show, a washer-pitching contest and Main Street Market Day.

Mama Lou (her stage name) never imagined as she was growing up in Kansas that one day she would travel around the world demonstrating classic strongman feats. She actually studied as an aerialist but soon realized she was stronger than most of the other aerialists.

“I gained strength and muscle fairly easily,” Mama Lou said. “But I wasn’t very flexible.”

But Mama Lou saw what strongmen were doing such as ripping phone books in half, breaking apples with their biceps, bending metal bars and breaking chains. So she gave it a go and soon found herself becoming the only traveling strongwoman act in North America. And toss the stereotypical idea of what you think a strongwoman looks like. Mama Lou smashes that right way. She combines her strength and beauty to not only entertain, but also inspire girls, boys, women and men.

“One of the things I hope people get from my show is maybe you have this unknown strength of your own and you’ll find that awesomeness in you to pursue that,” Mama Lou said. “Maybe they’ll realize if this pretty little girl from Kansas can travel the world performing and entertaining people, what can you do in your life?”

Mama Lou promises a great show but hopes people walk away with a different outlook on their lives.

“The beauty of life is if you say ‘yes’ to some crazy opportunity, you may end up on stage one day ripping phone books in half,” she said, “or wherever you path takes you. But you gotta say ‘yes’ at some point.”

daniel@thepicayune.com

MORE ACTIVITIES

MayFest also features the Ronald McDonald Show at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on May 10 and a washer pitching contest at noon the same day.

Other activities include:

  • Carnival, May 8-9 from 5 p.m. to midnight;
  • Rey Avila Y Sus Legitimos del Norte, May 9 at 8 p.m. (free concert);
  • Carnival, May 10 from noon to midnight;
  • Main Street Market Day, May 10 craft vendors from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Main Street;
  • Allen Ray & Southern Comfort Band and the Proctor Band, May 10 starting at 7 p.m. (free concerts).
  • Carnival, May 11 from 1-7 p.m.

Go to www.marblefallsmayfest.com or call (830) 693-2815 for more information on MayFest.