CALENDAR: Lowcountry Cajun Festival around the corner

Staff reports  |  Get ready to eat crawfish and listen to zydeco.  The 29th annual Lowcountry Cajun Festival returns noon to 6 p.m. April 5 to James Island County Park.

This ragin’ Cajun Festival features a full day of zydeco music, authentic Cajun and Creole food, children’s activities and more! Charleston’s best Cajun restaurants, caterers and food trucks will cook up a variety of delicious foods. Attendees will discover a variety of dishes for sale including jambalaya, alligator, etouffee, andouille sausage and of course, crawfish! Those who prefer a tamer menu will have the option to enjoy some Lowcountry favorites including seafood, Southern barbecue and traditional festival foods such as hot dogs, snow cones, funnel cakes and more. 

After tasting all of the delicious food, festival-goers can dust off their dance moves and get dancing to non-stop Zydeco and Cajun music, performed on stage throughout the day. The 2020 Lowcountry Cajun Festival entertainment lineup is:

• 1 p,.m. to 2:15 p.m.: Battery Brass Band
• 2:30 p.m. to  4 p.m.: Johnny Ace & Sidewalk Zydeco  
• 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.: CJ Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band 

Admission is $15. No pets.  For more information, call 843-795-4386 or visit CharlestonCountyParks.com.

Also on the calendar:

Local photographers on display:  Through March 31, North Charleston City Gallery in North Charleston City Hall.  The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department will showcase photographs by Dawnita Hall of North Charleston and Nicole Robinson of Charleston in an exhibit that runs for the month.. The artists will host a free public reception for their concurrent solo exhibitions at the gallery on March 5 at 5 p.m.

CofC Faculty Jazz Ensemble: 7:30 p.m., March 9, Recital Hall, Simons Center for the ARts, 54 St. Philip St., Charleston.  The 2nd Monday Series at the College of Charleston School of the Arts will present the ensemble which will perform jazz standards, arrangements and originals. Admission is $15 general / $10 students. More info and tickets are available at go.cofc.edu/secondmondaymusic. Tickets also will be sold at the door. Seating is on a first-come, first-served. 

Ahead at Gaillard Center:  Enjoy something a little different soon at the Charleston Gaillard Center on Calhoun Street:

The music of Ray Charles: 7:30 p.m., March 10.  Performers Take 6, Nnenna Freelon, Kirk Whalum, and Clint Holmes will celebrate the music of Georgia native son Ray Charles in this special show.  Tickets are $33 to $66.

Ranky Tanky with the CSO:  7:30 p.m., March 12.  Sold out. In just over one year since the release of their debut album, Ranky Tanky has taken America’s jazz scene by storm. Fresh off of performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Ranky Tanky is joining forces with the Charleston Symphony to play their unique brand of Jazz-Gullah-R&B fusion—this time with an orchestral backdrop. Ranky Tanky is the Gullah term for “get funky,” which is exactly what we plan to do for this exciting Lowcountry collaboration.

Wine, Women and Shoes: 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., March 12, Charleston Gaillard Center, Charleston.  This annual fun event benefiting Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina brings together outstanding footwear, a fashion show, and great wine and food.  For ticket info and more, go to: WineWomenAndShoes.com/FloCrit.

Trolls:  6”30 p.m., March 13, Medway Park, 2069 Medway Road, James Island.  The Charleston Parks Conservancy will offer Movie Night in the Park with games and activities before the showing of “Trolls” at dark (approximately 7:27 p.m.). Food truck Street Bird will have food and drinks available for purchase. Rated PG, “Trolls” is the story of Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and the curmudgeonly Branch who set off on a journey to rescue Poppy’s friends and the Troll Village.   More: facebook.com/CharlestonParksConservancy 

Walk for Water:  9 a.m., March 21, Riverfront Park, 1061 Everglades Ave, North Charleston.  Thousands will rally for Water Mission’s 14th annual Walk for Water, which encourages participants to carry buckets along the three-mile route to simulate the daily trek millions of people make to collect water in developing countries. Cost: $25 for adults, $10 for youth, children 4 and under are free. Register online.

Visual Vigil: March 21 to May 3, City Gallery, Prioleau Street, Charleston.  The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs presents Visual Vigil, a new exhibition by artist Susan Perkins.  The show is designed to be an active conversation on the effects of mass shootings; the installation is made up of contemplative pieces that represent the lives lost and communities affected by mass violence from 1903 through present day. An opening reception will take place March 20 at 5 p.m.  An artist’s talk will be held on 2 p.m. March 28.  A community discussion about gun violence and gun reform will be held 6 p.m. April 21.  More info.

Pet Fest 2020: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 21, Mount Pleasant Palmetto Islands County Park. This year’s Pet Fest will feature a day of exhibits, demonstrations, experts, contests, adoptable pets, and more at Charleston’s premier pet festival. Pet Fest attendees who adopt a pet from the Charleston Animal Society at the event will receive an Individual Park Pass (value $30) to select county parks. Admission to Pet Fest is $8 per person. 

Quintet to perform for parks:  5:30 p.m., March 21, McLeod Plantation Historic Site, James Island.   A quintet of the Charleston Symphony will perform “LIsten to Spring” as a fundraiser for the Charleston County Parks Foundation.  Guests are invited to enjoy popular music under the stars at the historic site from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Charleston Symphony Brass Quintet will take attendees on a musical journey from New Orleans to Broadway, with detours to Europe and South America.  Tickets are $75. Proceeds will go to support the foundation’s Pass It Forward Project. Tickets are available at CharlestonCountyParksFoundation.org.

Charleston 350 Series:  6 p.m., April 2, Charleston Museum, Meeting St., Charleston.  Dr. Daniel Littlefield, Carolina Professor of History at the University of South Carolina, will speak about the first enslaved people that were brought to Carolina and why the institution eventually thrived as it did in the colony. Registration is encouraged but not required.  More info.

ONGOING

Lights of Magnolia: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., through March 15, 2020, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, West Ashley.  Enjoy nine acres of Chinese lanterns, dragons and more at the venerable garden’s new evening attraction.  The lantern festival includes custom-designed installations of large-scale thematically unified lanterns, a fusion of historic Chinese cultural symbols and images that represent the flora and fauna of Magnolia. Learn more online.  Tickets are $11-$26.  Parking is easier now.  For more information and frequently asked questions, click here.

Early morning bird walks at Caw Caw:  8:30 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel.  You can learn about habitats and birds, butterflies and other organisms in this two-hour session.  Registration is not required, but participants are to be 15 and up. $10 per person or free to Gold Pass holders.  More:  http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.

• If you have an event to list on our calendar, please send it to feedback@charlestoncurrents.com for consideration. The calendar is updated weekly on Mondays.