Cascade Zydeco

05/16/2026

Seattle and Portland gang at Gator by the Bay 2026.
(Photo and wrangling credit to Erika Olsen! 💃🏻)

05/13/2026

Some of the Cascade Zydeco posse at last weekend’s Gator by the Bay in San Diego! Our old friend Chubby Carrier is in the back row just before his fab set.

05/11/2026

Save the Date!
Tuesday June 2nd
First Tuesday Zydeco, Community Gathering, Taco Feed and DJ Dance.
North Portland Eagles Lodge
7611 N Exeter Avenue Portland 97203

Come join us for a collaborative event where we’ll have the opportunity to gather;
⚜️ CZ board meets 5:30-6:30
⚜️presentation of survey results 6:30-7:30
⚜️ let’s brainstorm and discuss feedback strategies to increase attendance and engage volunteers
⚜️ 7:30-9:30 DJ Dance and Social
⚜️ it’s Taco Tuesday! Your first taco is on us.
* order before 7:00
⚜️ members $7, non-members $12.

05/10/2026

Cascade Zydeco wants to hear from YOU! We are navigating challenging times and want your input. Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey and include any comments you’d like to share. Your responses are anonymous. We will be reviewing the survey results at our Community Gathering/Taco Feed and DJ Dance on Tuesday June 2nd. Details coming soon.

Thank you for being part of our Zydeco community. Cascade Zydeco is a small nonprofit organization, dedicated to sharing Zydeco and Cajun culture, music and dance. We want to know how to keep you coming or bring you back to our events. Over the past 30 years we have relied on our recorded-music DJ d...

05/09/2026

Cascade Zydeco needs your help
We’re hosting a Community Gathering and dance on Tuesday June 2nd at Eagles Lodge in North Portland and we want you there!

This year’s goal:

The CZ board and dance instructors are planning exciting changes this summer! Our goal is to grow our membership, and for more of you to attend our twice monthly DJ dances. To do this we need your help.

Y’all always turn up for the live music events, which is awesome, but if we don’t start bringing in more people and more income at our DJ nights, we will no longer be able to pay for live bands.

As we plan for the future, we keep coming back to our mission statement:

“Cascade Zydeco is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit association dedicated to building and sustaining Zydeco, Cajun, and other Louisiana music and dancing in our community.”

Who we are:

YOU are Cascade Zydeco!

Cascade Zydeco currently has 132 members! Because of you, we’ve been able to support Zydeco and Cajun music in our community for almost 30 years.

What we do:

We host live bands, DJ dances that include dance lessons, and house parties for dancing, socializing, and fun!

We also participate in community outreach like the Mardi Gras parade and events at local high schools, senior centers, local Louisiana related businesses, and collaborate with other dance groups.

When/ Where:

DJ dances are held twice a month - First Tuesdays at the Eagles Lodge and Third Wednesdays at Hoku Events on Madison.

We’ve hosted 6 live bands since August, at the Eagles Lodge, Mekong Bistro, and Hoku. House parties are held, mostly in the summer, at members’ homes in Portland and Vancouver. This summer we plan to have one per month.

Membership drive:

We have just begun our membership drive. Our membership year runs from July 1st to June 30th. The cost of your 2026/2027 membership is $35. Memberships paid starting now will be good through June 30th, 2027.

To continue to provide live music and dance events we have increased this year’s membership fee to $35. We ask that you pay via cash, check or PayPal, hopefully prior to July 1st, but you can join any time!

Our leadership team:

Thanks to our current board members: Janine, Terry, Laurie, Gabe, Karen, Flori, Jill, and Ray. Our board meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 5:30 at the Eagles lodge 7611 N Exeter in Portland. All are welcome to attend these meetings.

Thanks also to Chere, Patty and Diane for communicating with venues and bands, and promoting our events online, in the newsletters, and in print.

Thanks to our instructors Deb, Terri Jo, David and Patti, and Janine and Roland. All of you help to make our events a success!

What you can expect from us:

Most importantly we’re continuing our semi-monthly dances! We have more fun house parties and live music planned for this summer, and we want to hear from you!

What we expect from you:

Give us your feedback. What do you love about our events? What can be improved upon? The survey link is below, please complete it in the next two weeks.

Please mark your calendars for our Community Gathering and dance on Tuesday June 2nd at Eagles Lodge in North Portland. Stay tuned for details.

Arrive by 7 and your first taco is on us!

04/30/2026

Hi Cajun Jammers,

April had some great jams! Looking forward to seeing you all again in May. Here are our upcoming jams:

PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME IS 1:30 p.m. (and this is true in perpetuity).

Cajun Jam #1:
Sunday, May 10th (Mother's Day; bring your mom, or someone's mom!)
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
McMenamins Kennedy School
5736 NE 33rd Ave, Portland

Cajun Jam #2:
Sunday, May 24th
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
McMenamins Kennedy School
5736 NE 33rd Ave, Portland

--Sarah

04/24/2026

Hey Zydeco kids! Did you know that when we dance at the Eagles on first Tuesdays
It is taco night! Caribbean Mexican fusion taco flavors for two dollars apiece the deal goes 4 to 7. Our next DJ night is Tuesday, May 5.

04/21/2026

From CZ Prez Anne McCranie:
Mission Statement:
“Cascade Zydeco is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit association dedicated to building and sustaining Zydeco, Cajun, and other Louisiana music and dancing in our community.”

YOU are Cascade Zydeco!

Thank you for being a Cascade Zydeco member!

This fall, the board met to establish our goals for this year. Our number one priority right now is increasing the engagement of our membership. To do so we need your help.
The expenses for our live band and DJ events have increased and our attendance numbers are down. This is challenging to our financial stability. Cascade Zydeco’s sources of retainable revenue are membership fees and DJ night entry fees.
In order to sustain our current calendar of events we need to bring our numbers back up.
We need you! Here’s how you can help;
* if you haven’t been coming, we’d love to see you!
* support your hardworking board of directors by volunteering at the door.
* if you have ideas, suggestions, input or would like to implement a new idea to increase participation; email CZ President Anne McCranie at: [email protected]