CALAIS – She has been called “The Queen of Jazz” and “Miss Satchmo” because of her gravely voice.

But one thing is certain, whatever you call her, Doreen Ketchens’ Jazz New Orleans will be the hottest event at the 31st annual International Homecoming Festival.

She will perform at 7 p.m. Aug. 5, at the Triangle Park downtown. In the event of rain, the concert will be moved to the Calais Middle School gymnasium.

Ketchens, from the opening note on her clarinet to the finale, will have the audience screaming, dancing and clapping hands.

And when she let’s loose on “When the Saints Go Marching In,” there isn’t a still foot in the house.

Ketchens and her group have performed all over the world. They were last in Calais four years ago.

She never expected to perform in Calais, but was spotted in New Orleans several years ago by Calais businessman Louis Bernardini. After hearing the group, Bernardini decided to lure the musicians to Calais.

WQDY-WALZ-FM President Bill McVicar said she was invited back because she has so impressed audiences here. “She had rave reviews,” he said.

He recommends that people bring their blankets and lawn chairs. Although he won’t guarantee the weather, he said he would do his best.

“We have been very fortunate in the eight years that I’ve done it, although we’ve had some scary moments weather-wise,” McVicar said.

Ketchens and her group have played for presidents and dignitaries and, according to her Web site, “This is the band that had Jimmy and Roslyn Carter dancing in the aisles, singing “Aye Now,” during a festive performance.”

Ketchens plays the clarinet and sings. Her husband, Lawrence H. Ketchens, plays a mean tuba. Usually two other performers round out the group.

The city’s Chamber of Commerce and WQDY-WALZ-FM have sponsored the Concert in the Park, part of the festival, for more than a decade.

This year’s concert, according to McVicar, is presented by the St. Croix Valley Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Calais Federal Savings and Loan. Others who have made the concert possible are St. Croix Valley Healthy Communities, Calais Lions Club and Bangor Savings Bank.

“This is nonprofit, it is a free outdoor event, this just helps us cover our costs,” he said of the contributors.

Ketchens’ musical career began in 1975, and she has been playing the clarinet ever since. She met her husband several years ago and together they formed the jazz group, playing to audiences around the world.

The group has been seen on VH1, MTV, BET, NBC, ABC, PBS, LTV and CNN. They have also been on The Travel Channel, the Food Network and have been featured in Southern Living Magazine.

They’ve also made appearances on English, French, German, Danish, Swiss, Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese television and radio.

“We are experienced at putting on shows that make the audience go crazy with excitement, while displaying professionalism that will leave even the strictest critic in awe,” according to the Web site.