. . .continued . . .
IN CASE NO ONE MENTIONED IT
by Joe Kopacz
I would like to thank everyone who helped in making the Beausoleil, Gino Delafose and Dirty Dozen Brass Band show a success. In particular, I want like to thank Dave Borisenko and Benny Sylvester.
In looking over the minutes from the Board of Directors meetings I found that it was back in September 1998 that Dave and Benny started working with the Performing Arts Center to make room for us to dance and have the crawfish boil before the show. I know that during the six months between that September meeting and the night of the show, they put in countless hours making sure that we would have entertainment, dance lessons and great food before the show. And, most importantly, a dance floor to really make it a special night. Thanks guys. I know you put in a lot of work for this show and it is greatly appreciated!
AAAAIIIIEEEE! IT’S FESTIVAL TIME!
As Benny said, the magnificent year continues. On Friday, April 9, we kick off the weekend long, second Cajun Crawfish Festival on the Bayou at the Cajun Cafe, located at 8285 Park Boulevard in Pinellas Park.
Last year’s festival was a wonderful success, and this one looks to be even bigger and better. Joe and his staff have been working on the venue for months. The fence to the east of the restaurant is coming down, so there will be more room, more dance floor, and, oh yeah, more bands. The festival schedule is included again for the second straight month. And we don’t want to forget to mention that we have a great sponsor on board. Coors Brewing is making great contributions to the cause and has made it possible for us to kick it up several notches.
Advance tickets for the weekend priced at $16 are on sale now. Daily ticket prices at the gate are $8 per day plus $2 per vehicle for parking. If you plan to spend the entire weekend at the festival, a weekend pass can save you up to $14, an almost 50% savings. To get your tickets, call the Hot Line at (813) 986-7978, the Cajun Cafe at (727) 546-6732 or Dave and Lynn Borisenko at (813) 626-7928. Or, you can see me (Dave Borisenko) at Skipper’s on Friday, April 2 or Sunday, April 4. Lynn and I are going to be there for two great dance shows, Sleepy LaBeef on Friday and The Love Dogs on Sunday.
VOLUNTEER INFORMATION - READ CAREFULLY!
We still need plenty of volunteers. Remember, volunteers will earn festival tickets redeemable for food, drinks, tee shirts, and other goodies (sorry, not admission). If you work at least two hours, you can earn 20 tickets per day, and you can volunteer to work one, two, or even three days and earn 20 tickets each day. This is a great deal, especially for a family if both the parents and the older, more responsible kids volunteer together. It will make it possible to have a wonderful time without spending a bunch of money. You want to take advantage of this incredible opportunity.
We have been recording the names of volunteers who have e-mailed, phoned, or button-holed us at events and will give out opportunities to sign up for the jobs and times based on the chronological order they appear on the list. People who have not already signed up should call Dave or Lynn Borisenko immediately at (813) 626-7928. . Please be ready to pitch in and help your club, it will be worth your while both materially and spiritually.
CAJUN / ZYDECO DANCE CLASS
I first met Sam Mahfoud when Lynn and I took our initial dance lessons with Richard and Mary Hummer. Lynn always enjoyed dancing with Sam because he was such a courteous lead, always verbally informing her of his next planned move. Since then we have seen Sam at about a thousand Cajun, Zydeco, Contra, and Swing dance events. I guess taking dance lessons was a good idea for all of us.
Now Sam has become one of the best dancers in the area, and he has started passing his knowledge along as a dance teacher. Here is his story in his own words.
About four years ago, a dance friend told me about something called Cajun dance. She said it was lots of fun and that I should check out these lessons given by Richard and Mary Hummer, leaders of the Cajun Connection at that time. So for the next four Sundays, I trekked over to a little studio in a shopping center in south Tampa and joined a group of Cajun novices. Among the novices were some of today's expert dancers, like Dave & Lynn Borisenko. We learned how to limp-step and turn-turn-turn for the jitterbug.
The next few years brought numerous dances, festivals, crawfish boils, and a few more lessons, this time in Zydeco as well as Cajun. It was indeed beaucoup de fun -- I had not been misled. Recently, I, along with partner Merideth started teaching swing dance at one of the rec centers in Largo. When their ballroom teacher moved to England, we were asked to fill in until May, with the flexibility to teach any kind of couples dancing. So we decided that our topic for the month of April would be Cajun & Zydeco! Just a few short years from novice to teacher, but that's the way the dance gets passed on -- people learn it, they get good at it, and they show it to others. Our class is going to start from the very basics, so if you're just starting out or know someone else who'd like to jumpstart their dancing, we'd be glad to have you.
-- Sam
A MILLION DOLLARS
Once there was a millionaire named Joe Thibodeaux who lived in, of all places, Thibodeaux, Louisiana. Joe collected live alligators and kept them in the pool in back of his mansion. Joe also had a beautiful single daughter and he was looking for a good husband for her.One day Joe decided to throw a huge crawfish boil. During the party he announced, "My dear guests... I have a proposition to every man here. I will give one million dollars or my daughter to the man who can swim across this pool full of alligators and emerge unharmed!"
As soon as he finished his last word, there was the sound of a large SPLASH!! There was Benny Sylvester in the pool swimming with all he could... the crowd cheered him on as he kept stroking. Finally, he made it to the other side unharmed. Joe was very impressed.
He exclaimed, "Benny, that was incredible! Fantastic! I didn't think it could be done! Well, I must keep my end of the bargain... which do you want, my daughter or the one million dollars?"
Benny spat, "Listen, I don't want your money! And I don't want your daughter! I want the rotten dog who pushed me in the POOL!!!"
e-mail: olcajun@ij.net 
Hot Line: (813) 986-7978
