Pheasant Hollow Winery Cajun Festival - May 21-22, 2010

Festivals are a rite of spring. Bruce Morgenstern's vision is for a Cajun festival at Pheasant Hollow Winery that would draw people to his little piece of paradise near Rend Lake in Whittington, Illinois. For the past several years he has booked Cajun music by some of the best players in the region and now includes Louisiana musicians. A wood dance floor is laid out in front of the stage which is nestled in the wooded amphitheatre where lessons are taught and dancers strut to live music. There is plenty of seating where one can relax, enjoy Cajun food including boiled crawfish, and indulge in wines made at Pheasant Hollow. There is also a large air-conditioned tasting room with a wrap-around porch to offer other options for taking in the festivities.

Cajun music will be provided by Dennis Stroughmatt & Creole Stomp from Albion, IL, Paul Gregoire's Roux de Bayou from Nashville, TN and Cajun swing fiddler Hadley Castille with his son Blake Castille from Opelousas, LA. Dennis Stroughmatt has received much acclaim around the nation for his ability in Cajun, Creole and French music. For this year's festival, he has secured this exciting lineup of Cajun musicians for your listening and dancing pleasure. Paul Gregoire learned his music during his native Cajun upbringing in Dulac, Louisiana and brings fellow musicians from his current home town. It is expected that Cajun singer/songwriter, Wade Bernard, will be able to accompany the group this year.

All the musicians have played Cajun dances in St. Louis. At age 74, Mr. Hadley has the distinction of experiencing many decades of Cajun music and culture. His fiddle style is a reflection of an earlier era when Texas' western swing influenced Cajun music. The accordion gave way to fiddle and steel guitar resulting in a more swinging country sound. Born to a sharecropper in Louisiana's bayou country, Mr. Hadley has penned many songs about Cajun life which are featured on his latest compilation CD Refait (redone). It's the richest collection of memories brought to life in Cajun music. His songs include mischief with the family's battery operated radio, the flood of 1927 which devastated much of southern Louisiana and a time when speaking French was forbidden in public and especially in school. He has seen his Cajun heritage change from a source of embarrassment to a source of pride. That pride includes an instructional DVD on Cajun fiddling set to be released through Mel Bay Publications, one of the largest distributors of how-to music guides in the world. And he proudly passes on his music to his granddaughter Sarah Jayde. For more about the Castilles, see http://www.hadleyjcastille.com

The festival will run Friday evening and again all day Saturday. It is a 2 hour drive from St. Louis, MO so you can come for a day or stay the weekend at a local hotel or campground. For more details see the ad in May/June issue of FolkFire or visit www.pheasanthollowwinery.com or select the link for a flyer to print

Slideshow of 2007 Cajun festival!



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