From gourmet to Mae West

The Rock Crusher Canyon Garden Pavilion has a varied lineup this weekend.

By JORGE SANCHEZ

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 9, 2000

CRYSTAL RIVER -- The entire spectrum of entertainment, it seems, will be presented this weekend at Rock Crusher Canyon Garden Pavilion.

For gourmets, there is still a spot or two left for today's Cracker Dinner, a new specialty at the pavilion restaurant. The dinner features Florida food such as roast duck with raspberry sauce, gator tail, roast pork, fried catfish, hearts of palm salad, cheese grits, black-eyed peas, rice and dessert. The buffet dinner is served at 4:45 p.m. and costs $22.

The Rock Crusher Canyon staff actually cut down a cabbage palm or two earlier this week to extract the pulp used in the hearts of palm salad. If you get left out today, there's another Cracker Dinner at 4:45 p.m. on July 9.

For music lovers, tonight's Zany Pianos performance features back-to-back grand pianos, and back-to-back pianists as well. Zany Pianos is a family-oriented musical revue that focuses on audience participation.

"They love to get the audience involved by clapping along, getting them on stage and doing sing-alongs,"said Johnny Baier, musical director at the pavilion.

Zany Pianos mixes in lots of comedy with the music, Baier said. The show begins after the Cracker Dinner. Show time is from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is $5, and the restaurant will re-open with its regular menu.

Saturday night, it's Baier's turn in the spotlight. His show band, Razz-Ma-Tazz, will perform along with two guest artists. Razz-Ma-Tazz plays all types of music, but with a delightful Dixieland flair featuring Baier on the tenor banjo. The four-string tenor banjo is different from the traditional five-string bluegrass-type banjo. It's played with a flatpick and produces a melodic, mandolin-textured sound.

Baier is an accomplished soloist on the instrument. His repertoire includes a Glenn Miller medley of In The Mood/String of Pearls/Little Brown Jug and other classics such as Our Love Is Here To Stay, Moonlight Serenade, Bye-Bye Blackbird and various ragtime instrumentals. Audience participation is also a big part of the show.

Joining Razz-Ma-Tazz on Saturday are clarinetist Jim Snyder and vocalist Miss LuraLee, in character as Red-Hot Mamma, a Mae West-style saloon singer.

"She has a wider range than most of the other singers who play Red-Hot Mamma," Baier said. "She does Broadway and movie themes as well as those great old songs of the past."

The restaurant and bar open at 5 p.m. and music on Saturday begins at 7. Admission is $5. Call 795-1313.

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