Cajun SpotlightCajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest February 2003 CAJUN/ZYDECO DANCE LESSONSMaurine McCort has announced the schedule for her upcoming Cajun and zydeco dance lessons. Classes are held at the Oddfellows Lodge at 2382 Hampden in Saint Paul on Saturdays from 4 to 5:30 pm. For more information call Maurine at 651-488-6269 or email her at maurine@spacestar.com.
NEW RIVERSIDE RAMBLERS CD RELEASEThe New Riverside Ramblers celebrate the release of their CD Saute la Barriere (Jump the Fence) on Saturday, February 8. It will be at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. There will be a Cajun two-step lesson at 8:00 pm followed by dancing until 11:30 pm. A great band in a friendly venue with no smoking and plenty of room to dance - don't miss it!NEW RIVERSIDE RAMBLERS AT MOOSEJAWMooseJaw is a weekend of old time music and dance presented each March by the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers at Maplelag Resort near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Guests this year include The New Riverside Ramblers (see above story) and the New Southern Ramblers, a great old-time band from North Carolina. Teaching dance will be Maureen Mullen and Tom Kendrick. There are workshops, jams, dances and a chance to enjoy the outdoors. The dates are March 7-9. You can get more information and a flyer from:wildgoosechasecloggers.org or contact CAJUN SPOTLIGHT. THE KREWE PRESENTS...The Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance Association offers a free dance lesson before each of the regular Sunday night dances at the Half Time Rec in Saint Paul. The lesson is from 7 to 7:45 pm. Bands will start playing at 8:00 pm. The Half Time is located at 1013 Front Avenue.The Krewe is cosponsoring Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie at the Cedar Cultural Center on Wednesday, February 19. We haven't got the details on this event yet; call the Cedar or check the Krewe web site for more information. On Saturday, February 22 the Krewe presents a Mardi Gras Dance with three bands: The New Riverside Ramblers, JJ's Zydeco Paydirt and Bayou Hazard. Location is the Everett McClay VFW in Bloomington. There will be a one-hour dance lesson at 7:00 pm followed by dancing to 12:30 am. There will be door prizes, a costume contest and lots of beads. Tickets are $12 for members, $17 for others or $15 in costume. On March 15 the Krewe again presents Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic. We'll have details on this event in the next issue. For information on membership in the Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance Association (The Krewe de Walleye) check out www.krewedewalleye.com. CAJUN WEEKEND AT FOLKLORE VILLAGESpecial guests for the Cajun Music, Dance and Culture Weekend at Folklore Village near Dodgeville, Wisconsin will be Balfa Toujours. The dates are March 28-30. Joining the members of Balfa Toujours (Christine Balfa, Dirk Powell, Kevin Wimmer and Courtney Granger) will be Gene Losey, Charlie Terr, Will Whedbee, Chris Voigt, Claire Hedlund, Kirby Jambon and Jolen Adam.Contact CAJUN SPOTLIGHT for a brochure or call Folklore Village call 608-924-4000. MARDI GRAS AT DALBOOn February 15 a Mardi Gras Dance at the Dalbo Town Hall will feature The Cajun Hot Soles, Crawfish Hotdish, and Bayou-Rhythm. Admission is $7 for adults and children are free. There will be a Cajun dance lesson at the start of the evening. Mom's Food Co-op will be selling refreshments. Dalbo is located about an hour north of the Twin Cities between Cambridge and Princeton. Directions to the town hall from Dalbo: from Dalbo take Highway 47 north about 3.3 miles to County 16. Go west (left) 1.8 miles to Jaspar St. Go left .2 mile to 399th Ave. Go right .2 mile to Nacre St. Go left to Town Hall. For information email Amy at asabrina@ecenet.com or call 763-444-8390.MARDI GRAS YANKEE-CHANK SWAMP JAM CAJUN BUFFET(from Nancy Weston)The 10th Annual Mardi Gras Yankee-Chank Swamp Jam will be Monday, March 3, 2003, 11:00 am, 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 will be two boats this year to accommodate more folks, and spots are first come, first served. PLEASE INDICATE if you are a musician, and what you play! This is very important to ensure even and adequate numbers of musicians between the two boats. The cost is $12 per person. Send me a check ASAP (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 (preferred) 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 Miller's (337-779-2456) starting Wednesday February 26 and reserve a spot if there are any left, or find out about cancellations. 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! After the boat jam, those who would like, can stay to eat at McGee's for an additional charge and can continue jamming and dancing. For around $11 McGee's will be offering us a special group rate for a Cajun buffet which will include some of these items: Fried Filet Catfish, Smothered Chicken Breast, Crawfish Fettuccini, Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Green Beans, Corn Maque Choux, Yams, Potato Salad, Green Salad, French Bread, Syrup Cake, Iced Tea, Lemonade. You need not prepay for the buffet but I do need reservations made with me so that McGee's is prepared with enough food to accommodate everyone who would like to stay. With notice, you may join us at McGee's even if you do not make the boat ride. Nancy Weston UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO FESTIVALThe 43rd Annual University of Chicago Folk Festival is February 7-9 in Chicago. Performing will be The Bluegrass Mountaineers, Eddie Campbell, The Savoy Family Cajun Band, Glenn Ohrlin, The Polish Highlanders, Arna Rennan, Bruce Quintos and more. The Savoy Family Cajun Band includes Marc and Ann Savoy and their sons Joel and Wilson. For information call 773-702-9793.THE CAJUN STRANGERSA new band has been formed in Wisconsin called The Cajun Strangers. They perform regularly in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin and at other places as well. Look for their name in our calendar and get out and support local Louisiana music. Their web site will be up soon: cajunstrangers.comFOX VALLEY ZYDECAJUN DANCE GROUPSome folks in and around Oshkosh, Wisconsin have formed a group for Cajun and zydeco music and dance devotees. They have dances and dance lessons to recorded music and group trips to nearby dances in Madison, Cottage Grove and Dodgeville. They will be going to Madison in mid-February to see Steve Riley. For information on their activities and to join in the fun call Tom or Lynn at 920-233-0931.TASTE LOUISIANA CAJUN FESTSHere are the dates and performers for the 2003 Taste Louisiana Cajun Fests.
showcase.netins.net/web/cajunfest/index.html MBOTMA PRESENTSThe Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association's Winter Bluegrass Weekend is February 28 and March 1 and 2 at the Radisson Hotel in Plymouth, Minnesota. This weekend of dances, concerts and jamming will feature headliners The Lynn Morris Band and a long list of great regional bands. Some of these include Monroe Crossing, The Brother Sisters, The Ditch Lillies, Greenwood Tree, Cagley, Black, Schaefer & Njoes, Timbre Junction, Hawk Ridge, Boulder Hill, The Blue Drifters, Free Range Pickin' and Tangled Roots.There will be a dance Friday night with Cajun music by Grande Prairie and old-time music by Clover Valley Hoedown. There will also be a Saturday night dance with The Monks. For additional information or to order tickets call can 800-635-3037 or visit minnesotabluegrass.org. BATTLE OF THE JUGBANDSThe 21st Annual Battle of the Jugbands is February 2 at the Cabooze in Minneapolis. This afternoon of hokum blues and twisted artistry features over twenty jug bands, including Outdoor John & the Sears Catalogue (last year's winners), Hippies on Jugs, The Saggy Bottom Girls and Weapons of Mass Destruction. It's also a potluck, so please bring some food to share. Music begins at 1:00 pm and ends at 8:00 pm. Admission is free, but a $2 donation is appreciated. Proceeds benefit The Dave Ray Memorial at the Heart of the Beast Mask and Puppet Theatre.UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS
WHO'S ON FIRST?Outside of a common love of music and dance, the people on our staff have a lot of diverse interests. When one person says that so-and-so was the first to do this-that-or-the-other, the others will generally agree that the person making the statement is the most knowledgeable in that field and choose not to argue. Recently, though, an argument about some obscure musical 'first' embroiled our entire office in a week-long controversy. As a matter of fact, the discussions continue. Our Research Staff found the matter a great theme for a quiz. Can you match the performer with the song?
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