We visited Lafayette for the
Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, an annual festival held on
the second week in October. It’s a celebration of Cajun
Culture. Instead of a ribbon cutting to open the event, they
had a boudin cutting. The live music is Cajun and Zydeco Music.
Roddie Romero & the Hub City Allstars opened the festival with
a tribute to Clifton Chenier, known as the King of Zydeco.
Grammy-nominated Bonsoir, Catin, an all-but-one member female
band, was the second to last act.
There were food tents as well as tons of live music from
many of the local restaurants. It’s like taking a Cajun food
tour all in one place. We did a cooking class where Chef Kevin
Foil taught us to make jambalaya.
Downtown Alive!
Their
Downtown Alive! is a free concert. They have Concerts
in Parc International every Friday night in downtown Lafayette.
It started as a little street party on Friday, April 8th, 1983.
This year, it celebrated its 40th anniversary and hosts some
fantastic musicians.
Blue Moon
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Blue Moon
Saloon is one of those places it’s impossible to describe.
Yes, it’s a music venue, a neighborhood bar that hosts guests
from around the world, a dance hall, an exuberant celebration
of Cajun and Zydeco music, an indoor/outdoor mix with a hostel
tossed in. Southern Living magazine rates the Blue Moon Saloon
as one of the “100 Best Bars in the South.”
The original house was a family home and moved to its
present location in 1900 on logs pulled by mules. The saloon
part opened in April 2001 on the back porch of the Blue Moon
Guesthouse. Today, it’s part back yard and part under a
shelter. It’s always packed tight. You wend your way through
the crowd to the small but well-stocked bar. Next, head for the
bandstand where things are jumping. There will be a solid wall
of people all over, but they are friendly, so if you bump into
a neighbor when you dance, it’s okay. The last time we went
Amis du Teche was playing. The band is led by two young women,
Adeline Miller, fiddler and vocalist, and Amelia Powell,
guitarist and vocalist, backed by Adeline’s brother on bass and
a drummer with a driving beat. No one could stay still.
Vermilionville
Vermilionville Historic Village is a living history museum
that takes you back to the 18th and 19th century with a
recreated Acadian village. We entered through Vermilionville’s
Visitor Center, also a gift shop, La Boutique. There's so much
to see there and music is one factor.
Vermillionville's historic village features music as a
part of the culture. Creole fiddler, D'Jalma Garnier, grandson
of famous New Orleans Jazz bandleader and fiddler, Papa
Garnier, explains to visitors the difference in Cajun and
Zydeco. He'll fiddle a true Creole song for you.
Carrying on the tradition there is a Cajun Jam in the
Performance Center of Vermilionville Living Museum & Folklife
Park every Saturday from 11am to 2pm. Local musicans come and
play Cajun and Creole music.
Rock n’ Bowl
Rock n’ Bowl
is one more of the fun things to do in Lafayette. It’s a
combination of dining, dancing, and bowling alley. The original
one was opened in New Orleans but during Hurricane Katrina, the
owner evacuated to Lafayette and fell in love with the city and
opened a branch here.
Moncus Park
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Even Lafayette’s newest treasure,
Moncus Park, connects a
visitor with music. The park is beautifully landscaped with
native plants. It has a Veteran’s Memorial, a children’s
playground with a splash pool, hiking trails, a fishing pier,
an amphitheater, a dog park, the cutest little tree
house, and more.
It's home to the Farmers and Artisans
Market every Saturday which is so much more than a place
to buy produce. There are artists ranging from jewelry makers
to authors with the Writers Guild of Arcadiana an dof course
music, local musicians do an informal jam at the market. One
was playng the moist unusual bass insturment I have ever seen.
It was made from a washtub.
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