Steve Weiss and Jeff Gery didn't know if they were going to stay five minutes or five hours.

It was the first time that the two Moorpark residents had come to Simi Valley's annual ode to all things Creole, Cajun and zydeco.

"We love it," Gery said Sunday. "And my wife's from Louisiana. I don't know why we never came before."

With more than 15,000 people, the 19th annual Simi Cajun Creole Festival attracted record-breaking crowds over the weekend. The festival is organized by the Simi Sunrise Rotary Club. The money raised will benefit various nonprofits in Simi Valley.

Weiss and Gery were walking around Santa Susana Community Park, which was transformed into a slice of New Orleans, and they jumped right in. They ate jambalaya, drank beer, and listened to J.T. and the Zydeco Zippers.

"It just keeps getting bigger and better every year," said Elaine Freeman, the Rotary Club's vice president.

Children's area expanded

A popular addition was a children's talent show and an expanded play area, Freeman said. She stepped out of her official duties for a few minutes and did a little waltzing herself.

Mardi gras beads, alligator trinkets and costumes dotted the park, as the smell of barbecue and seafood wafted to the concert tent, where a large wooden dance floor was constructed. Dozens of people danced while hundreds sat nearby in lawn chairs and blankets brought from home.

The festival was started in 1990. With an increasing number of festivalgoers, the event was extended to two days over the Memorial Day weekend.

Some of the beneficiaries this year include the Boys & Girls Club, the city library and the free clinic of Simi Valley.

A Simi Valley couple was eating red beans and rice, taking in the ambiance near the food area in the afternoon. Alex and Susan Wells have come to the festival every year for the past five.

"We come for the fun, atmosphere and food," Alex Wells said.

Music and crawfish

They walked around with family members and enjoyed the live music, which Susan Wells said had more variety than last year.

Nearby, Liz Lagardo was trying to get her two children to choose which air-brushed tattoo they wanted to wear for the day.

Lagardo's husband and his family were operating a food booth where they expected to sell about 200 pounds of crawfish, shipped from Louisiana. There was a long line waiting to eat the boiled seafood.

"It's a family recipe," Lagardo said.