National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum

It’s Ladies Night at the
Polka Hall of Fame Mother’s Day Dance
Friday, May 10

Treat the ladies in your life to a lovely evening of music and dancing at the Mother’s Day Dance, hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame, Friday, May 10, 2024. Join Frank Stanger and his orchestra at the American Croatian Lodge for a charmed evening of jolly polkas and suave waltzes.

Swing your significant other on the dance floor from 6:00 to 10:00. The Stanger sound features Frank’s accordion stylings and extensive repertoire of ballroom favorites. Dinners, sandwiches and nationality treats to order, catered by Dubrovnik Gardens. Your polka hostess, Sharon Staiduhar, helps make it an extra-special time.

The National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame has preserved and promoted America’s good-time music since 1987. The museum features music exhibits with celebrity accordions and the stories behind them.

The American Croatian Lodge is at 34900 Lake Shore Boulevard in Eastlake, Ohio, just west of Route 91 (SOM Center Road). Save $3 with an advance ticket, $12 through the Polka Hall of Fame, 605 East 222nd Street, Euclid, Ohio, open Wednesday and Saturday, 9:00 to 2:00. $15 dollars day of the event. 18 and under free. (216) 261-FAME. [email protected]. Need a table? Reserve at (440) 679-1420.

Now Saturday is Sausage Day! Saturday, September 14, 2024.

The Polka Hall of Fame Remembers
FRAN CHURNEY
Trustee

Fran was a familiar figure as a hospitality coordinator at Polka Hall of Fame events. For many years, she volunteered with her sister, Rita Mihelich, a fellow trustee. Fran and Rita grew up with Cleveland-Style polka, especially the music of their uncle, Kenny Bass.

TV 8's New Day Cleveland visits the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum Tuesday, February 27, at 10:00 am ET. Tune in and find out how the Cleveland-Style Polka became America's good-time music. Tony Fortuna is the featured accordionist. Watch live online at Fox8.com.

Fifty Accordions Shine at the 40th Super Button Box Bash
Sunday, April 21

Join the squeezebox celebration at the 40th annual Super Button Box Bash on Sunday, April 21, 2024. You’ll dance and clap along to the sounds of fifty accordions, plus jam sessions all through the day. The National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame welcomes you to the American Croatian Lodge in Eastlake, Ohio, for the Woodstock of polka music, from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Enjoy a grand reunion of the best button accordion players in North America at the largest festival of its kind. Bring your own box and play along. Indulge in nationality treats, such as smoked Slovenian sausage and strudel. Pick up a souvenir tee-shirt or sweatshirt or polka music CD at the Polka Hall of Fame pop-up shop.

There’s also a reunion performance of past members of the Slovenian Junior Chorus, Circle No 2, of the Slovene National Benefit Society, the original hosts of the event, directed by Cecilia Dolgan, who created the Super Button Box Bash in 1982

Thrill to ten button box groups and artists appearing on the main stage, plus polka jamming in the annex. Featured performers include: The Fairport Jammers, Ron Likovic, the Valencic Brothers, Frank Moravcik and Linda Hochevar, Kathy Hlad, Patty C & The Guys, and more. The American Croatian Lodge is at 34900 Lake Shore Boulevard, Eastlake, Ohio, just west of Rt. 91 (SOM Center Road).

Save $3 with a $12 advance ticket through the Polka Hall of Fame. $15, day of the event. 18 and under free. Contact the Polka Hall of Fame, 605 East 222nd Street, Euclid, Ohio, (216) 261-3263 or PolkaShop at aol.com. Open Wednesday and Saturday, 9 to 2.

Treat Your Sugar to the Sweetheart Ball
Featuring the Frank Moravcik Orchestra with Linda Hochevar
Sunday, February 18, 2024, 2 to 6
American Croatian Lodge, Eastlake, Ohio

Treat your sugar to an afternoon of dancing and romancing as the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame presents the annual Sweetheart Ball, featuring the music of Frank Moravcik and Linda Hochevar at the American Croatian Lodge in Eastlake, Ohio, Sunday, February 18, 2024. Enjoy four hours of the finest polkas, waltzes and pop tunes in a ballroom setting.

Swing your sweetie around the dance floor with Linda, Frank and the orchestra from 2:00 to 6:00. They’ll put you in the mood with their melodies. Sandwiches, beverages and treats are available. Your Hall of Fame hostess Sharon Staiduhar has surprises in store for lovebirds. You may even go home a winner.

The American Croatian Lodge is located 34900 Lake Shore Boulevard, just west of SOM Center Road (Route91). For table reservations, call (440) 679-1420. Advance ticket, $12 through the Polka Hall of Fame, 605 East 222nd Street, Euclid, Ohio, next to Euclid City Hall. Open Wednesday and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.. $15 at the door. 18 and under free. Order tickets by phone, (216) 261-3263. On-line at [email protected].

The Polka Hall of Fame Remembers
EDDIE ADAMIC
Accordionist and Bandleader
1930 - 2023
Inducted in 2013

Eddie Adamic took inspiration from the pioneers of the Slovenian-style sound to lead the Detroit-Windsor area’s top Cleveland-Style polka band. Eddie learned Slovenian folk music from his parents and was performing by age 14 in and around Windsor, Ontario. He organized his own orchestra at the peak of the polka heyday in 1952. He took a break from band-leading in 1965 to perform with Ronnie Dodich and Dennis Tatomir.

Eddie started up again in 1975 and went on to appear on radio and television, perform in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Canada, and host polka tours to Slovenia, the Caribbean, Hawaii and Spain. Five recordings capture Eddie Adamic’s old-country polka classics, especially his 1981 album with the Klancnik Brothers.

Tune into the Polka Music Awards Show # #
“Polka-Go-Round” on 247PolkaHeaven.com
and Polka Hall of Fame Radio
Northeast Ohio: WINT 101.5 FM and 1330 AM
Worldwide on 247PolkaHeaven.com
> Saturday, January 6, 12 Noon ET
> Monday, January 8, 8:00 a.m. ET
> Tuesday, January 10, 2:00 p.m. ET
> Thursday, January 12, 2:00 p.m. ET

Listen to the finest polka and waltz music, performed by North America’s top musicians in a gala stage event, “Polka-Go-Round.” Polka Hall of Fame Radio and 247PolkaHeaven.com broadcast the Polka Music Awards Show # # , recently presented by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame.

Thrill to today’s polka legends, including Nashville’s Joey Miskulin, Kathy Hlad, Ron Sluga, Canada’s Polka King Walter Ostanek and World Accordion Champion Denis Novato. Tom Mroczka directs the Awards Show Orchestra with arrangements by Anthony Culkar, featuring the scene’s polka professionals.

Enjoy tributes to this year’s Lifetime Achievers, Dale Bucar, Al Battistelli, Joe Mlakar and Gary Rhamy, with salutes to the Haughville Slickers, the Singing Slovenes, Wayne Tomsic, Lipa Park Button Box Club and Fritz Scherz Jr., plus Jim Kozel, Frankie Spetich and Georgie Cook.

Among the spotlight entertainers are the Mlakar Brothers, Frank Spetich Jr., Marty Marsic, John Ferfolia and Joey Tomsick..

Don’t miss polka music’s grandest spectacular!

The Polka Hall of Fame Remembers
BOB DOSZAK
Bandleader and Recording Artist
1946 - 2023
Trustees Honor Roll 2017

Bob Doszak was one of the best-known Cleveland-Style Polka bandleaders in the Chicago area. The Joliet native led his own orchestra at the age of fourteen and performed on television. An expert accordionist, he shared the stage with stars like America’s Polka King Frank Yankovic. Bob brought both his sons into the band and travelled the Midwest and Western states with them. As host of the Illinois Polka Festival, for 26 years, he drew dancers and music-lovers from around the country to Chicagoland and often entertained polka talents in his home. In later years in Arizona, Bob shared his love of the music of his Slovenian and Polish heritage and won over new fans.

https://musicboxcle.com/event/polkatown-usa/?fbclid=IwAR0dfMjRITPJVLbq9Ip-EI_XW5CojKdp-Rq5RtU6t1wGtokeAUzoA1wbjLI

Cleveland: Polkatown USA Music Box Supper Club! Cleveland: Polkatown USA – Stories about America’s Good-Time Music How did polka music from Cleveland become America’s good-time sound? Find out as Cleveland’s eminent historian, Dr. John Grabowski, and Joe Valencic, director of the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame talk about how ...

Join the Polka Hall of Fame's Joe Valencic and Anthony Culkar at the Music Box Supper Club, Thursday, November 2, as they share Cleveland polka memories with John Grabowski. “Cleveland: Polkatown USA” starts at 7:00 p.m.

Free admission, no cover. Come for dinner from 5:00 on. Order from the menu or choose the day’s special, kielbasa and pierogies.

Find out how polka music from Cleveland become America’s good-time sound. Cleveland’s eminent historian, Dr. John Grabowski, and Joe Valencic, director of the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame talk about how the Cleveland-Style Polka, the city’s home-grown genre of American dance music, became a national sensation and is still enjoyed today across the country. Anthony Culkar demonstrates the polka styles of legends, like Cleveland’s own Frank Yankovic, America’s Polka King.

Table reservations for dinner are required, (216) 242-1250. The Music Box is at 1148 Main Avenue in Cleveland’s Flats. For more information:
https://musicboxcle.com/event/polkatown-usa/

Four to Enter Polka Hall of Fame at Awards Show
Saturday, November 25

Two polka musicians, a deejay and a recording engineer will be inducted into the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame at the annual awards show on Saturday, November 25, 2023. Bandleader Al Battistelli, vocalist and radio host Dale Bucar, studio technician Gary Rhamy, and the late accordionist Joe Mlakar were voted for their lifetime achievements in Cleveland-Style polka music by Hall of Fame members and trustees. The announcement was made at the September 20 membership meeting of the American Slovenian Polka Foundation.

Accordionist Al Battistelli has led a popular Lorain, Ohio, polka band since 1962. Dale Bucar has hosted a polka radio broadcast for nearly fifty years, currently on WINT in the Cleveland, Ohio area. He is also a popular vocalist and recording artist. Gary Rhamy has engineered 200 polka albums out of the 500 recorded at his Peppermint Studios in Youngstown, Ohio, including five Grammy winners. The late Joe Mlakar operated one of southern California’s top polka spots, The Elbow Room in Fontana. He organized the Fontana Slovenian Button Box Club, which brought together amateur accordionists.

Two all-time Cleveland-Style hits were chosen by voters. “The Keystone Polka” was written and first recorded by Clevelanders Georgie Cook and Jim Kozel in 1953. Barberton, Ohio, bandleader Frank Spetich composed and released “The Pony Tail Polka” in 1958.

The Board of Trustees added five names to the Polka Hall of Fame Honor Roll. The Singing Slovenes band and chorus entertain in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest. The Haughville Slickers were the leading Cleveland-Style Polka band in Indianapolis. The Lipa Park Button Box Club was made up of accordion enthusiasts from St. Catharines, Ontario, and Canada’s Niagara peninsula. Fritz Scherz Jr. leads New York State’s best-known Cleveland-Style polka orchestra. Wayne Tomsic and his orchestra are popular across the Cleveland area.

The 33th annual National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame awards ceremony takes place on Saturday afternoon, November 25, 2023, 1:00, in the Grand Ballroom of the Holiday Inn Cleveland South in Independence, Ohio. This year's all-star show features Canada’s Polka King Walter Ostanek, Joey Miskulin from Riders in the Sky, and World Diatonic Accordion Champion Denis Novato arriving from Europe. The stage orchestra is directed by Tom Mroczka. The Polka Mass follows.

The Awards Show is the high point of the 59th Thanksgiving Polka Music Weekend hosted by the Polka Hall of Fame. The event attracts polka entertainers and fans from the U.S. and Canada with two days of music and dancing, Friday and Saturday, November 24 and 25.

Awards Show tickets are $25 each. Save $10 with a Weekend Pass for all three events, $55. Each Saturday Polka Pass – the Awards Show and the Saturday dance -- is only $35 per person. For dance and show tickets, call the Polka Hall of Fame, (216) 261-FAME, toll-free (866) 66-POLKA, or [email protected].

59th Thanksgiving Polka Weekend Features 10 Bands
with Denis Novato, World Accordion Champion,
Holiday Inn Cleveland South, November 24 and 25, 2023

Treat yourself to a spectacular festival of music and dancing at the 59th annual Thanksgiving Polka Weekend, presented by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame, Friday and Saturday, November 24 and 25, 2023. The Holiday Inn Cleveland South in Independence, Ohio, becomes America’s polka headquarters with the finest Cleveland-Style entertainers, plus Denis Novato, the world diatonic accordion champion in a rare U.S. appearance. The high point is the 2023 Polka Music Awards Show in the Grand Ballroom on Saturday, November 25.

Denis Novato thrills you with his virtuoso accordion playing. He has won more than twenty competitions, including the world diatonic championship. Of his many recordings, the Slovenian native of Trieste, Italy, is especially proud of his appearance on a Grammy-nominated album of Walter Ostanek, Canada’s Polka King, who will perform. Joey Miskulin, the Grammy-winning accordionist from Nashville’s Riders in the Sky, also makes a special appearance.

Ten Cleveland-Style and Slovenian-Style orchestras and entertainers play for two days of dancing. The line-up includes Frankenmuth’s Sweetheart Linda Lee Brown, Hall of Famer Eddie Rodick, Youngstown’s Bill Bevec Band, the Polka Classics from Detroit, Clevelanders Fred Ziwich and Anthony Culkar, and Klancnik and Friends. Music is Friday from 2:00 to midnight and Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to midnight.

The curtain rises on the gala Polka Music Awards Show on Saturday, November 25, at 1:00, with Denis Novato and spotlight tributes to the new Hall of Famers. After the stage show, Father Norm Gajdzinski and Kathy Hlad and Friends celebrate the Polka Mass. There is also a potica nut roll baking demonstration Saturday morning at 10:00. Find polka-themed gifts and recordings in the Polka Pop-up Shop.

Dance admission Friday, November 24, and Saturday, November 25, is $20 per person. Awards Show tickets are $25 each. Save $10 with a Weekend Polka Pass –both dances and the Awards Show are only $55 per person. The Saturday Show and Dance Duo ticket is $35 each. Free parking. 18 and under free. For dance and show tickets, call the Polka Hall of Fame, (216) 261-FAME, toll-free (866) 66-POLKA, or [email protected]. The Polka Hall of Fame is in the historic old Euclid City Hall, 605 East 222nd Street, in Euclid, Ohio, open Wednesday and Saturday, 11 to 4. Check out PolkaFame.com for all things polka.

The festival is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

Reserve rooms at a special reduced rate, including free parking, (216) 524-8050. The Holiday Inn Cleveland South is at 6001 Rockside Road, Independence, Ohio, convenient to I-77 and I-480.

Memories of the 19th Slovenian Sausage Festival, hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum. https://www.facebook.com/sloveniansausage/

Polka Hall of Fame Slovenian Sausage Festival Enjoy non-stop polka music and vote for top klobasa at the annual Slovenian Sausage Festival hosted

Welcome Fall at the Harvest Ball with the Anthony Culkar Orchestra
Members Dance Free
Friday, October 13, 2023
American Croatian Lodge, Eastlake, Ohio

When there’s a nip in the air, it’s time to warm up on the dance floor at the annual Harvest Polka Ball, Friday, October 13, 2023, hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame. Enjoy an autumn evening of jolly polkas and romantic waltzes with Anthony Culkar and his orchestra at the American Croatian Lodge in Eastlake, Ohio.

Polka Hall of Fame members get in free as a token of appreciation for their support. Guests can join that evening at a special rate and earn free admission.

Dance to Anthony’s classic ballroom stylings from 6:00 to 10:00. He knows the tunes you want to hear with his captivating accordion and extensive repertoire.

Sandwiches and nationality treats are provided by the Lodge. Your polka hostess, Sharon Staiduhar, may send you home a winner with a raffle or two.

The American Croatian Lodge is at 34900 Lake Shore Boulevard in Eastlake, Ohio, just east of Route 91 (SOM Center Road). Free admission to Polka Hall of Fame members and 18 and under. Get your advance ticket and save, $12 through the Polka Hall of Fame, 605 East 222nd Street, Euclid, Ohio, next to Euclid City Hall. Open Wednesday and Saturday from 11:00 to 4:00. $15 dollars at the door. Call (216) 261-FAME. Reserve a table at (440) 679-1420. Online at [email protected].

Memories from the Polka Hall of Fame Slovenian Sausage Festival 2023.

Miro’s and Raddell’s Take Titles
at Polka Hall of Fame Sausage Fest

At the 19th Annual Slovenian Sausage Festival, Miro’s Meat Market of Eastlake, Ohio, and Raddell’s Sausage Shop, from Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood each took a title. Miro’s sausages were the jury’s selection as Best of Fest and Raddell’s was voted by attendees as the People’s Choice. The event was hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at SNPJ Farm in Kirtland, Ohio.

More than 1,200 ravenous music-lovers enjoyed eight hours of polka dancing and upwards of 300 pounds of savory sausages. Forty musicians, including Canada’s Polka King Walter Ostanek, volunteered their services at the fund-raiser for the Polka Hall of Fame. Accordion jam sessions popped up around the dance pavilion.

As recipient of the People’s Choice award, Raddell’s prize-winning product will be the official sausage sold at the Thanksgiving Polka Weekend, presented by the Polka Hall of Fame at the Holiday Inn Cleveland South in Independence, Ohio, Friday and Saturday, November 24 and 25, 2023.

Both meat markets have been prior winners with sausages made from age-old recipes brought from Europe. Raddell’s Sausage Shop opened in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood in 1927 and is operated by the fourth generation of the Raddell family. Miro’s has been part of Eastlake’s American Croatian Center complex for nearly twenty years. Chaz Mise took over the shop last year.

Slovenian sausages (kranjske klobase, in Slovenian) are made with coarse-ground pork accented with garlic, salt and pepper. Sausages are cured by smoking.

“I’ve been coming to the Sausage Fest for years,” said Frank Valencic of Strabane, Pennsylvania, who served as one of the judges. “The music is fantastic and the food is, too.” Pierogi Palace and Wojtila’s Bakery expanded the day’s menu beyond sausages.

The Slovenian Sausage Festival is organized by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame, located in Euclid’s historic old City Hall, 605 East 222nd Street in Euclid. The Museum and Gift Shop are open Wednesdays and Saturdays, 11 to 4. Upcoming events include the Harvest Polka Party, Friday, October 13, and the Thanksgiving Polka Weekend. Tickets are on sale now, (216) 621- FAME or [email protected]. # # #

PHOTO CAPTIONS

The Raddell brothers celebrate their victory with sausage costumes at the annual Slovenian Sausage Festival, hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame at SNPJ Farm in Kirtland, Ohio. As winner of the People’s Choice, Raddell’s Sausage Shop’s sausages will be served at the Hall of Fame’s Thanksgiving Polka Weekend, November 24 and 25, 2023, at the Holiday Inn Cleveland South in Independence, Ohio.

Canada’s Polka King Walter Ostanek was one of forty musicians performing at the 19th annual Slovenian Sausage Festival, hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame at SNPJ Farm in Kirtland, Ohio, September 13, 2023.

Chaz Mize of Miro's Meat Market receives his Best of Fest banner from Polka Hall of Fame officers John Muhvic, Joe Wojtila and Joe Valencic.

Polka Hall of Fame 19th Sausage Festival
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
SNPJ Farm, Kirtland, Ohio

Do you know it takes 40 minutes of polka-dancing to burn up the calories in one Slovenian sausage? The National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame makes it easy for you to polka your calories off at the 19th Annual Slovenian Sausage Festival, with eight hours of non-stop music, Wednesday, September 13, from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. You can also vote for the sausage you like best.

It’s polka music’s tastiest celebration since 2004! Dance to top Cleveland-Style bands and entertainers, including Hall of Famers Kathy Hlad and Don Wojtila. Performers include Patty C and the Guys, the Fairport Jammers, Ray Kovac, the Hoboes, Al Battistelli, Anthony Culkar and Ron Likovic. More bands to be announced.

Tote along your accordion or banjo and jam along with your pals. Sample a sausage from each maker and then choose your favorite. Nationality treats and refreshments await you between dances.
Slovenian sausages (kranjske klobase) are made with cured and smoked pork with garlic and a savory blend of seasonings. The 2023 klobasa winners for the People’s Choice and the Jury Award are announced at 6:00 p.m.

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the gate. 18 and under free. SNPJ Farm is at 10946 Heath Road in Kirtland, Ohio, off Chardon Road (Route 6), three miles east of Route 306 and six miles west of Route 44. For tickets, contact the Polka Hall of Fame, 605 East 222nd Street, Euclid, next to Euclid City Hall. Open Wednesday and Saturday from 11:00 to 4:00. Call (216) 261-FAME, toll-free (866) 66-POLKA. Online at [email protected].

The Polka Hall of Fame Remembers
WALT GROLLER
Bandleader and Accordionist
1931-2023
Lifetime Achievement 2019

“Bringing People Together through Music” was the long-time motto of bandleader Walt Groller. He delivered on his promise with brisk polkas and elegant waltzes with a touch of his Alpine heritage in his Cleveland-Style renditions. His versatile band led the polka scene in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley since 1945.

Walt was a native of Allentown, raised by his Austrian-born parents to appreciate their Old World musical traditions. He taught himself the accordion in his spare time after his chores on the family farm and, by age 14, was good enough to start his own orchestra. Walt attracted fans with his danceable sound and developed a loyal following, especially in German-speaking communities. He travelled to ballrooms, picnic groves and Oktoberfests across the country and appeared on radio.

He helped organize Pennsylvania’s Bavarian Summer Festival. In 1957, Walt recorded the first of eighteen albums, seven for Stella Records and eleven on his own Chalet label. “New Christmas Songs” was a top-seller. “It’s Polkamatic” earned him a Grammy nomination.

Among the hundred-plus songs he wrote, most notable are “Say Thank You Dear and Give Her Roses” and “Papa, the Old Accordion Man,” plus a new version of an old tune, “No Beer Today.”

Walt performed at Bethlehem’s renowned Musikfest since it began in 1984. He hosted “Café Internationale,” a weekly TV show, performed on cruises, and toured Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In 1990, Walt was awarded the Austrian Decoration of Merit in Gold for promoting the country’s culture.

The Polka Hall of Fame Remembers
STEVE MEISNER
1961 – 2023
Accordionist and Bandleader
Lifetime Achievement 2012

Steve Meisner led one of the most high-profile Cleveland-Style polka bands in the Midwest. He updated traditional American polka music with a fresh verve and swing that kept the upbeat essence of the sound. His father, well-known bandleader Verne Meisner, was his inspiration and biggest fan. Both father and son were Lifetime Achievement honorees, as voted by the members of the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Wisconsin accordionist, composer and arranger first picked up a squeezebox at age five. After mastering the accordion, he took on the trumpet, tuba, bass guitar and the button box. Steve began to earn a living playing polka music already as a 16-year-old.

During his 45-year career, Steve performed with top accordionists, including Myron Floren and Polka Hall of Famers Frank Yankovic, Walter Ostanek and Joey Miskulin. He released 14 albums and videos, including four with Verne.

Steve performed as many as 200 dates each year, at state fairs, Las Vegas casinos, and even the Kennedy Center and Lawrence Welk Theater in Branson, Missouri. Steve also played polkas in feature films and on television. One of the most memorable times for Steve and his band was representing the state of Wisconsin at the 1998 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall in Washington, D.C., and again in 2010 at the American Folklife Center. He also appeared in an ABC-TV Independence Day broadcast, "In Search Of America."

“Music and dancing can excite, motivate and heal,” recalled Steve. “I consider myself fortunate to be making a living doing what I like best: playing music and making people happy.”

POLKA GOLF OUTING
Saturday, August 19
St. Denis Golf Course, Chardon, Ohio

Get back in the swing at the 3rd annual Polka Golf Outing, a fund-raiser for the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame. It’s a four-person scramble with live polka music, Saturday, August 19, 2023, at St. Denis Golf Course in Chardon, Ohio.

Enjoy 18 holes of golf with a cart, beverage tickets, snacks and soda, plus a barbeque chicken breast and pulled pork dinner. If your team outscores the rest, you earn a prize! Everyone gets a chance to go home a winner with raffles and goody bags.

Sponsor a hole or the beverage golf cart and earn a sign or banner for name recognition. Donate a prize basket to show your support of the Polka Hall of Fame or a stand-alone raffle item. Make a monetary donation and your name can be added to a basket or prize. Sponsors and donors receive mentions at the course and on Polka Hall of Fame Radio and in publications.

St. Denis Golf Course will test your skills. The course is at 10660 Chardon Road (Route 6), west of Chardon, Ohio, between All Souls and Auburn Road. Check-in and lunch at 11:30. Shot-gun start at 1:00. $115 per player; $460 per foursome.

Golfers and sponsors can contact Joe Wojtila at (440) 487-0118 or Dave Skrajner at (216) 401-8817. Space is limited, so sign up today.

Polka’s the Thing at the Spring Fling
Friday, May 12, 2023
Holy Spirit Party Center, Parma, Ohio

Put a spring in your step at the Spring Fling, Friday, May 12, hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame. Join Wayne Tomsic and his orchestra at the Holy Spirit Party Center for a spirited evening of bouncy polkas and dreamy waltzes. It’s a new polka spot for members and friends to discover.

Enjoy dancing from 6:00 to 10:00. The Wayne Tomsic sound features his captivating accordion and extensive repertoire of ballroom favorites. Sandwiches and nationality treats are provided by the Holy Spirit party people. Your polka hostess, Sharon Staiduhar, will spring a few surprises on you to test your luck.

The Holy Spirit Party Center is at 5500 West 54th Street in Parma, Ohio. From I-480 east, exit south (left) on State Road, turn west (right) on Brookpark and then south (left) on West 54th and head six blocks. From I-480 west, exit south (right) on Ridge Road, turn east (left) on Brookpark and then south (right) on West 54th
and head six blocks.

Save $3 with your advance ticket, $12 through the Polka Hall of Fame, 605 East 222nd Street, Euclid, next to Euclid City Hall. Open Wednesday and Saturday from 11:00 to 4:00. $15 dollars at the door. 18 and under free. Call (216) 261-FAME. Online at [email protected]. For tables, call to reserve, (440) 679-1420.

Accordions Rule at the 39th Super Button Box Bash,
Sunday, April 16, 2023, American Croatian Lodge, Eastlake, Ohio

Join the squeezebox celebration at the 39th annual Super Button Box Bash on Sunday, April 16, 2023. Dance to the sounds of sixty accordions on two stages, plus jam sessions all day. The American Croatian Lodge in Eastlake, Ohio, becomes Polkatown USA just for the occasion, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Your host is the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame, America’s polka museum.

Thrill to the grandest festival of button accordion music in North America. Bring your own box and play along. Indulge in nationality treats, such as smoked Slovenian sausage, savory roast beef and strudel. Pick up a souvenir tee-shirt, sweatshirt, babushka or polka CD at the Polka Hall of Fame pop-up shop.

Button box groups and artists appear on the main stage, plus polka jamming alongside. Featured performers so far include:
Patty C and the Guys
The Fairport Jammers
Kathy Hlad
Ron Likovic
Frank and Darryl Valencic
More to come…

The American Croatian Lodge is at 34900 Lakeshore Boulevard in Eastlake, Ohio, just west of Route 91 (SOM Center Road).

Save $3 when you buy an advance ticket at $12. 18 and under free. Dinners, sandwiches, side dishes, desserts and beverages are available. $15 at the door. Order from the Polka Hall of Fame, 605 E. 222nd Street, Euclid, OH 44123. Open Wednesday and Saturday: 11 to 4. For more information, contact the Polka Hall Fame, (216) 261-3263, or PolkaShop at aol.com.