The Saturday night party continues at Elmer’s with a Primate Fiasco after party.
Nan Parati, owner of Elmer's Store in Ashfield and one of the founders of the Winklepicker festival, says the town will host the second annual festival Feb. 15-17.
ASHFIELD—Last year’s first WinklePicker festival in this Franklin County town was such a success, another is being planned.
“It was a great time last year; in fact, it was so authentic in the music and festivities that it made me--and some other New Orleanians who came--really homesick for New Orleans,” said Nan E. Parati, one of the organizers.
The 2013 WinklePicker Festival will celebrate Mardi Gras food, music and culture, with music from Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Eilen Jewell, The Primate Fiasco and Charles Neville, a cooking workshop, authentic New Orleans dinners, a Gospel Brunch, a Kids Mardi Gras Ball and more Feb.15-17.
The festival’s name comes from winklepickers, a style of shoe or boot worn from the 1950s by British rock-and-roll fans. The long, pointed toe was called the winkle picker toe because in England periwinkle snails or winkles are a popular seaside snack eaten using a pin or other pointed object to carefully extract the soft parts from the coiled shell. From that comes “winklepickers” as a humorous name for shoes with a pointed tip.
The idea for WinklePicker came from that fact that during the period between the joyous celebration of Christmas and the penitential-contemplative time of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, “it's cold, it's yucky, it's a while 'til warm weather,” said Parati, owner of Elmer's Store. “We need fun here now! So we based the first (festival) on a New Orleans theme thinking it might change some, but people enjoyed the New Orleans atmosphere so much we decided to keep it this year--adding Eilen Jewell, not so New Orleans, but she could be from there if she wanted to be!”
This year’s event will kick off on Feb. 15, with an authentic New Orleans dinner at Elmer’s Store (396 Main St.) by chef Carlos Neville. Advance reservations are required and can be made by calling (413) 628-4003.
A longtime New Orleans chef and culinary school pastry and baking tutor, Neville will teach a special WinklePicker cooking class, “Cooking New Orleans,” on Feb. 16 from 10:30 a.m. to noon upstairs at Elmer’s.
And, after last year’s sold-out Buckwheat Zydeco party, this year WinklePicker will have two Mardi Gras balls at Town Hall (412 Main St.). The afternoon of Feb. 16 will have the Family Mardi Gras Ball with the Primate Fiasco, known for its high-energy mix of old time Dixie Jazz, modern groove-funk-improv music from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
That night at 8, the Adult Mardi Gras Ball will take place at Town Hall, hosted by multi-Grammy nominee Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. Costumes and masks are welcome.
“Although we have never been to the WinklePicker festival, we have toured the Northeast for many years around Mardi Gras time. It's always great to see the amazing enthusiasm and spirit of audiences in the Northeast,” Riley said. “We always look forward to bringing the energy of Mardi Gras and the finest in Cajun/Creole music and culture to our friends and fans in New England. Get ready to get up, get out, and get down!”
The Saturday night party continues at Elmer’s for the Primate Fiasco after party.
“The community up there is a warm fun crowd,” said David Dellorusso, of Primate Fiasco. “Like many Western Massachusetts towns, there's a lot of hidden treasure. A scene that can offer more fun than many larger cities often hides in the little rustic communities that city folk have never heard of.”
On Feb. 17, WinklePicker events include a gospel brunch at the Ashfield Congregational Church, an afternoon concert and conversation with Charles Neville at Town Hall, and the Sunday night grand finale concert with Eilen Jewell. the Salvation Alley String Band will open the show.
Jewell and her band performed in Ashfield about five years ago. “We pulled into the town in the midst of a fairly massive snowstorm, feeling somewhat worried about the roads, whether people would come to the show, and if our van would make it home,” she recalled.
“The good folks of Ashfield were not deterred in the least though. They braved the ice and snow and arrived by the droves--some even on snowshoes, pulling children in sleds. We packed the town hall and forgot all about the crummy weather outside. In my memory of it, everyone was dancing. We stopped caring whether our van would make it home. I even considered never leaving.”
Added Dellorusso: “In the same way that an actor will agree to a (Steven) Spielberg movie before even reading the script, the Primate Fiasco will play any event associated with (WinklePicker organizers) Jim Olson, Carol Young or Nan Parati. Winklepicker, Green River, BBC Oktoberfest--these are events that all other events should use as roll models. We've played enough to know the difference.”
Tickets for the Cooking Class with Carlos Neville ($65), the evening adult Mardi Gras Ball with Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys ($25 advance/$30 day of show), Concert and Conversation with Charles Neville ($10 advance/$15 day of show) and the Grande Finale Concert with Eilen Jewell ($20 advance/$25 day of show) are available online at www.signaturesounds.com/winklepicker2013 and at Elmer’s.
Tickets to the afternoon family Mardi Gras ball withPrimate Fiasco ($5 child, $10 adult or $20 family four-pack) will be sold at the door.
Doors open for all events one-half hour before the event time.
For more information go to www.WinklePickerFest.com, call Elmer’s Store (413) 628-4003 or look on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WinklePickerFest and Twitter @WinklePickerNE.