The festival ball is rolling and this month we’re directly in its path. Not only is April one of the busiest months for festivals, (there are no less than twenty events statewide during the third weekend), but there are a number of huge events this month.
Among them, of course, are the French Quarter Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Festival International in Lafayette, which I will only briefly touch on since OffBeat does its usual thorough coverage of all these events in other parts of the mag. is also a particularly musical month. It’s downright amazing the vast amount of live music that is available and much of it for free. I love free.
Started in 1984 to lure lo back to the historic Vieux Carre after the disruption of street and sidewalk repairs, the French Quarter Festival (April 9-11) is still quite the “local” event. Although the musical talent presented is worthy of world-wide attention, I tend to think the festival heartily serves its original purpose to bring locals to the quarter.
For me this is a great opportunity to hear local talent that plays in town seven nights a week but I never get off my butt to go see. I think of this festival as two events in one. There are the eight small intimate stages along Bourbon and Royal Streets and then the big party stages in Woldenberg Riverfront Park with popular contemporary acts.
You’ll find nothing but New Orleans and Louisiana musicians and the festival likes to boast of more than 100 hours of music, all of it free! It’s all here, jazz, blues, brass bands and contemporary. The list of talent playing literally takes pages but the more familiar names include Jeremy Lyons’ Deltabilly Trio, Timothea, John Brunious, Mem Shannon, Coco Robicheaux, Tony Green, Jeremy Davenport, Henry Butler and Tiny Town.
Throughout Jackson Square and along the riverfront about 50 restaurants serve up their best dishes at very reasonable prices; another opportunity to learn more of what this great town has to offer. This festival is more than just a weekend of enjoyment; it actually reveals all kinds of great music and food that can be enjoyed throughout the rest of the year. (504-522-5730 or www.frenchquarter-festivals.org)
There are some festivals that, for whatever’ reason, seem to hold a special place in the hearts of locals. Ponchatoula’s Strawberry Festival (April 10-11) is one such event. Every year people always ask me ,about this particular festival, which explains the huge crowds that converge on this small town. Thankfully this is one of the better agriculture festivals around.
If I go to a strawberry festival I want to find strawberries (I have actually been to a cotton festival that did not have any cotton). There are strawberries by the flat, by the pint, in wine, in daiquiris, in pies, in cupcakes and in the king of all desserts-strawberry shortcake.
Ponchatoula claimed the “Strawberry Capital of the World” title after the numbers proved the Ponchatoula area to be the largest strawberry producer in the state. The festival spreads over the whole town creating a street fair atmosphere as you make your way to the festival grounds. Along the way you can duck into one of the dozen or so excellent antique shops that dominate the main street of the town.
Decorated food booths circle the festival grounds selling dishes as BBQ chicken, red beans and rice, boiled crawfish, boudin and po-boys. Live music starts each day around 11 am and although the crowds really seem to enjoy the music, the line-up usually seems just so-so to me. This year, the main acts include TEXAS – the Band, Ernest Scott & Coffee, Wayne Toups and Kenny Fife & Backbone.
Time between musical acts each day is filled with activities like sack races and egg throws all of which are scheduled on both days so you get the chance to see the strawberry eating contest on whichever day you decide to attend. Divided by age categories, the first to eat a pint of strawberries wins a strawberry festival T-shirt. This is quick but messy business usually completed in about 15-20 seconds.
All in all, there are plenty of strawberries to be found in a variety .of dishes and that’s the most important thing. At times, I actually thought I could smell berries in the air. But don’t expect a down-home feel as you and thousands of others attend the festival. In fact, expect to park about 1/4 mile from the heart of the city. (504-386-6677 or www.ponchatoula.com)
Louisianians can be healthy too, we don’t have to center everything around food and drink. But except for a few thousand serious runners in the Crescent City Classic (April 17) the remaining 20,000 participants are in it for a fun time and the Post Race Festival shindig. Run a little, have a few beers; walk a little, eat some jambalaya; cross the finish line, dance to Rockin’ Dopsie.
About 9 a.m., the runners and walkers gather on Decatur Street in the French Quarter eager to do their best on the 6.2- mile course. The top runners, world-class winners from around the world who run at a faster than five minutes-per-mile pace, are at the start line.
At one block intervals thereafter, the next fastest group lines up until the’ seventh block, near Esplanade Avenue where the walk~rs await. For spectators, the start of the race is pretty exciting to watch–racers mentally preparing, bouncing up and down, keeping loose before the start gun is fired. Then a sea of people flows uptown.
After the race officially begins, it takes about 15 minutes for the last group to commence crossing the start line. This is when I started doing the math. The fastest runners cross the finish line in about 28 minutes, so there’s practically no way to watch .the very beginning of the race, drive uptown and be able to catch the winner crossing the finish line. But you’ll have plenty of time to cheer on many of the participants as they cross the line over the next few hours. Many “runners” enjoy walking the course through the Garden District and keep the spirit of New Orleans alive by donning outlandish costumes for their trek through the course.
The finish line at Audubon Park is only a hop, skip and jump to Butterfly Park behind the zoo for the free post-race party. Riding high on the sense of accomplishment, it’s time for the reward. All kinds of local restaurants dish out food, fruit and water is passed out, corporations create little private tent parties for co-worker’ runners and the longest lines of all are for the free beer trucks.
The party bash kicks off with live music around 10 a.m. with the Bucktown Allstars followed by Rockin’ Dopsie Jr, Hunter Hayes and Irma Thomas. Things wind down when the beer runs out around 2 p.m., and last year that meant they had gone through about 250 kegs. You can sign up to be a part of the Crescent City Classic until the day before the race for an entrance fee of $25, which entitles you to a free T-shirt and party privileges. Who says we’re not healthy in New Orleans? (504-861-8686 or www.ccc10k.com
An immensely popular south Louisiana festival, Festival International de Louisiane (April 22- 25), takes place in Lafayette the same weekend as the first weekend of Jazz Fest. Life is so hard in this state – you actually have to choose which incredible music festival to see this weekend. Both? Festival International’s premise has always been a celebration of music from French influenced cultures from every part of the globe.
During the 1999 Festival, artists will be represented from the Francophone countries of Nigeria, Mali, Madagascar, Benin, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Cameroon, Belgium, France and Canadian cities and provinces such as Quebec, Saskatchewan, Les Isles de la Madeleine, New Brunswick and Montreal. Rounding out the experience are superb Louisiana musicians playing Cajun, zydeco, R&B, jazz and Mardi Gras Indian music.
The festival takes place throughout the downtown area of this cutsie college town focused around five stage areas. More than 30 food booths on site offer great- selections from some of the best restaurants in the area. Oh, the cost or admission is free. With close to 100 musical acts this is truly an international event. (318-232-8086 or http://fil.net-connect.net).
Lest you think I’ve forgotten that little festival we all know as the Jazz Fest (April 23-May 2), there are plenty of sources with scrupulously detailed information about the artists, times, and food, so I’m just going to tell you what I’m looking forward too. This may harm any credibility I carry once you see the groups I want to catch. The good thing is I’m actually excited about some of the appearances this year. There are performers I actually want to see rather than “Oh, that stage would be OK to catch”.
The acts I’m checking out are Willle Nelson (yeeha!!), Harry Connick Sr’s “Salute to the Music of Frank Sinatra,” Lil’ Band 0′ Gold with Warren Storm, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Rockie Charles, Po’Henry & Tookie, D.L. Menard & Louisiana Aces, Dale Hawkins and Bobby Marchan. Plus all those unfamiliar groups I will discover.
