One Last Song with the Missus on the Washboard
Dennis Stroughmatt and Creole Stomp
W.C. Handy Blues and BBQ Festival
So, last week, The Coach and I broke out the chairs and headed across the Money Savin’ Bridge to the land of cheap cars, cheaper gas, and — lo and behold — a free music festival. It’s true that we had been to the W.C. Handy Blues and BBQ Festival before, but it was so long ago that I actually had to check my Flickr account to figure out the date. What can I say? Time flies when you work all the time? Or, when you teach every summer?
OMG! I just checked my CV and it’s true. The last time we went to the Blues Festival and to ROMP was five years ago when I had a summer fellowship. Seriously, teaching in the summer is ruining my musical mojo!
Anyways, the last time we went to the festival, we went on a Saturday afternoon and it was hotter than the face of the sun. This time, we were much more strategic: we looked at the schedule for the festival then consulted our Magic 8 Ball The Weather Channel. Lady Luck was in a good mood: a coolish evening (too cool to swim in the pool) with no rain (ha!) coincided with Zydeco Night!
Now, how could we resist a little bit of Louisiana right in our backyard? I’m talking about 15 minute drive — versus hours on end making our way back down towards New Iberia and New Orleans.
So, we got to Henderson, found free parking a couple blocks from the stage, and plunked our chairs down about three rows back — and then it started to rain. Yeah, that’s about like an afternoon in Louisiana too. Fortunately, The Coach brought his umbrella – useful for keeping the iTouch, the cell phones, and the camera dry.
We ended up staying through two groups: Dennis Stroughmatt and Creole Stomp and Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience. Interestingly enough, the first group was from “upper Louisiana” — that is, southern Illinois. Who knew that you could find a zydeco group up in our neck of the woods, and a pretty good one at that? As for the second group, well, those folks could put on a show! The crowd up front was diving for throws, folks were dancing to the music, and no one seemed embarrassed at all.
I’m feeling more than a little homesick for the swampy lands.
BTW, we did end up eating dinner at the festival because it’s one of the ways that the committee raises money to keep it free. The sausage was spicy, the bread pudding was scrumptious, but I could have made a better bowl of red beans and rice at home. {Sorry folks, but you need to work on your rice!}
Throws — and it’s not even Mardi Gras!
Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
W.C. Handy Blues and BBQ Festival
It was a good evening of music!!!!