Cajun Spotlight
Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper
Midwest
January 2001
DANCE LESSONS
Maurine McCort's popular dance lessons resume in the new year. A
class in basic Cajun dancing is offered January 6, 20 and 27. Cajun Jitterbug
will be taught February 3,17 and 24. Zydeco I will be featured on March
10,17 and 31. All lessons are on Saturdays from 4:30 to 6 pm and take place
at the Oddfellows Hall at Raymond and Hampden in Saint Paul. Cost of each
series is just $30. Call her at (651) 488-6269 for information and to confirm
dates and times.
MARDI GRAS AT THE CEDAR
Mark your calendars now for the annual Mardi Gras Celebration. It's set
for Saturday, February 24th at the Cedar Cultural Centre. Playing will
be The Bone Tones, The New Riverside Ramblers and The Swamp Sextet.
Look for more great decorations by Greg Njoes of Richfield Flowers
& Events. Advance tickets are available from the Cedar.
FOLKLORE VILLAGE CAJUN WEEKEND
It looks like the Cajun Weekend at Folklore Village Farm will be March
16-18. The staff this year will include Edward and Danny Poullard;
others will be announced soon. We will provide details as they become available.
FROM NANCY WESTON...
The 8th Annual Mardi Gras Yankee-Chank Swamp Jam will take place on Monday
Feb. 26, 2001, at McGee's Landing in Henderson, LA. For those of you who
have joined us before, this trip needs no introduction! For those of you
who have not been, what we do is this: drift for almost 2 hours through
the Atchafalaya Swamp on a motorized flatboat. You can jam or dance. There
is room for up to 45 people, and spots are first come, first served; PLEASE
INDICATE if you are a musician! The cost is $11 per person. You can send
me a check now (made out to Nancy Weston) to reserve your spot. Send check
to 19 Purcell Dr., Danbury, CT 06810, and include a stamped-self-addressed
envelope for confirmation and a map to the site OR send me your e-mail
and I will e-mail your confirmation and directions. If you choose to wait
until the last minute, you can call me at the Millers (337-779-2456) starting
Friday Feb. 23 and reserve a spot if there are any left. This trip is lots
of fun and a chance to relax with music and with friends from around the
country. (There may be some smuggled live Cajuns on the boat, such as the
infamous "Tee Larry" of Iota!) Don't miss the boat!
FROM THE MINNESOTA CAJUN AND ZYDECO MUSIC AND DANCE ASSOCIATION
The next event sponsored by the Krewe is a dance with live music by
the
Swamp Sextet. It will be January 13 at the Oddfellows Hall in Saint
Paul. There will be a dance lesson at 7:30 pm; dancing will be from 8 to
11 or so. There will be a CD Dance at the same location on Saturday, February
10.
The Krewe board is working on several exciting dances in the months
ahead, including an April dance with Rosie Ledet and a May appearance
by Donna Angelle. We will have details on these events as they are
firmed up. The Krewe is very excited about the Cajun Dinner & Dance
Cruise with The Bone Tones scheduled for Saturday, June 16th. Cruise
along the Saint Croix, enjoy a buffet style dinner and a cash bar and dance
to The Bone Tones. Space is limited and Krewe members can reserve a spot
until February 1st. After that it is open to the general public. Cost is
just $30. People have already been signing up so Krewe members should act
today. To get your spot call Carroll Franco at (651) 699-0376 or email
her at cafzydeco@yahoo.com.
MOOSEJAW 2001
Mark your calendar now for MooseJaw 2001, which returns to the rebuilt
Maplelag cross-country ski resort next March 9-11. Hosted by the
Wild
Goose Chase Cloggers, MooseJaw is a weekend of traditional music and
dance featuring Appalachian clogging, old-time string band music and square,
contra and couples dancing. On the staff next spring will be Critton
Hollow, Rodney Sutton, The Buffalo Gals and The Wild Goose Chase Cloggers.
Brochures with complete details will be available soon.
DALBO COMMUNITY DANCE
There will be another great community dance in Dalbo, Minnesota on
Saturday, January 27. There will be music for square dancing as well as
Irish, Cajun and Scandinavian tunes. Music will be by Warren Peterson,
Paul Blondell and members of The Cajun Hot Soles and The
Bourne Street Irregulars. Music begins at 7:30 pm; snacks and beverages
will be available. Contact NOTES & STEPS for a flyer or more information.
UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS
January 07 - The Cajun Hot Soles : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
January 10 - Cajun Jam : HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD, MN (7-9
PM)
January 12 - Beausoleil : UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA, CEDAR FALLS,
IA
January 13 - Krewe de Walleye Dance w/ The Swamp Sextet : ODDFELLOWS
HALL, ST. PAUL
January 14 - The New Riverside Ramblers : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
January 19 - The Buffalo Gals : CEDAR CULTURAL CENTRE, MINNEAPOLIS
January 21 - The Bone Tones : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
January 23-29 - Lil' Malcolm & the Houserockers : CRAWDADDY BAYOU,
WHEELING, IL
January 27 - The Midway Ramblers : BORDERS BOOKS, WHEATON. IL (8 PM)
January 28 - NO DANCE!! : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
January 30-February 6 - Lil' Brian Terry & the Zydeco Travelers
: CRAWDADDY BAYOU, WHEELING, IL
February 03 - The Cajun Hot Soles : CATHOLIC CHARITIES DANCE, ST. CLOUD,
MN
February 04 - The New Riverside Ramblers : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
February 09,10 - The Cajun Hot Soles : SWAMP'N'GRASS, ELKHART LAKE,
WI
February 10 - Krewe de Walleye CD Dance Party : ODDFELLOWS LODGE, ST.
PAUL
February 11 - JJ's Zydeco Paydirt : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
February 14 - Cajun Jam : HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD, MN (7-9
PM)
February 17 - Beausoleil : A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION, ST. PAUL,MN
February 17 - Buckwheat Zydeco : HOUSE OF BLUES, CHICAGO, IL
February 18 - NO DANCE! : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
February 18 - Beausoleil : POTAWATOMI CASINO, MILWAUKEE, WI
February 21 - Buckwheat Zydeco : FIRST AVENUE, MINNEAPOLIS
February 24 - The Cajun Hot Soles : BOURBON STREET BAR & GRILL,
OTTUMWA, IA
February 24 - Mardi Gras Party w/ The Bone Tones, more : CEDAR CULTURAL
CENTRE
February 26,27 - Boozoo Chavis : FITZGERALD'S, CHICAGO, IL
March 03 - The Cajun Hot Soles : WINTER BLUEGRASS WEEKEND, RADISSON
HOTEL, PLYMOUTH
March 04 - The New Riverside Ramblers : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
March 11 - The Cajun Hot Soles : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
March 14 - Cajun Jam : HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD, MN (7-9
PM)
March 18 - JJ's Zydeco Paydirt : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
March 24 - The New Riverside Ramblers : CEDAR CULTURAL CENTRE, MINNEAPOLIS
March 25 - The Swamp Sextet : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
March 27 - Boozoo Chavis : ONEIDA BINGO AND CASINO, GREEN BAY, WI
March 30 - Beausoleil : IOWA STATE CENTER, AMES, IA
April 03 - Beausoleil : CIVIC CENTER, MADISON, WI
April 05 - Beausoleil : MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY, DECATUR, IL
April 07 - Krewe de Walleye Presents Rosie Ledet : VFW HALL, BLOOMINGTON,
MN
April 11 - Cajun Jam : HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD, MN (7-9
PM)
May 26-28 - Taste Louisiana Cajun Fest : AMANA, IA (DETAILS SOON)
June 16 - Cajun Dinner & Dance Cruise w/ The Bone Tones : ON THE
ST. CROIX, CALL FOR DETAILS
NOTE: Please call to confirm events more than six weeks from first item
on calendar.
SUPERBOWL?
Now that the election seems to be safely (if unhappily) behind us,
there are two topics that make up the bulk of idle chitchat around workplaces
in Minnesota. One, of course, is the weather and the triumphs and travails
involved in commuting, shoveling snow and getting that car to start. The
second topic is the Minnesota Vikings and their chances of making it to
the Superbowl again. To non-football fans it seems that the team can always
find a way to break the hearts of true believers. Perhaps it will be different
this year. The theme of the quiz this month is songs with "super" in the
title. Can you match the performer with the song?
| 01) SUPER FREAK |
a) REM |
| 02) SUPERMAN |
b) Ben E. King |
| 03) SUNSHINE SUPERMAN |
c) Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke |
| 04) SUPERFLY |
d) Laurie Anderson |
| 05) OH SUPERMAN |
e) The Carpenters |
| 06) SUPERSTAR |
f) Rick James |
| 07) SUPERSTITION |
g) Donovan |
| 08) SUPERNATURAL THING |
h) Curtis Mayfield |
| 09) SUPER BAD |
i) Stevie Wonder |
| 10) SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS |
j) James Brown |
NOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT is an independent newsletter
about Cajun, zydeco and other traditional music & dance events and
news in the upper Midwest and beyond. A one year subscription is $10.00.
E-mail: Notessteps@aol.com
or NOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT, John Tallaksen, P.
O. Box 582192, Minneapolis, MN 55458-2192
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