An old farm, and current antique store/auction house, in Stanfordville, New York was the site for the sixth annual Springtime Cajun Dance Festival this Memorial Day weekend. The festival, organized by Bill Molloy, consists of 3 days of almost non-stop Cajun and Zydeco music, dance workshops, Cajun food, and just plain old socializing with other Cajun-minded individuals. The SCDF continued its growth pattern as the combination of a great lineup and fantastic weather brought a good size crowd out this year.

The die-hards showed up Friday night and nearly filled the old barn/auction hall for the festival kick-off show by the Chank A Chank Zydeco Band. The band played for more than 3 hours as the crowd danced the night away.

Saturday is the centerpiece of the festival and draws the largest crowd as many people who aren’t camping on site come for one long day of music. The music starts at 11am and ends sometime around 3am on Sunday morning. Cajun Chaos took the stage at 11am, delivered a very well-received set, and had the crowd dancing before lunch. The early afternoon hours featured 2 sets by the band Magnolia as well as several dance workshops in the barn. The Huval Family Cajun Dance Band and The Basin Brothers Trio each performed sets that featured some great Cajun jamming before the festivities moved indoors for the late-night portion of today’s lineup. The barn was jam-packed as The Creole Zydeco Farmers and The Hot House Zydeco Band rocked on until sometime around 3am.

Sunday’s music was once again kicked into gear by Cajun Chaos. A good size crowd was back on the dance floor early on, even though they hadn't slept much during the night. Bayou Brethren kept the music coming during the mid-afternoon hours and The Creole Zydeco Farmers kicked it into high gear again as the evening began. The Huval Family Cajun Dance Band ended the festival on high note with another rocking set in the barn.

Overall, the festival’s strong lineup proved to be it’s greatest asset. It’s hard not to miss anyone at weekend music festivals. You usually choose your must-see sets and the rest are hit or miss depending on what else is going on around you. If you were at the SCDF for the whole weekend you likely found yourself not wanting to miss any of the music here.

Hopefully Bill can repeat his success next year, when he not only continues with the SCDF but also plans to add a Celtic Music Festival to his offerings.