A Spicy Good Time

Backyard barbecues and picnics on the beach are sure to mark this Memorial Day weekend, but folks in search of some fun that’s a bit spicier might want to head to Simi Valley.

The Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise will host its 10th annual Cajun Creole Music Festival on Saturday and Sunday on a large grassy expanse at the corner of Tapo Canyon Road and Los Angeles Boulevard.

“We have some top-name entertainment, and it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Richard Shaw, a Rotary member and festival organizer. “This is an event which is great for the entire family.”

Bring a blanket, and lounge near the large covered stage where zydeco and Cajun tunes will be played. The music schedule is noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

The top acts include Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Danny Pollard & the California Cajun Orchestra, Crawdaddyo and Doug Kershaw, a world-renowned fiddle player.

On Saturday, Lisa Haley of Lisa Haley & the Zydekats will sing several songs from the repertory of noted local accordion master and one-time festival fixture Joe Simien, who died last year.

“He was a major name in Cajun lore and this is the first major Cajun event without him,” said Shaw.

A large dance floor will be set up, and dance lessons will be interspersed between music sets.

A new feature will occur this year at noon both days when several World War II planes from the Confederate Air Force branch in Camarillo do a fly-by during a live presentation of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Finger-licking-good food at several small outdoor kitchens will include the Creole staple of red beans and rice, as well as jambalaya, seafood gumbo and po’ boy sandwiches.

“We try to upgrade the festival every year to make it better and better,” said Steve Smith, another Rotarian and festival organizer.

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The park-like setting will also offer plenty of room to walk among crafts booths that will be selling parrot-themed wares, ceramics, hand-dipped incense, beads, festival T-shirts and plenty of stuff for kids to buy.

Last year’s popular toys were bamboo whistles and large $2 balloons attached to rubber bands. Kids were seen bouncing balloons on and off their hands all day.

There will be a large shaded area where crafts and games for kids will be available all weekend. Children and adults will be able to make Mardi Gras masks and march in a parade that will run through the festival park.

The event costs $10 per person; children under 12 who are accompanied by an adult get in free. Money raised at the festival is donated by Rotary to local and national charities.

In past years, more than 10,000 people have attended the two-day event. Festival-goers have said they found the parking to be accessible and the grassy park area big enough so that the event doesn’t feel crowded.

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DETAILS

Cajun Creole Music Festival on Saturday and Sunday. Gates open at 11 a.m. $10 per person 12 and over; free for children under 12 accompanied by an adult. Corner of Tapo Canyon and Los Angeles Boulevard. 520-4894.

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For Memorial Day Weekend fun that’s a little less spicy but equally enjoyable, check out a free concert Monday at Conejo Community Park, located at the corner of Dover and Hendrix Avenues in Thousand Oaks.

The concert will feature Glenn Yarbrough, co-founder and lead singer of the popular 1960s folk group the Limeliters. Yarbrough has recorded more than 60 albums and is famous for the song “Baby, the Rain Must Fall.”

Opening the show will be patriotic music by Brass Quintessence.

Concert-goers are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner. The event starts at 5 p.m. and is for families, but pets should be left at home. Parking is available on surface streets around the park.

For more information, call 381-2747 or 495-2163.

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Also on tap this holiday weekend in Thousand Oaks is “The Complete Poets Workshop” at the Arts Council Center at 482 Greenmeadow Ave. The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Sponsored by the Conejo Valley Poetry Society, the event is open to any poet, from the novice to the accomplished. There will be classes on how to bind a book by hand, as well as a poetry hike and performances by accomplished poets. Preregistration for the workshop and performances is $35. Call John Gorham at (888) 975-1239 for details.

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Holly J. Wolcott can be reached by e-mail at holly.wolcott@latimes.com or by telephone at 653-7581.