Theresa Adams
February 28, 2011Henry remembered for priorities
March 2, 2011A veritable “who’s who” of Cajun-style music, the 3rd annual Louisiana Swamp Stomp Festival unites the region’s top performers on Nicholls State’s campus March 18-20.
Returning to this year’s lineup are Grammy award nominees Lost Bayou Ramblers; Geno Delafose & the French Rockin’ Boogie; and Grammy winners Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys.
Also playing on two stages – the Cypress and Tupelo stages – are Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, Fuefollet, Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole, the Pine Leaf Boys, Tab Benoit, Foret Tradition, Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble, as well as last year’s Grammy winner in the Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album category, Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band. The group’s “Zydeco Junkie” was one of two Grammy awards given to Louisiana musicians (bluesman Buddy Guy won the other).
Co-chair Anke Tonn, of the Biological Sciences department, has seen the event grow. “With this year’s top-notch program, we are expecting to see 5,000 people this year,” she said.
“The people who came last year loved it,” Tonn added. “The setting, the non-stop music and fun for the children make it special.”
Festival gates open at 2:30 p.m. March 18 in the parking lot adjacent to the John L. Guidry Stadium. The fun kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.
Admission is $10 daily or $25 per person for the weekend. Children ages 11 and under are admitted free.
New to the festival are free Zydeco-Cajun dance lessons, which are offered each day one hour before the first band starts playing.
In addition to toe-tapping music, festival-goers will find a variety of south Louisiana foods, presentations on the history, culture and economic development of the region and artisans demonstrating their crafts and selling handmade items.
Tonn said her department also sponsors events for children, including the popular crab races.
For more information or a band lineup, call (985) 448-4633 or visit www.nicholls. edu/swamp_stomp.
