|
|
|
Come Tap Your Toes at Fort Lauderdale’s Fais Do Do
By : Donald Rodrigue
The breakers on the Atlantic just a few miles away are a big clue that we’re in South Florida and definitely a long ways from the bayous and swamps of South Louisiana. Yet the lively music and the vats of succulent red crawfish are as authentic as it comes. And I should know, having spent much of my life within two hours of New Orleans and its famed Cajun dance clubs. If you can’t make it to Louisiana, then the 12th Annual Fort Lauderdale Cajun/Zydeco Crawfish Festival is definitely the next best thing, featuring many of the top names of the genre.
Held May 7-9, this year’s festival is dedicated to some of the most legendary families of Cajun music, the Ardoins and the Carriers.
The Ardoin family has been entertaining folks with lively Louisiana rhythms ever since 1948, when Bois Sec Ardoin helped form the Duralde Ramblers. An accomplished accordion player, he ultimately formed the Ardoin Family Band with his sons. Bois Sec’s grandson Dexter has carried on the family’s musical traditions, playing both the drums and the accordion in zydeco bands. This year, Fort Lauderdale festival attendees will enjoy the rare treat of listening to three generations of the Ardoin family.
The Carrier family’s musical traditions began with its patriarch Warren, who passed his love for Cajun and zydeco rhythms down to his son Roy, who started playing the guitar for his own band at age 14. Roy’s son Chubby began playing drums for the group when he was 12 years old. Chubby also picked up the accordion and made a name for himself with his group the Bayou Swamp Band. His brothers Troy and Dwight also perform with their zydeco bands, Dikki Du & the Zydeco Crew and Dwight Carrier & the Zydeco Ro' Dogs, respectively. Roy, Chubby and Troy will appear at this year’s festival.
In addition to the continuous live music, festival-goers will find a history/cultural workshop area; the Crazee Kid’s Zone, where youngsters can learn crafts, compete for prizes and enjoy their own musical performances; a gumbo cook-off; and Cajun musicians showing attendees how to prepare their favorite Creole dishes.
Speaking of food, where else in South Florida can you find authentic red beans and rice, étouffée, boudin (a spicy Cajun sausage made of pork and rice stuffed in a casing), and crawfish bisque? Authentic Louisiana beverages include the famed New Orleans’ Hurricanes (a potent concoction of both light and dark rum and fresh fruit juices that, like a real hurricane, leaves little standing) and Community Coffee with chicory, guaranteed to get you back on your feet.
The Cajun/Zydeco Crawfish Festival is held at the Fort Lauderdale Festival Site located about two blocks west of I-95 and Commercial Boulevard. Admission at the gate is $20 daily, with reduced two- or three-day passes also available. For more information, visit fortlauderdale.gov/festivals.
To book your next trip, visit www.aa.com or call American Airlines / American Eagle reservations at 1-800-433-7300 or your local travel agent.
Book your trip today! Visit www.aa.com, call American/American Eagle reservations at 1-800-433-7300, or call your travel agent for more information.
|
