Deep in the heart of Cajun country, Mamou is a typical South Louisiana small town six days of the week, worth a peek and a short stop before rolling on to nearby Eunice. But on Saturday morning, Mamou's hometown hangout, little Fred's Lounge, becomes the apotheosis of a Cajun dance hall.
OK, to be fair, Fred's is more of a dance shack than a hall. Whatever it is, this small bar gets more than a little crowded on Saturdays, when the staff host a Francophone-friendly music morning, with bands, beer and dancing. Doors open around 8am and the place is usually packed by the time the music starts around 9am. Back in the day, owner Tante Sue herself would take to the stage to dispense wisdom and songs in Cajun French, all while taking pulls from a bottle of brown liquor she kept in a pistol holster. She has since passed, but something of her amazing, anarchic energy has been imbued into the very bricks of this place.
