There is one reason to come to Mamou and that's Fred's Lounge, 420 Sixth St. (tel. 337/468-5411) -- and it's a darn good reason, too. At the other end of the Cajun music scale from the Savoy Music Center, this small-town bar nonetheless offers just as essential an Acadiana Saturday-morning experience. For half a century, Fred's has been the site of Saturday daytime dances, for many years with Donald Thibodeaux & Cajun Fever playing from a "bandstand" that's really no more than a roped-off area in the middle of the floor. Couples waltz and two-step in the remaining space, and the whole thing airs from 8am to noon on radio station KVPI (1050 AM). While Savoy honors the folksy "house music" tradition, this is pure dance-hall stuff, a place for hardworking people to blow off steam and let loose. The music leans toward the country-western side of Cajun, with the band featuring steel guitar and drums along with accordion and fiddle. Everyone's welcome as long as you dive right in -- though it might be a good idea to practice dancing with a drink in one hand before you give it a try here.
