At the Crawfish Fest, all are welcome to rock (and we mean all)
One country, indivisible.
That's what it says in The Pledge of Allegiance. But perhaps you've noticed that we're not so indivisible right now. Perhaps you've noticed that red states and blue states, North and South, are increasingly pitted against each other.
In this tense climate, any hands-across-the-states gesture is significant. And for sheer fun, few can top Michael Arnone's Crawfish Fest — bringing a taste of Louisiana to New Jersey for 32 years.
"The New Jersey audiences have always been great," said Marcia Ball, the honky-tonk piano virtuoso who is one of the headliners at this year's festival, May 31 and June 1 in Augusta, at the Sussex County Fairgrounds (she's appearing 1 p.m. Sunday on the Main Stage).
Galactic (5 p.m. Saturday), Bonerama (2:45 Saturday), Rockin' Dopsie Jr. (3 p.m. Saturday), George Porter Jr. (3 p.m. Sunday), Terrance Simien (11:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Sunday), John Cleary (5 p.m. Sunday) and New Jersey's own Ocean Avenue Stompers (1 p.m. Sunday) are among the other top acts that will be bringing the swampy sounds of the Bayou State to the marsh dwellers of North Jersey.
"They've always been energetic and excellent in response to our music," Ball said. "We have a lot of friends up there, too, so it's always a pleasure to come. And we get to eat some crawfish! That's my favorite part."
Crawfish — boiled, almost 10,000 pounds, imported direct from Louisiana — is the dish du jour, as the name of the festival implies. But there are plenty of others. Jambalaya. Shrimp, oyster and catfish po' boys. Grilled oysters. Grilled alligator sausage. Southern fried chicken. Red beans and rice (vegetarian). Crawfish Étouffée. Boudin sausage balls. Burgers, dogs and fries. And lots to drink — alcoholic and otherwise.
If the weather holds, Arnone said, they expect between 15,000 and 18,000 people over the course of the weekend (campers, who stay on the grounds, get to see additional music on Friday and Saturday night).
And the sounds are as tasty as the snacks. Louisiana, as is well known, has developed a unique musical menu.
Zydeco — rock-and-roll with accordions — swamp funk, jazz, boogie and blues are all part of the mix. So are traditional Cajun waltzes, Second Line struts, and Afro-Cuban percussion. Music is one of Louisiana's prime exports — its stars travel the world bringing their specialties to audiences worldwide.
But an event like this, that brings dozens of Louisiana artists together for an out-of-state reunion, is special. For a performer like Ball — she's played this gig before — it's old home week.
"I remember when we used to come up to the Crawfish Festival and there would be vans and trailers parked all around the stage like a necklace," she said. "Steve Riley, Terrance Simien, Geno Delafose, Chubby Carrier, and more. It was a honky-tonk supershow."
Ball — for those who haven't seen her — is a phenomenon. One of the best barrelhouse pianists in the business: Jerry Lee Lewis in a shift, with a voice that is pure country molasses. Her songs like "That's Enough of that Stuff" and "Let Me Play With Your Poodle" are rowdy enough to get any party going. Johnny Moeller (guitar), Michael Archer (bass), Mo Roberts (drums) and Eric Bernhardt (sax), her band, are all aces.
She's touring all over the Northeast now, and plans to do another record over the summer. But she does worry, as she travels, about the state of the union at present.
"I have some serious anxiety about what's going on in our country right now," she said. "I'm blue — in both ways."
Perhaps part of what is needed is for all of us to start talking to each other again. That's a little service that Arnone, at his festival, offers free of charge.
"At the Crawfish Fest, you're standing next to someone on line, and the next thing is, 'Where did you hear about it? Where are you from?' " Arnone said. "Music and food tie people together."
He himself is from Baton Rouge: he came up to Jersey in the 1980s to work as an electrician. But he discovered that's a hunger here for the tastes and tunes of his home state. That's his jambalaya you'll be eating, by the way: a family recipe.
He held his first Crawfish Fest — a relatively small affair — in 1989. He's been holding them ever since (with a few years off for COVID), and they've grown. But not too much. "We're a medium size festival and that's as big as we want to get," he said.
The important thing is not the size, but the atittude. The traditional, convivial spirit of Louisiana might be just what we all need right now, he said.
"We've always been that way," he said. "People can come to the shows, different races and different states, and everybody gets along. I don't ask people who they voted for when the come in. It doesn't matter. To each his own. You're here to have a good time. We're trying to get you to forget whatever else is happening in the world."
Visit www.crawfishfest.com.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Crawfish Fest in Sussex NJ 2025: Louisiana tastes and tunes galore
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's daughter opens up about her famous dad's alleged affairs: ‘They were hookers'
Desi, you got some 'splainin' to do. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's only daughter, Lucie Arnaz, recently opened up about the alleged affairs her father had while still married to the 'I Love Lucy' starlet. But Lucie wouldn't consider her famous dad's suspected infidelities 'affairs' because he allegedly only cheated on Ball with 'hookers' whose names 'he didnt even know.' 8 Lucie Arnaz recently opened up about her parents Desi Arnaz and Lucile Ball's marriage, as well as his suspected infidelities, in a new interview. CBS 8 Lucie wouldn't consider her dad's suspected infidelities 'affairs' because he allegedly only cheated on Ball with 'hookers.' Getty Images 'People say he had affairs,' Lucie, 73, told CBS Sunday Morning in a new interview. 'He never had an affair.' 'He didn't even know these dames' names, you know?' she added. 'They were hookers.' Even though Lucie admitted that her father likely cheated on her Hollywood icon mom, she also insisted that Desi 'loved' Ball and that Ball 'understood' that. 8 'People say he had affairs. He never had an affair,' Lucie said. 'He didn't even know these dames' names, you know? They were hookers.' CBS 'He loved my mother. He loved his family. It was a very unique, weird problem to have, and I think that's the reason she stayed with him so long, is that she understood it,' she continued. 'I don't think I could do what she did.' 'But somehow at the time, with what they had, with what they needed from each other, they stuck it out as long as they could,' Lucie added. The 'I Love Lucy' stars married in November 1940 and, 11 years later, introduced audiences across the country to the show that some say 'invented' the modern sitcom. 8 Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball married in November 1940. Getty Images Desi, who was a successful musician and bandleader before playing Ricky Ricardo in 'I Love Lucy,' and Ball, who was an aspiring actress before she exploded in popularity as Lucy Ricardo on the show, welcomed Lucie just six weeks after they filmed the first episode. Although Ball reportedly wanted to name her daughter Susan, Desi allegedly went behind his wife's back and changed it to Lucie on the birth certificate. The couple later welcomed a son, Desi Arnaz Jr., in 1953. 8 The 'I Love Lucy' stars welcomed daughter Lucie in 1951 and son Desi Jr. in 1953. Getty Images But Ball ultimately filed for divorce from Desi in March 1960 after 20 tumultuous years of marriage. 'It got so bad that I thought it would be better for us not to be together,' the actress and comedian reportedly told the court during her and Desi's divorce proceedings. 'They were just going through a routine for the children,' biographer Bart Andrews later told People in 1991. 'She told me that for the last five years of their marriage, it was 'just booze and broads.'' 8 Ball filed for divorce from Desi in March 1960 after 20 tumultuous years of marriage. Getty Images The rise and fall of the couple's relationship was depicted in the 2021 biopic 'Being the Ricardos' – which Lucie recently called 'so wrong' and 'such a crock of poop.' Meanwhile, Lucie can still remember exactly where she and her little brother were when they learned that their parents were splitting up. 'We were at their house in Palm Springs,' she told CBS Sunday Morning. 'And they said that, 'We love each other, but the being-husband-and-wife part is broken. And we can't live together anymore.'' 8 Lucie still remembers exactly where she and her little brother were when they learned that their parents were splitting up. CBS 'And I remember that my brother said, 'But if it's broken, can't you just fix it? Can't you put stuff on it and fix it?'' Lucie added. 'And they said, 'I don't think so.'' Lucie also admitted that her parents were 'happier' after their split. 'The truth of it is, they were happier after they got divorced,' she admitted. 'The screaming and the arguing and all that stuff stopped.' 8 'The truth of it is, they were happier after they got divorced,' Lucie admitted. Getty Images Both stars remarried following their 1960 divorce. Desi tied the knot with family friend Edith Mack Hirschin in 1963, and they remained married until her passing in 1985. He later died from lung cancer in December 1986 at the age of 69. As for Ball, she married comedian Gary Morton in 1962. They remained married until Ball tragically passed away following a ruptured aortic aneurysm in April 1989. She was 77.
Black America Web
3 days ago
- Black America Web
Desi Banks To Star In Sitcom At BET Studios Based On His Life & Comedy
Source: Stephen J. Cohen / Getty Comedian and viral content creator Desi Banks is making the leap from social media and the stage to your TV screen. The Atlanta-born comic is developing a half-hour sitcom with BET Studios, loosely based on his real-life experiences and comedy routines. Read more inside. Variety reports the untitled multi-camera comedy will follow a 'lovable yet stubborn comedian on the rise as he attempts to balance fatherhood, relationships, and the pursuit of his ever-present dream.' The premise mirrors Banks' own life journey. From creating viral sketches online to performing on national tours alongside comedy giants like Mike Epps, Martin Lawrence, and Kountry Wayne, the show is set to be as entertaining as his stage act. Banks is co-writing the project with fellow Atlanta native Malcolm 'Champ' Heaggans. Both will also serve as executive producers on the series. The show's creative team is full of ATL synergy, with backing from Quality Films and 3 Arts Entertainment's new Atlanta-based office, run by Jermaine Johnson. This sitcom marks a major milestone for Banks, who built his brand from the ground up. As CEO of Desi Banks Productions, he's created over 3,500 original videos, starring in skits with big names like Kevin Hart, 21 Savage, and Ludacris. He's also partnered with major companies like Red Bull, Meta, DraftKings, and DoorDash, becoming one of the most bankable names in digital comedy. While he's best known for his sketch characters and hilarious takes on Southern life, Banks has also proven he's got onscreen presence, with roles in films like Little , Haunted Trail , and One of Them Days . His new sitcom gives him the opportunity to blend his comedic voice with scripted storytelling on a mainstream platform—something many fans have long anticipated. Currently on the road with his Elevation Tour —the follow-up to his successful Purpose Chaser Tour —Banks continues to build momentum in the comedy world. His BET sitcom could be the next big chapter in a career that's already reshaped the blueprint for how comedians can break through in the digital age. With Atlanta as both the backdrop and creative hub for the new series, and Banks' real-life experiences as inspiration, this sitcom has all the makings of a show that's both authentic and hilarious. Keep your eyes on BET—Desi Banks is coming to prime time. Congrats! SEE ALSO Desi Banks To Star In Sitcom At BET Studios Based On His Life & Comedy was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Boston Globe
178-year-old scroll denouncing slavery found in Groton
Advertisement Then last month, long after Rev. Badger's pandemic-induced history craze ended, she found the five-foot-long scroll proclaiming the American Baptists' opposition to slavery while clearing out the back room of the office. 'I kept saying to everybody, 'this is the holy grail, this is what I really want to find,'' Badger said. The document was signed right after 'We do therefore, in the fear of God, declare ... that we disapprove and abhor the system of American Slavery,' the ministers wrote in 1847 in the document titled 'Declaration and Protest.' This Saturday at 2 p.m., ministers from American Baptist churches across Massachusetts will gather at the denomination's state headquarters at 189 Prescott Street in Groton to commemorate the scroll and Juneteenth. Advertisement Rev. Kenneth Young, leader of Calvary Baptist Church, the oldest Black church in the Merrimack Valley, is attending the event and said that it's important that people even outside of the American Baptist Church know about the scroll. He said that the scroll could '[It would] help repair some of the brokenness that we've seen in this country and reclaim those stories … of black erasure," he said. Dr. Deborah Van Broekhoven, former head of the American Baptists' historical society, said that back in the early 1800s, most Baptists in the North felt that slavery was wrong but felt that it was the job of slaveholders in the Southern states to fix it. However, after the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), Van Broekhoven said, the American Baptists probably felt they needed to take a stand because Southern politicians began to argue that the Bible endorsed slavery. 'That was much more than a lot of Baptists could swallow,' Van Broekhoven said. At the time, Massachusetts did have some American Baptist churches set up by freed Black people or white abolitionists like the African Meeting House and the Tremont Temple. However, Van Broekhoven said that most of the scroll's signatories were white ministers, because of segregation in Boston at the time. 'I think Blacks were a little bit wary of involvement with this because it still wasn't a popular cause in the North,' Van Broekhoven said. Advertisement Nowadays, the denomination prides itself on being diverse and having racially mixed congregations including Nepalese, Ghanaian and Burmese Americans. Most majority-Black American Baptist churches in Massachusetts are concentrated in southwest Boston, but there are some other Black-centered churches in other parts of the Commonwealth like Rev. Young's congregation in Haverhill. Young said that though Black people are a minority in the denomination in Massachusetts, ministers in TABCOM, the statewide American Baptist association, have attempted to 'understand narratives not centered on whiteness.' 'I think that the sense of feeling welcomed into those spaces like TABCOM has made the difference between the American Baptist of the Commonwealth versus Southern Baptists,' Young said. Rev. Dr. Mary Day Hamel, executive minister of the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts, said that the discovery of the scroll, right before Juneteenth, and in the context of this presidential administration had come at a 'serendipitous time.' 'In our current climate it's good to remember that early Baptists had an important role in taking a stand against slavery,' Hamel said, 'and just to celebrate that American Baptists as a denomination are very diverse.' Angela Mathew can be reached at
