ASHFIELD -- By late February each year, Nan Parati of Elmer's Store in Ashfield is accustomed to fending off customers' winter blues. Cabin fever is an age-old New England malady.

Parati and a team assembled in this Hilltown believe they have a cure: a new concert that will bring sounds, sights and tastes of New Orleans into Ashfield center for a long weekend.

"I thought, we've got to do something about this," Parati said of the sour moods she encounters. "Because I don't want to be yelled at any more."

The remedy is Winklepicker, an event running Feb. 17-19, a time of year billed by its promoters as "When New Englanders Go Barnyard Crazy."The headliners for the weekend are Buckwheat Zydeco, the New Orleans musician credited with bringing that Cajun-inspired music to the world; singer-songwriter Chris Smither, a New Orleans native who now lives in Amherst; and Primate Fiasco, a Valley band known for its psychedelic Dixieland spirit.

Organizers Parati, Carol Young and Jim Olsen felt they needed a memorable name for their event, which they hope will be held yearly. With famed festivals like Bonnaro and Sasquatch out there as examples, they came up with a long list of possible names and settled on one that refers to the long-toed shoes favored by England's "Teddy Boys" and which got their name for resembling the picks used to pull "winkles," or snails, from their shells.

Along with music, the Winklepicker fest will include three days of lessons in New Orleans cooking, a Mardi Gras costume exhibit and reception, a gospel brunch and a four-hour Mardi Gras music camp for children aged 10 to 15.Participants in that camp will perform an opening number for the Buckwheat Zydeco show that starts at 7 p.m. Feb. 18.

Michaela O'Brien, who is handling publicity for the festival, acknowledged the difficulty organizers face in drawing a crowd to Ashfield in mid-winter and in establishing an annual event. But she suggested that its uniqueness, and the appeal of a Mardi Gras celebration, will help."This is a one-of-a-kind event that is growing right here," O'Brien said.

On Tuesday, organizers invited Smithers to perform a few songs at Elmer's to give a taste of what he brings to Winklepicker. Smithers took a seat near the back of the store. Wearing his own version of sleek black shoes, he tapped out percussion lines for three songs in his blues-infused folk, blending in intricate finger-style guitar work.

A few minutes later, refueling with a maple-glazed pastry, Smithers said a New Orleans-inspired event has to let its hair down.

Celebrations in his home town down south, he said, are "a public manifestation of what people experience all the time in New Orleans. Music is in the street, it's everywhere," Smithers said.

 "They would rather have a good time than take care of business. Basically it's a to-hell-with-it attitude," he said. "In limited doses, it's kind of charming."

Before Smithers gets back to Ashfield, he will go into the studio in January to record his 14th album. He'll also teach guitar at workshops that Jorma Kaukonen of Hot Tuna and Jefferson Airplane fame will convene in Hawaii.

Olsen, who runs Signature Sounds and books talent for the Green River Festival, said he had been planning a zydeco show in Turners Falls this winter. When he learned of Parati's wish to create a yearly event with New Orleans connections, the two teamed up and brought in Young, who has produced concerts for decades and now runs her own company, Mighty Albert.

The two music events at the town hall Feb. 18 will conclude with an "after party" at Elmer's featuring Primate Fiasco. "We're going to see how late Ashfield's willing to party," he said.

Young noted that Ashfield Town Hall has a capacity of about 400, but she was reluctant to set a goal for the new festival's audience. "The sky's the limit," she said. "We want to turn people away, and have them think, I should have bought tickets earlier."

Tickets are available at www.mightyalbert.com. They range from $25 in advance for individual concerts by Buckwheat Zydeco and Smithers to $35 for all musical events and $199 for all festival events, including the three cooking workshops. Separately, the cooking classes are priced at $65 each or $175 for all three.