Pete Dunda - Stan Blout 30th Anniversary Polka Lovers

Pete Dunda and Stan Blout play at the 30th Anniversary of the Polka Lovers Club Golden, CO 6-7-09



Fred and Margie Roosli dance the tango

Eddie Blazonczyk Jr. 2009 Sioux City Polka Fest 6-15-09

Here is some music from Eddie Blazonczyk Jr. He is really good. Video doesn't show his real talents. Different sound than his father, but still good.



Eddie Blazonczyk Jr.


Last Song

Dancing at the 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest 6-12-09

The wooden dance floors were not crowded. Here are a few videos of people enjoying the space to dance away.

Stan Kropewnicki dancing with the younger set (Ashley - Omaha NE) to Johnny Koenig




Promoter and Ashley to Ethnic Jazz

Johnny Koenig - 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest 6-12-09

Johnny Koenig from Cleveland Ohil was the hidden treasure of the 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest. He is a real talent. His band could use a saxophone player to fill out the sound.

I bought one of his CDs right before we left on Sunday. I listened to it for a hundred miles or so. It is the best. On the CD he had guest appearances from pretty big names. It is well worth the buy if you like that Cleveland style of polkas.

Johnny really got the crowd dancing when he was moved to stage 2 on Saturday. Wish him well. Hes a real talent.


Johnny Koenig

Top Notchmen - 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest 6-12-09

Top Notchmen from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin were one of nine bands playing at the 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest.

Top Notchmen

Berry Boyce - 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest 6-12-09

Berry Boyce from Omaha Nebraska had some really good danceable music. Tube got louder and louder as the battle of the bands continued during the weekend.

Here is a video of his music.

Berry Boyce


Ashley plays clarient with the Berry Boyce Band

Ethnic Jazz - 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest 6-12-09

Here is a video of Ethnic Jazz from the 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest 6-12-09. This group was a Polish band from Cleveland Ohio with the 6 guys playing that big band loud sound featuring accordion, concertina and trumpets.

Ethnic Jazz


Ethnic Jazz

Julie Lee - 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest

Here a video clip from Julie Lee.


Julie Lee

Twin City Soundz - 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest

Here is a video from one of the 9 polka bands that played at the 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest in Sioux Falls.

Twin City Soundz

2009 South Dakota Polka Fest 6-13-09

We spent part of the day on Saturday at the Polka Fest. Many people had left. Yes there are 9 bands. Very good bands with different types of music. Cleveland, Chicago, smooth and easy, touch of country and big tuba uppapa sounds. A delight for sure, except for the venue. The fairgrounds hall is huge, an accoustical nightmere to start with. The two stages were set up back to back with about twenty feet between them and two large floor to ceiling tarps. Not really what will work as a sound barrier.

Julie Lee would start with her great smooth saxophone and then the Cleveland bands would start at about 50 decimals more volume. It just didn't work. We listened to mostly the Cleveland style bands as they were louder and you could hear their music without much bleed over. I wore ear plugs the whole time to keep the decimals under control.

A disservice to the bands who were all good and had some music to play and to the people who love the dance and hear good music.

If this continued next year better planning to separate the bands in different buildings is required. I personally would not drive the Sioux Falls for this reason. We met Bob from Aberdeen at our hotel. He was discussed and planned to go to the local VFW for a good dance and some music.

Sioux Falls is a charming, clean city filled with friendly people. Before the bands started, we went to the Falls Park. What a delight. The rain had stopped. It was a beautiful setting. We took the free trolley for a half hour trip around town to learn about historic buildings. The community is dotted with interesting sculptures. There was not a scrap of trash, chewing gum wrapper, drink cup or cigerette butt to be found in the entire city. The cleanest I've seen.

Frustrated with the double bands playing at the same time, we ventured to the Native American PowPow at the nearby stands at the fairgrounds. What a contrast to Polka dancing. Drums were beating up a storm. I didn't realize the extent of the music and each group were playing a certain song. They really sounded similar to me. This must be what they think when they hear polkas and waltzes; that they all sound the same.

Last evening was a polka, waltz contest. Our friends Cynthia and Dave from Colorado won the waltz contest. The poka hop is sure a different dance, kind of a combination of skipping, hopping that end up looking so smooth that they could be on roller skates. These are the most light footed people I've seen dancing in tennis shoes, flip-flops or dance shoes. It didn't matter. These folks could dance.

Dancing 2009 South Dakota Polka Fest 6-12-09

Dancing is more peppy than I see in Denver. Light bounces on the balls of the feet make it look effortless. Here is a sampling of the dancers.

Cynthia Martinez and Dave Winter dancing in South Dakota


Dancing to Ethnic Jazz


Ashley and Berry Boyce dancing to Freeze Dried

Freeze Dried 2009 South Dakota Polkafest

Sioux Fall 2009 South Dakota Polkafest was an interesting experience. There were 9 bands playing in a big exhibit hall at the fairgrounds. There were favorites that we had heard before and new favorites that showed their talents.

Great peppy mid-west dancers filled the floors, kicking up wood dust from the newly laid floors. At first the floors were so slick we wore our rubber soled shoes.

We met people from all over the country; South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas Arizona, and about 16 of us from Colorado.



Freeze Dried from Chicago had a new sound to me. Maybe it was the Raspberry Accordion with the black keys that caught my eye or the young bass player with the Led Zeppelin T-shirt. In their second set when they brought out three singers with contagious smiles and big voices the crowd went wild. Even Stan, who likes what he likes and is pretty much waiting to find a style, tempo and sound from his childhood Polish polka music, was up from his seat crowding toward the band clapping and cheering. Freeze Dried has an innovative method to bring Polka beat into the next century with youthful vibrance. I felt I was experiencing the birth of music in the making.

Freeze Dried


Freeze Dried


Freeze Dried


Freeze Dried



Freeze Dried with the Girls Part 2


Freeze Dried


Freeze Dried


Freeze Dried

30th Anniversary Polka Lovers Club of America - Denver Colorado 6-7-09

The Polka Lovers Club of American - Colorado Chapter was established 30 years ago. In the early days both men and women dancers wore red and white. Today people dress in their Sunday best. The club uses the Kicker's soccer club facility in Golden Colorado. It has a beautiful wood dance floor that helps the waltzes flow with ease.

Mae Carter attended our celebration. She is 100 years old. She will be 101 in July. She was with 4 generations; daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughters.

30th Anniversary Polka Lovers Club of America - Denver Colorado

More fun dancing to Pete Dunda at the 30th Anniversary of the Polka Lovers Club of America - 6-7-09 Golden Colorado

Pete Dunda with Joe Gable playing Keystone




Pete Dunda with Stan Blout



Pete Dunda with Stan Blout

30th Anniversary Polka Lovers Club of America - Denver Colorado

The Polka Lovers Club of American celebrated their 30th Anniversary in Golden Colorado with Pete Dunda playing for the afternoon of fun.

Pete Dunda


Pete Dunda


Pete Dunda playing with Joe Gable


Pete Dunda playing with Joe Gable - "Little Eddie"

Adoph Lesser PolkaFest 6-6-09

Adolph Lesser Polka Fest 6-6-09 Denver Colorado

Here are some photos of Vintage Accordions. One of them was used by Adolph Lesser.



Vintage Accordions
Tony Coron (303) 320 3630
2237 West 30th Avenue
Denver Co 80211
Shop phone 303 471 2238

I found a couple of guys playing accordion on the patio at the Adolph Lesser PolkaFest



Stan Blout Orchestra




Dancing the Charleston


Karl & The Country Dutchman

Adolph Lesser Polkafest 6-6-09

Saturday 6-6-09 at the Adolph Lesser Polkafest we were treated to some of the best music for polkas, waltzes and fox troy I've heard from local Colorado bands and 4 bands from outside Colorado.

1) Stan Blout Orchestra - California with key musicians from Ohio
2) Herb Eberle Band - Missouri
3) Karl & The Country Dutchmen - Wisconsin
4) Chuck Berger - Portland Oregon
6) John Stehl The Alpin Polkadots - Colorado
7) Rick Borger - Average German Band - Colorado

Here are some tunes from the festival

Chuck Berger - Master of the Midi Accordion "Bring me One Dozen Roses"



Karl & The Country Dutchmen




John Stehl Band




Stan Blout Orchestra



Herb Eberle Band (Photo is dark - music great)


Rick Borger - Average German Band

Adolph Lesser Polka Festival is this weekend in Commerce City Colorado

Edelweiss Club of Denver
6495 Monaco Street
Commerce City, CO
June 5-7, 2009

$20 / day at the door

Cyndi Babish has a new CD of Adolph Lesser for $25 - babishc@q.com

Six Bands


Chuck Berger - Master of the Midi Accordion


Stan Blout Orchestra


Karl and The Country Dutchman

5-31-09 Dick Zavodny - Polka Lovers Club Golden Colorado

Dick Zavodny entertained the crowd at the Polka Lovers Club in Golden Colorado on 5-21-09.

Dick on the button-box accordion


Dick Zavodny Band - 970 227 5049

5-10-09 Polka Lovers Club - Golden Colorado

Rich DeChant plays at the Polka Lovers Club Mothers Day. Ladies wore hats to celebrate the occasion.




Rich Dechant Band - 970 330 6422

5-3-09 Rick Borger

Rick Borger plays at the Polka Lovers Club - Golden CO on 5-3-09




Marge and Fred Rossli dance the Tango while Rick Borger plays




Rick Borger Average German Band - 303 903 7984