Gulf Brew- A Cajun Beer Fest !

We had a blast yesterday, at the 3rd annual Gulf Brew fundraiser, held in Parc International, in downtown Lafayette. A production of the Acadiana Center for the Arts, Gulf Brew is a beer fest showcasing microbreweries and brew masters from the South, from Texas to Florida. Beer lovers had 91 brews to choose from! In addition to this great selection of brews, the event showcased the artwork of Southern artists and craftsmen.

There were also Cajun food booths from local restaurants and live music from a few of Acadiana's favorite bands, Vagabond Swing, Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band, and Snarky Puppy. But the thing that really impressed me about this festival, were the air-conditioned tents that the beer was being served up in! Since it was a hot, sultry afternoon in Cajun Country, this was most appreciated. Now this was definitely the way to go, for a summertime festival!

The proceeds from Gulf Brew will help to employ local artists and musicians and help to support the Arts in Education program. After 4 hours of sampling, we were in need of something substantial to eat, to soak up all of this fantastic beer, so we decided to head over to Bisbano's Cellar Door, where they serve up some of the best muffalettas, west of New Orleans. Cest bon, cher! Oh the life of a Cajun, is oh so good!

Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band

 

Oh Big Fun on the Bayou!

The threat of severe thunderstorms could not stop the crowd that was at the T.G.I.F party in downtown Lafayette today. We started with the Bach Lunch at noon with music by Corey Ledet and His Zydeco band and a delicious seafood lunch catered by Stan's Downtown. After the concert we headed over to Artmosphere for a little R and R and a chocolate martini. They have the most divine chocolate martinis there. It was about 4 pm when we heard that tonight's Downtown Alive had been cancelled due to inclement weather expected. The weather looked fine to me;  80 degrees and sunny. 

So we had to change plans and decided to head over to Randol's Restaurant and Dancehall for some Cajun dancing and boiled crawfish. By this time it was raining lightly but no biggie, as we're accustomed to torrential rain, at times. After dancing a while, our dinner came; seafood gumbo and crab dip for starters. And boiled crawfish and a seafood platter for finishers. Ca cest' bon, cher! 

 And tomorrow, we will be going to a special edition Bach Lunch concert from 4 to 10 pm, in Parc Sans Souci, in downtown Lafayette. In celebration of the 21st anniversary of Bach Lunch, there will be an incredible triple header concert with Les Freres Michot, Cedric Watson and Creole Bijou and Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars, entertaining the crowd at this great show. Don't miss it! Oh, the life of a Cajun! Let the good times roll!

Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band