Courtesy of the State Street Traditional Jazz Band, the event will feature the rousing sounds of New Orleans-style Jazz.

Genuine Cajun cooking and music by the State Street Traditional Jazz Band will come together to create the best Mardi Gras party in Central Maine on Tuesday, February 28 at 7 p.m. at the Gendron Franco Center in Lewiston. Seating for this festive dinner-dance event is limited and reserved tickets are $20 each.

In the great tradition of those legendary New Orleans celebrations, this event will treat guests to the sounds of the Big Easy, free-flowing spirits at the cash bar, and authentic Cajun cuisine. The menu will feature Jambalaya with chicken and shrimp, Andouille sausage with peppers and onions, Cajun-roasted sweet potatoes, and King Cake for dessert. The State Street Traditional Jazz Band of Portland, who have been honoring the joyful roots of jazz music since 1989, will lend a slice of history to the party in the rousing sounds of New Orleans-style Jazz.

The doors and bar will open at 6 p.m. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes to the party.  For those who do not have their own Mardi Gras masks, some will be available for purchase at the event. The price of the ticket will include the meal, show-dancing, prizes and on-site parking at the Continental Mill on Oxford Street. The evening is underwritten in part through the generosity of several generous community members, who will be recognized at the event.

Located at 46 Cedar Street in Lewiston, the Dolard and Priscilla Gendron Franco Center is wheelchair accessible. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 689-2000 or see www.francocenter.org.