The 1st Annual Orange County Accordion Festival, “The Big Squeeze”, will be held on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 10:AM at the Orange County Market Place, 88 Fair Dr.,Costa Mesa, CA.

This event will showcase a variety of accordion styles including Cajun/Zydeco, Polka, and Tejano along with a wide variety of soloist and club group performances and educational presentations showcasing a variety of accordion music styles. The main stage acts will feature prominent accordionists and include Raving Polka (aka Limpopo) performing Russian folk with a twist of jazz, blues, dance and comedy at 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. with Lou Fanuchhi on accordion, Grammy nominee for Best Zydeco/Cajun Music, Lisa Haley& the Zydekats from 12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. with Skip Edwards on accordion, and Los Fabulocos with Kid Ramos spicing things up with a Tex-Mex blend,blues and rockabilly music from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. with Jesse Cuevas on accordion.

Other stage entertainment includes Jim Gilman, The Squeezinator; Norm Panto, Accordionist Extraordinare with members of the Accordionaires Club including Zandra Cousins singing and playing the spoons and Sheri Osen singing German songs; “Around the World” with accordion music by Alex Lavruk; Lou Fanuchhi-Tango Nuevo Workshop; Gee Rabe, L.A.’s Accordion Diva with the Haberdashery Quartet; Fontenot and Pappion Old Style Creole Music; Jordan Elliot JESTER gypsy style; Roberto Rosa, Latin Jazz, Salsa, Merengue and Folkloric Puerto Rico; Rock and Roll Oldies with Bryan J; and special performances by the Martin Music Center Accordion Orchestra of Fullerton.

Also available will be zydeco and cajun dance lessons by Karen Redding and Russian folk dance lessons by Youri Nelzine, strolling entertainment, educational presentations including All About Accordions Q & A with Sam Costabile. Special accordion and related vendors will be displayed along with the hundreds of swap meet merchants, food and beverage, beer garden, artisans and crafters and much more.

You can receive free admission with a canned food item for the Orange County Food Bank which is being held in conjunction with the Orange County Market Place, the weekend swap meet at the O. C. Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa.

All attendees will have the opportunity to win the Bravo 48 II Hohner Accordion. You can enter to win at the Festival by filling out an entry form at the The Big Squeeze Information Booth from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Skip Edwards, a Hohner playing accordionist who has toured with Dwight Yoakam and other top musicians and bands including the Grammy Nominee for Best Cajun/Zydeco Album Lisa Haley & The Zydekats, will present the accordion to the winner.

For more accordion festival Info: 949-650-8016