46 maconmagazine.com | October/November 2024
(and friends)
C E N T R AL G E O RG IA' S
R E AL- L I F E
Fairy
Godm o ther
… A n d t h e p r i n c e s s e s , h e r o e s , v i l l a i n s ,
a n d c a r to o n c h a ra c te r s t h a t h av e
c r e a te d a s p e c i a l s p i r i t o f m a ke b e l i e v e
t h r o u g h F a i r y t a l e s a n d F r i e n d s
STORY BY JULIA MORRISON | PHOTOS BY JESSICA WHITLEY
L
et me tell you a story. A broke college
student looking for a side gig channels
the spirit of her seamstress grandmother,
who made fabric, ribbons, and sequins
turn into magic. With a lot of hard work and
neon colored makeup palettes, she transforms into a
confident business owner specializing in serving up
smiles to kids of all ages.
It may sound like a modern fairy tale, but for
Fairytales and Friends, a costumed character
experience company, this origin story is all authentic.
Founder and Warner Robins native Heather Coy has
occupied roles like Belle (Beauty and the Beast) and
Morticia (The Addams Family) on Central Georgia
community theatre stages and currently serves as the
art teacher for Northside High School, so she has the
panache and experience with youth that an imaginative
venture like Fairytales and Friends might require.
With faith, trust, and a little pixie dust…
But back in 2014, she was just a University of Georgia
LEFT Heather
Coy poses with
grandmother
Myrtle Harbin
in an early
costume.
