Time for ‘fais do do’

By: ELIZABETH WEST
Associate Editor

It’s time to clean up your dancing shoes and get ready to “fais do do” the weekend away at the annual Mamou Cajun Music Festival set for this weekend.
In its 44th year, the festival still maintains “preserving our heritage through our music” as its main purpose. This organization aims to create an interest in Cajun culture for locals and for people from out of town. Mamou Cajun Music Festival Organization President Terral Aymond said,” The festival is also important because it can help our children gain interest in their heritage.”
In its effort to preserve the Cajun heritage, only original Cajun music is played at the festival. Aymond said, “We only allow musicians to play that play authentic Cajun music so there cannot be any instruments like keyboards and steel guitars.”
If you do not know how to dance to the sounds of Cajun music that’s okay. You can learn at the festival. The organization’s treasurer Wanda Verrette said, “We offer a dance workshop on Saturday beginning at 12:00 p.m. to teach people how to two step and waltz.”
On Friday the festival will have a potato dance while The Cajun Tradition Band plays. Then on Saturday you can expect to enjoy a variety of competitions from Cajun dizzy dash to greased pole climbing.
This year’s festival will also be honoring Pete Bergeron, a Cajun music musician who will be performing Saturday with his band The Bayou Boys from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Mamou Cajun Music Festival was birthed out of concern for the dying Cajun culture in the area. According to Aymond, now, 44 years later the festival is drawing crowds from as far away as Texas. Verrette said, “We are using our music to inform people about our culture.”
The festival will be held at the Mamou Recreational Center Complex on Friday, September 4, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Day two of the festival will be on Saturday, September 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Admission is $7.00 each day for people 12 years and older.