Fiddlin’ around at the levee

Dan McKain

Henderson – St. Martin Parish was high on the list of places to visit when the world-renowned Sussex Avenue Fiddlers of Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada, planned a 30th anniversary trip.

The reasons were simple enough. Many of their antecedents were among the first to make the frightful journey from Canada during La Grand Derangement.

One of fiddling group’s first adventures when arriving here was a visit to McGee’s Landing and a sightseeing trip by boat out into the Atchafalaya Basin. And a high point for their hosts was when the fiddlers broke out their instruments and began to play “Fiddlin’ on the Bayou,” a lively tune composed by Canadian fiddling legend Ned Landry.

Interestingly enough, two of Landry’s great-grandchildren, Alexander and Allison Landry, were part of the group giving the impromptu performance aboard the tour boat. They, along with Amelie deArcos, are all young star performers with the group today.

Formed in 1978 under the direction of Ivan and Vivian Hicks, the Sussex Avenue Fiddlers are a group musicians who play old time fiddlers’ tunes. They come mainly from the Riverview, Moncton, Dieppe and Sussex areas. They play a variety of instrumental music: Cajun, conventional Down East fiddling, Gospel, Southern, and Scottish tunes. They also have featured vocalists and the traditional step dancers. This was very evident at their appearance on the live broadcast of the “Rendezvous des Cajuns” Saturday night from the Liberty Theater in Eunice.     

The group has been very popular on the concert circuit and their show is packed with good toe-tappin’ music, warm-hearted humor and fun for the whole family. Whether it is volunteering to perform at a benefit concert to raise awareness and funds for a good cause or putting a smile on the face of a senior citizen during a nursing home engagement, the fiddlers genuinely love to share their music with the audience.

The group’s professionalism and loyal following have earned them the right to perform in beautiful concert hall settings and at prestigious engagements. Even yet, they appear to be at their very best when they are fiddling just for themselves, as was evident down on the levee at McGee’s Landing recently.