When the finalists for this year’s local reader-choice awards were announced, one Mobile family found itself represented across an unusually wide range of categories, from makeup artistry to dance to teaching to coffee. For Courtney “CoCo” Matthews, the sprawling list of relatives who made the cut turned an already anticipated announcement into something of a family affair.
“Basically it’s all my sisters, my niece, nephew, son and me,” Matthews said. “No big get-together to celebrate. We just all talked to each other about it. It was cool to talk about even if none of us won.”
Matthews is well known around Mobile for her upbeat personality and entrepreneurial streak. She built a following as a makeup artist while also running a wide-ranging curio shop called Lunatix and Company at the corner of Springhill Avenue and Dauphin Street. More recently, she launched Neu Dawn, a multimedia creative event that has become another outlet for her work in the local arts scene.
This year, Matthews herself was named a finalist for Best Makeup Artist, continuing a category she has competed in for years without yet taking home the top honor. But she was far from the only member of her family whose name appeared on a finalist list.
Her sister Tara Ridenoure, along with Matthews’ son Ashton Dreher and nephew Jacob Ridenoure, all work at Carpe Diem, a local coffeehouse that landed among the finalists for Best Coffeehouse. Another sister, Kacie Hardman, teaches at Fairhope Elementary and was named a finalist for Coolest Elementary School Teacher. A third sister, Lauren Dreher, owns Precision Dance, which was recognized as a finalist for Best Dance Studio. Rounding out the family’s showing, Matthews’ niece Macy Ridenoure was named a finalist for Best Dancer.
“Out of all of us, we thought Carpe Diem would likely win something. The rest of us thought to even be on there was awesome,” Matthews said.
Of all the family’s nominations, Matthews said she was especially proud of the dance contingent, pointing to accomplishments that extend well beyond the local competition. Lauren Dreher coaches for an American dance company that has traveled to Poland to compete internationally, bringing home medals in past appearances.
“Lauren is a coach for the American dance company that will go to Poland again this year. They actually placed in medals there before, which is amazing,” Matthews said.
She was equally quick to brag on her niece, Macy Ridenoure, who has held her own against considerably older competitors. Macy’s division includes dancers between the ages of 16 and 35, and last year she was the youngest competitor in that group.
“There’s like kid groups and her group, the adult group is like 16- to 35-year-olds. She was the youngest in that group last year and placed seventh in the world,” Matthews said.
As for her own chances in the Best Makeup Artist category, Matthews takes the competition in stride. She has never won the category outright, coming closest around a decade ago when she placed second.
“It was the year Jessica Price won. She brought me up on stage with her because she was ticked I didn’t win since she wasn’t even known for makeup at that point, just for hair,” Matthews said.
Matthews has long been known as one of the loudest supporters in the room when the awards are announced, sticking around even as crowds thin out later in the evening so that fellow nominees still have someone cheering for them. “There’s always a group of us that stay and try to hoot and holler,” she said.
This year, however, Matthews will miss the ceremony for the first time. She is pairing her first absence from the awards with another first: a trip to Los Angeles to surprise a friend who has lived there for 18 years. The five-day visit will take her farther west than she has ever traveled.
“I’m going to surprise my friend in Los Angeles who’s lived out there 18 years. We’ll be there five days. I’ve never been farther west than Baton Rouge, so I’m looking forward to it,” Matthews said.