SWLA Community Events

23rd ANNUAL CAJUN MUSIC AND FOOD FESTIVAL JULY 17 & 18

Jambalaya, crawfish pie and filet gumbo… the best place to hear Louisiana’s top Cajun musicians and to sample Cajun favorites including red beans and rice and etoufée during the summer of 2010 is at the 23rd Annual Cajun Music & Food Festival, July 17 & 18 at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles, LA. It’s non-stop music from the time the doors open at 8 a.m. Saturday until 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the festival, hosted by the Cajun French Music Association of Lake Charles. This year’s festival promises the best lineup of Cajun musicians in 23 years. Briggs Brown & Bayou Cajuns kick things off at 10 a.m. Saturday followed by Ron Miller & Midnight Ramblers from 1 to 3 p.m., Donny Broussard & Louisiana Stars from 3 to 5 p.m., and Kira Viator & Bayou Beat from 5 to 7 p.m. Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie headline the festival Saturday evening from 7 to 10 p.m. and plan to entertain crowds of as many as 8,000 revelers and dancers. Sunday’s festival events start with a French Mass with the Lake Charles Chapter French Choir from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. The day’s entertainment then continues with Ellis Vanicor & Lacassine Playboys performing from 9 to 11 a.m., Don Fontenot & Friends of Louisiana from noon to 2 p.m. and High Performance as the finale from 2 to 7 p.m. Don’t forget to try your dance moves out during the Cajun waltz and two step dance contests! Another of the most popular musical events of the festival is a professional and amateur accordion contest. Come dance and praise the way of the Cajun accordion! The festival will also host a Children’s Jam Hour, provide venues for arts & crafts, and have booths and games for kids. A silent auction & raffle drawings will offer prizes that include everything from an accordion to a live hog! A Louisiana festival is not a festival without the classic southern and Cajun cooking for which our state is so well known. Jambalaya, chicken and sausage gumbo, cracklin’s, shrimp etouffée, and boudin are just a few of the down home Cajun eats that festival-goers will enjoy. Also look for red beans and rice, funnel cakes, burgers, fries, and chicken strips for the kids. Great food and great music! Major sponsors for the festival include the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, Louisiana Decentralized Arts Funding Program, and Wright Plumbing Services, Inc. Admission is $7.00 and children under 12 are free. Doors open on Saturday at 8 a.m. For more information, call Janet Piraro at 337-217-0880, or visit www.cfmalakecharles.org for a complete musical lineup and schedule of events.

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13th ANNUAL LOUISIANA SWAMP POP FESTIVAL BENEFITING CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION

Add Cajun French words and a little bit of culture to the popular 50s music of Fats Domino and Chuck Berry and you’ve got a genre of music native only to Louisiana and the raucous sound behind 13 years of the Gonzales’ Swamp Pop Festival. The Deep South Crane & Rigging Swamp Pop Music Festival is Louisiana’s fastest growing festival with 6,000 visitors traveling to Gonzales each July to rock to this Louisiana music that’s like no other. This might be one of the only places in the world to hear Swamp Pop Music, so join the fun in the fully air-conditioned Lamar Dixon Expo Center Friday, July 16 and Saturday, July 17, 2010 to experience Swamp Pop. Destiny of Louisiana kicks off the fun Friday at 6 p.m. followed by Aaron Foret, Travis Matte & The Kingpins. Waylon Thibodeaux, “Louisiana’s Rockin’ Fiddler,” will wrap it up around 12:30 a.m. On Saturday the music is non-stop from noon to midnight featuring Cliff Nickens, Kenny Fife & Bac Trac, Wayne Foret, Treater with Charles Mann, Kenny Cornett & Killin’ Time; Warren Storm, Willie T & Cypress with special guest Tommy McLain, and Jamie Begeron & the Kickin’ Cajuns. In addition to the music, the festival will feature a two-day Jambalaya Association Cook-Off, an open truck and car show and a motorcycle poker run. Visitors to the festival can sample some of the tastiest jambalaya found anywhere in the world as dozens of expert jambalaya chefs meet head-to-head in three separate heats. From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, riders can enter all makes and models of street-legal motorcycles in the Motorcycle Poker Run, “Cruisin’ For A Cure,” to help raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Entry fees are $25 per bike ($5 additional rider). All proceeds from the Swamp Pop Music Festival benefit the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation, which works to find a cure for CF and to better the quality of life for those with the disease. The Swamp Pop Music Festival began as a grassroots effort to support the CF Foundation in 1998 and is now the nation’s largest contribution to the Foundation. Admission to the 13th Annual Swamp Pop Festival is $12 on Friday and $10 on Saturday. For more information, visit www.swamppopmusicfest.com or contact the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at 225-769-9994.

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THE CHILDREN'STHEATRE COMPANY "SUMMER STARZ SERIES" REGISTRATION

The Children’s Theatre Company is proud to present its annual Summer Starz Series July 7–Aug. 6. These summer theatre workshops are designed to introduce newcomers to the world of theatre and challenge young veterans to perfect advanced theatrical concepts and production techniques. For information on sessions and enrollment, call (337) 433-7323 or visit www.childrenstheatre.cc.

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CT II: CHAOS REIGNS The Henning Cultural Center in Sulphur presents CT II: CHAOS REIGNS 10 am until Noon and 1 PM until 5 PM Monday through Friday and 11 AM until 3 PM Saturday July 15 through August 25. It will be “reigning” art at the Henning Cultural Center in the summer of 2010! This exhibit will feature over 30 local artists, with a totally undefined theme! When Chaos Reigns, it pours!

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IMAGINATION CELEBRATION

The Children's Museum's 7th annual Imagination Celebration fundraiser is Saturday, August 28 at the Lake Charles Civic Center in the Exhibition Hall. Enjoy great food from over 20 area restaurants. Live and silent auctions and a cash bar. Tickets are $50 and are on sale now at the Children's Museum. Sponsorships are also available. Call the Children's Museum at 337-433-9420 for more information.

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CALCA-CHEW FOOD FESTIVAL

Yummy Cajun delights to whet your appetite! If you are a fan of spicy Cajun cuisine, then you will not want to miss some of the best cooking in Calcasieu Parish at the 26th annual Calca-Chew Food Festival, held at the St. Margaret Catholic Church Family Center, on the corner of 17th Street and Enterprise Blvd. in Lake Charles. Sponsored by the church, all dishes are prepared by parishioners. The event will kick off with a festival mass at 7 a.m. Throughout the day, visitors will enjoy crafts, Cajun French music, prizes, raffles, a live auction and a children's area, with train rides, games and a live petting zoo. Plus, feast on everything Cajun including shrimp étouffée, boudin, fried fish, cracklins, gumbo and barbecue. Festival hours are 7 a.m. - 3 p.m., and admission is free. For more information, call the church office at (337) 439-4585.

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DETOUR ART - OUTSIDER, FOLK ART, AND VISIONARY ENVIRONMENTS COAST TO COAST DETOUR ART -

OUTSIDER, FOLK ART, AND VISIONARY ENVIRONMENTS COAST TO COAST at the Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center June 18 through August 28. The exhibition highlights art and images by visionaries, untrained artists, and folk creators found along the back roads of America. It honors the creative spirit that is at once traditional and whimsical, spiritual and irreverent, earthy and sublime. ADMISSION: Free For information call 337-491-9159