Cajun dance competition highlights weekend in St. Landry Parish

        The first round of the LA 31 Cajun Dance Competition is set for 9 p.m.  Friday during the Old Time Barn Dance at Lakeview Park, located on Highway 13, three miles north of Eunice. Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, with guest drummer Jamey Bearb and fiddler David Greely, provide the music.

    Sponsored in part by Bayou Teche Brewing of Arnaudville, makers of LA 31 Beer, the competition will host additional contests in November and December in Henderson, Breaux Bridge and Lafayette.  Winners from each contest will receive prizes and qualify for the Jan. 22 finals. The finals winner gets a seven-day Caribbean Cruise with the Cajun band Bon Soir Catin and Tony Goulas.

    For more information, contact Karlos Knott at (337) 303-8000 or visit www.bayoutechebrewing.com.

   Other events going on this weekend in St. Landry Parish include:

·         Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band play Friday night and J. Paul and the Zydeco NuBreedz entertain Saturday night at Slim’s Y-Ki-Ki, 8741 Highway 182, in Opelousas.  Slim’s, a legendary zydeco dance hall, has been in business since 1947. (337) 942-6242.

·         Live quarter horse racing continues at 5:40 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino, 2235 Creswell Lane, in Opelousas. The season continues each Wednesday through Saturday until Dec. 17. www.evangelinedowns.com.

·         Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie play zydeco, Cajun music and more at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Mojo’s, located at Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino in Opelousas.  (337) 594-3000, www.evangelinedowns.com.

Cajun fiddler Hadley Castille

·         Merlin Fontenot and Friends entertain at the weekly Rendez-Vous des Cajun radio and TV show at the Liberty Theater, 200 W. Park Ave, in downtown Eunice. Jesse Belleau and Cajun Melody also perform. (337) 457-7389, www.eunice-la.com.

·         Cajun fiddler Hadley J. Castille plays the Music of Acadiana series at 2 p.m. Sunday at NuNu’s, 1510 Hwy 93, in Arnaudville. The event begins with an open jam session, followed by an interview with Castille and a performance. Admission is $5, free for children 12 and younger. Food and drink will be available.

·         Horse and carriage rides through candlelit streets are part of Grand Noel Saturday in Grand Coteau. (337) 662-1032, www.casaazul.homestead.com.

·         Decorated streets and shops, Christmas choirs and a visit from Santa are part of Jingle & Mingle: Three Nights of Christmas in Sunset, which kicks off 5-8 p.m. Thursday and continues Dec. 2-3. Each night, each participating shop will have a drawing for a Christmas gift.

    In other events, Gray R. Steckler’s oil and acrylic art exhibit continues through Dec. 30 at the Opelousas Museum and Interpretive Center, 315 N. Main St., in downtown Opelousas.  A St. Landry Parish resident and retired attorney, Steckler has created art that has been shown in galleries, museums and libraries throughout the state. Call (337) 948-2589 for details.

    For more information on all these events, call the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission at (337) 948-8004 or visit www.cajuntravel.com.  Follow us on Facebook at St. Landry Parish – It’s Gumbo for Your Soul and Twitter @StLandryParish.