Gator fundraiser and recovery day

It’s a weekend of recovery in Baton Rouge, both personal and ecological. Alligator Bayou is drying up, but the fight to save and restore it is still going strong. This Saturday and Sunday, you can join in the cause with south Louisiana’s favorite activities: Eating good food and dancing to good music. “Sunrise Over the Wetlands” is a musical event to raise money for Alligator Bayou’s legal defense. Saturday is a jambalaya dinner and dance with the Tout Les Soir and Jambalaya Cajun bands, and dance lessons from Les Danseurs Cajun de la Louisianne. Sunday includes a full lineup of local players, from Ernest Scott & the Funk Children to Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys. There’s also an art exhibit and auction, featuring work from C.C. Lockwood, Clay Coleman, Bevil Knapp and others. Downtown celebrates “Recovery Day 2009” with a free, daylong event full of music and festivities at the Louisiana State Museum. Recovery Day is the capstone of National Drug and Alcohol Recovery month, and the event will feature speakers on that subject as well as headlining performances by Jefferson Starship, Richie Havens, Big Brother & the Holding Company and more. The night caps off with a full-blown concert at the River Center. Over in Lafayette, there’s a casting call at the Cajundome on Saturday for the upcoming Disney movie Secretariat, starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich. But the fun doesn’t stop there: There’s lots more going on in the Red Stick, from plays to ballet performances. To plan your weekend right, read this week’s 225 Select by clicking here.