CAJUN RAGIN' A DAY OF TUNES AND TREATS -- INCLUDING GATOR.Byline: MARIA GONZALEZ Special to the Daily News SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. -- There were plush alligators for sale among the carnival beads and hats at the Cajun Creole Music Creole music was the music genre that transformed into zydeco. Creole music is no longer a form of music that is performed. Louisiana roots music and dance Festival, and there was real alligator alligator, large aquatic reptile of the genus Alligator, in the same order as the crocodile. There are two species—a large type found in the S United States and a small type found in E China. Alligators differ from crocodiles in several ways. -- cooked, on a stick. For the truly daring, the alligator meat is marinated in hot sauce for a couple of days, then dipped in batter and grilled. ``It tastes like chicken,'' said Lori Lange, 48, of Simi Valley, munching on an alligator skewer while strolling the grounds with her husband, Ron. The Langes have come to the festival for the past 15 years to enjoy the food and music. ``If you can't tap your foot to that, you can't tap your foot to anything,'' Ron Lange said about the swinging, upbeat music in the background. From its humble beginnings as a clam bake in 1988, the festival now draws thousands from the city and surrounding communities. It is the biggest fundraising event of the Rotary Club of Simi SIMI Sea Ice Mechanics Initiative SIMI Search for Intelligent Monkeys on the Internet SIMI Students Islamic Movement in India SIMI Society of Irish Motor Industry SIMI Smallholder Irrigation Markets Initiative Sunrise. The event brought in more than $100,000 last year, said Rotary member Steve Pietrolungo, chairman of last year's festival. The money is donated to community groups and charities such as the Boys and Girls boys and girls mercurialisannua. Club and Meals on Wheels n. 1. A program that delivers hot meals to persons, such as the elderly or disabled, who are confined to their homes and unable to cook for themselves; also, the meals thus delivered. Such programs are usually conducted by governmental or charitable organizations. . ``It all goes back into the community,'' Pietrolungo said. In the food court, people ordered up baskets of boiled crawfish crawfish: see crayfish. , catfish po' boys or Louisiana crab cakes on a bed of ``dirty'' rice. People clustered around the main stage, sitting on lawn chairs and shielded from the sun by canopies. Some drank beer and ate crawfish as couples danced. Cajun cooking's secret is in the seasoning and the time taken to properly prepare the food, said Michael Hall, 24, of New Orleans. Working at the New Orleans Cookery booth, Hall said crab cakes combine the ``trinity'' of vegetables: celery, green bell peppers and onions. ``It's the herbs from around the Mississippi and it's the seafood,'' said Tess Mohr about Cajun and Creole food. The festival continues today from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Rancho Santa Susana Community Park, 5005 Los Angeles Ave. Admission is $15. CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- 4) Philip Rushton and his wife, Tinker, of Woodland Hills, left, enjoy an alligator skewer at the annual Cajun Creole Music Festival at Rancho Susana Community Park in Simi Valley on Saturday. The event, which continues today, is one of the biggest Cajun festivals west of the Mississippi and benefits local organizations. Festivalgoers can enjoy live Cajun music, creole food, arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. and more. Above, 3-year-old Ryan Barabas of Chatsworth prepares to don some festival beads. Below left, Tyrone Bell soaks in the festival spirit with an abundance of beads. Below right, a display of masks await shoppers. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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