February 25, 2006

February 25, 2006 ( Samedi Gras )

Rendez-Vous des Cajuns, Eunice, Louisiana

YEAR 2 DAY 253

 

Joanne's joke of the day ; what do you call a square foot of empty floor space in Eunice, Louisiana ? A dance hall ! HA HA HA !

Today was cloudy and mild, with intermittent rain.

Today was one of those extraordinary days that this lifestyle occasionally affords us.

This morning we headed off for the town of Church Point, about half an hour away from Lafayette. We drove north on Hwy. 90 through Lafayette, then west on Interstate 10 to Rayne, where we turned north onto Hwy. 35, to Church Point. We wanted to attend a small town Mardi Gras parade. When we got to Church Point, it was raining heavily, and we saw no evidence of a parade anywhere. We stopped at a small business to get directions. We walked into a quaint little store called Le Vieux Moulin ( The Old Mill ), and were met upon entry by Tom & Jean Norman, the owners. What an eclectic business, and an eclectic, old couple. First thing we saw upon entry were Cajun diatonic accordions for sale. Tom explained them to me. He's an accordion player in a "Swamp Pop" band. He explained the differences between Cajun music, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop. Jean is also a Cajun musician. Their store sells Cajun musical instruments, Mardi Gras masks and costumes, elaborate clocks made by Tom, who is a clock maker, and Cajun memorabilia. We browsed around their shop, with Tom and Jean providing a running commentary / guided tour. We bought a Zydeco CD. Jean gave us a copy of her music album, "On The Banks Of The Bayou" on cassette, as a gift. We haven't listened to it yet. She's a Cajun Gospel singer / songwriter, nominated for induction into the Cajun Music Hall Of Fame. We're finding the Cajun people of southern Louisiana to be very friendly and generous. The Church Point parade was cancelled because of the rain. We headed for the town of Eunice.

We took Hwy. 95 to Eunice, about half an hour northwest of Church Point. Eunice is a larger town than Church Point. Our first stop at Eunice was the Cajun Music Hall Of Fame. Interesting. We walked next door to the Eunice Museum. The museum directed us to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park / Acadian Cultural Centre a couple of blocks away. We had our picnic lunch sitting in the truck, then drove over to the Acadian Cultural Centre, arriving just in time for their weekly Saturday afternoon exhibition of Cajun music. We walked into a small exhibition hall where a small band of Cajun musicians, led by a female Park Ranger, started playing Cajun music. Immediately people started jumping up, and began dancing around the small floor area between the seats and the stage. Old people ! We sat through an hour of Cajun music, ( and dancing ) with explanations by the band leader / Park Ranger. When the Cajun music exhibition was finished, we moved to the large kitchen in the building to see their weekly exhibition of Cajun cooking. Today's demonstration was Mardi Gras King Cake. I realized the box office was soon to open, for the Rendez-Vous des Cajuns at the nearby Liberty Theatre. I left Joanne at the cooking exhibition while I went to get tickets for tonight's show.

Le Rendez-Vous des Cajuns is a weekly musical entertainment show, at the elegant, old, restored Liberty Theatre. The show is broadcast live on both radio and television. Sort of the Cajun version of The Grand Ole Opry. Tonight's show was the special Mardi Gras show. The Park Ranger announced that it would be a sold out show, so I wanted to get tickets as soon as the box office opened at 4:00 P.M.. By the time I got to the theatre, the line up was quite long. I stood there in the rain, eventually getting to the box office and buying tickets. When I returned to the Cultural Centre, the Mardi Gras King Cake cooking demonstration was over. Joanne was sitting talking to a local Cajun couple, about their planned visit to Canada. They have previously visited Alberta and Nova Scotia. We chatted with them for about an hour.

We walked over to the Liberty Theatre, and decided to go in and get seated an hour before the show began, because it was unreserved seating. Tonight's performers were Wilson Savoy & The Pine Leaf Boys. The hall was filled to capacity. The musicians all wore elaborate Mardi Gras costumes. The instant the musicians struck the first note, the space between the front row of seats and the stage, as well as all the aisles, filled with dancers. A lack of available space does not stop those Cajuns from dancing. Halfway through the show, the hall was invaded by a band of costumed Mardi Gras revellers, demonstrating a Mardi Gras Courir ( Run ). In a traditional Courir de Mardi Gras, costumed revellers, led by a Capitaine, "run" through their neighbourhood, going house to house, or farm to farm, begging from their neighbours the fixings for a large communal Gumbo dinner that they will later prepare for the neighbourhood. Traditionally, the children will be told that whatever chickens they can catch can be contributed to the Gumbo dinner. So ... les Courirs de Mardi Gras always include a chicken catching contest for children.

This morning I woke up with a sore throat, and as the day wore on, I felt the effects of a cold coming on more and more. By the end of the Rendez-Vous des Cajuns, I was feeling poorly. We drove back to Lafayette, a little more than an hour away. South on Hwy. 13 to Crowley, east on I-10 back to Lafayette, then south on Hwy. 90 to Maxie's Campground in Broussard. We took care of the animals, then had a light, late supper. I did today's accounting, and journal entry. Joanne planned the next 2 days.

For dessert after supper tonight, we had Mardi Gras King Cake. My piece had the little plastic l'enfant Jésus. Woo-Hoo ! That means I have to host the next Mardi Gras party. Y'all are invited, y'hear ? !

DSK