We continue to immerse ourselves in Cajun culture. We love listening to the local Cajun musicians. Mardi Gras season has kicked into high gear with lots of festivals and parades. The Historic Strand Theatre in downtown Jennings hosted the 13th Annual Cajun Squeezebox Shootout Accordion Championship on Saturday, February 10, 2018. Accordion players of all age ranges performed for cash prizes. A troupe of professional musician warmed up the crowd.
Earlier this month, we visited Martin Accordion and learned all about the Cajun accordion. We thought the shootout would be fun. We'll get a chance to see these amazing machines in action. We talked a couple of couples from Betty's RV Park into joining us. Pictured below is Dave, Kathy, Kathy, Dave, Michelle and Fred.
The contestants were separated into four age groups - youth (12 and under), junior, adult and professional. Each performer played three songs, one of which was the required song. Here are several of the youth performers.
Click below to hear what we heard.
During a break in the action, we were visited by the local Mardi Gras club. The revelers passed the hat to help offset the cost of the upcoming parade.
As the competition progressed, so did the level of play. By the time we got to the professionals, we were rocking and rolling. We were surprised to see that three of the five band members were competing for the professional prize. We figured the accordion player would win since he was fronting the band, but as it turned out, the bass guitar player was a better accordion player than the accordion player.
After the competition, we found a local cafe and compared notes over po' boys. We decided not to stay in town for the parade, as the heavens opened up and pelted us with torrential rains.
Not to worry, there are plenty of other parades in the days to come. Stay tuned.
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