09/11/2026
🍂💎 MEET OUR NEXT 2026 GALA VIP AMBASSADOR — NICOLETTA BARRACUDA 💎🍂
There are some people you ask to be part of something because their résumé fits.
And then there are people you ask because you already know the kind of human they are.
Nicoletta Barracuda grew up right here in Ashland and still calls this community home. She works locally, is a mom, an artist at heart, a maker of things, an animal lover, a nature girl, a proud self-described weirdo, and someone who can apparently look at absolutely nothing and decide, “Yep. I can make something out of that.” 😆
She loves creating, upcycling, crafting and working with resin. She has a passion for makeup and cosplay, loves putting together creative looks, enjoys vintage styling, and considers Halloween a perfectly reasonable excuse to really flex those makeup skills.
Her mom will also tell you that animals seem to trust her, her flowers around the house are always beautiful, and that she has an enormous heart for the people around her.
And I already know what she is like inside this event.
Last year, Nicoletta volunteered with us during the Main Street Bash. She helped at registration, joined me during the VIP portion of the Pin-Up Gala, helped our ladies throughout the day and got to experience firsthand what this strange little idea of mine looks like once sixteen women, downtown Ashland and a whole lot of moving pieces come together.
She has volunteered alongside me at other community events too, including registration for the Hayesville Vermillion Volunteer Fire Department.
So when I found myself needing another woman beside our contestants this year, I realized I had someone practically standing in front of me who already understood the assignment.
And perhaps more importantly, she understands why kindness matters.
When I asked Nicoletta what kindness means to her, this was her answer:
“Kindness means to me going out of your way to help others for no reason other than to help. To lift them up. Support them. Wanting nothing in return. I have received so much kindness in the last year that I’m beyond blessed. It truly is a wonderful thing to give kindness and also receive it. It costs nothing but the reward is worth everything.”
The last year has asked a great deal of her.
Nicoletta is a breast cancer survivor, and that word survivor is still very new. The experience is fresh, the healing is ongoing, and it is only one part of who she is — but it has given even deeper meaning to the kindness and support she talks about.
In her own words, she has learned that you are never alone in your battles.
And somehow, even through a very hard year, she still manages to meet life with goofy humor, positivity and an insistence on looking for whatever bright spot she can find.
That matters to me.
Because our VIP Ambassadors aren’t here simply to look at dresses and fill in numbers on a piece of paper. They spend the afternoon beside these women. They watch how they treat people. They see the laughs, nerves, kindness, interactions, little moments and personalities that never fit neatly into a photograph.
And Nicoletta already knows how to see those things.
I am incredibly happy to officially welcome Nicoletta Barracuda as a 2026 Ms. Main Street Bash Vintage Pin-Up Gala Judge & VIP Ambassador. 🍂💎
And in a little full-circle moment, the photo we chose for her official Gala card was taken at last year’s Main Street Bash — standing beside a Big 3 Racing car, our 2026 Gala and Car Show sponsor.
Apparently she was already auditioning for this job and none of us realized it yet. 🖤
Meet all 16 gala contestants, our VIP Ambassadors, and what kindness means to them at:
https://kandiblaze.com/pin-up-gala
