Kudo's to the promoters who managed to make thing happen when faced with a disaster.

Even in Florida, you can never predict the weather. A dangerous storm threatened to close down this year's Cajun - Zydeco Crawfish Festival with severe damage to the stage and tent area where the festival was to take place. On Friday evening, after taking the stage and playing 4 or 5 tunes Dennis Stroughmat and his band and the patrons in attendance were informed that the City of Saint Petersburg had ordered the festival closed down as severe weather was headed directly toward St. Pete. While we all grumbled a whole lot, it was the right decision considering the intensity of the storm that passed through within the hour.

Saturday dawned to reveal a severely damaged tent and stage area. The festival organizers rebated weekend tickets thinking the show couldn't go on. The wind continued to whip around and it was a downright chilly day with mixed sun and clouds. Yet, the spirit of the music couldn't be squelched. Don Fontenot and his band pulled out the private amps and equipment and set up on the grass with the bare minimum necessary to play as the dancers gathered around dancing on the lawn and nearby sidewalk area. Isn't this the way it's done in LA reminiscent of the roots of this cultural music; like a family gathering? Don and his band were no less enthusiastic and put on a fantastic 3 hour set.

In the meantime, promoters worked hard at setting up a temporary stage and cordoned off a grassy area in front for the dancers. While not as scheduled or planned, the music happened as it should.

Dennis Naquin and his band took to the newly constructed stage for a full set of mixed Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp pop keeping the dancers from getting too chilled. I was watching people's feet for a while and thought about how dirty our dancing feet were getting in the grassy area but nobody really cared because the music was great and we were all having a grand time mixing it up.

With a big smile on his face, Geno Delafose and his French Rocking Boogie played an amazing set without a break between tunes. Was it so he could keep warm or so the dancers would stay warm? By this point in the evening, it was downright cold. But, Geno and his band were at their best! You could almost tell the temperature by the scrub board player, Demetri, who wore a bright orange knit ski cap with his hoodie pulled up over it. He looked so cute.

Sunday brought spectacular weather for dancing with bright blue skies, still a little windy, cool and dry. The festival was able to repair the tent and stage area sufficiently and eliminate any danger to the bands and dancers. The surprise of the day, was Same Ol 2 Step headed up by Lil Wayne, where everyone was anticipating more Cajun dancing but this band was pure zydeco with a great groove.

Chubby Carrier carried the torch to end the festival with a great energetic stage show. Much like his dad, Chubby glitters on stage and gets the dance flow jiving. Lots of beads were flying from the stage to an enthusiastic crowd. He got a group from the audience on stage to dance to one tune and then came down off the stage for a parade while still playing that zydeco vibe. What a way to end a festival with so much joyous energy.

All in all, despite the weather, the festival was one to remember.