I am eighty years old and I recently discovered your Chardon Polka Band. Your wonderful music and showmanship takes me back to a delightful part my youth. I grew up in the 1940s and 1950s in the South Collinwood area around Green Road and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. That is where America's Polka King Frankie Yankovic lived at the time. I had a bachelor uncle who lived in a rooming house upstairs from The Saranac Tavern on 152nd Street in North Collinwood. Frankie Yankovic and His Yanks often played there on Saturday nights and my parents would take me along to enjoy an evening of singing and dancing to his music. When I was just a youngster of six or seven, my mother taught me how to polka and years later at my wedding, she and I danced the polka to the delight of all the guests. Frank said the he was of Slovenian descent and his polka music was considered "Slovenian Style", different from the Polish and German styles. The Collinwood area on the east side of Cleveland was home to a both a large Italian community and a large Slovenian community. My mother's immigration papers said she was from Yugoslavia but the fiercely proud people from Slovenia, a small region in the northwest mountains of Yugoslavia, never called themselves anything but Slovenian. There was nothing quite so much fun as wedding between a Slovenian boy and an Italian girl at the Slovenian Home on Holmes Avenue. The Italians brought enough delicious food to serve a small city and the Slovenians brought enough booze to float an ocean liner. The band played a mix of Italian tunes and Slovenian polkas. One minute we danced to the "Tarantella" and the next we were dancing to "Zivili Brace, Zivili Sestre". Oh, my, what grand events those were. I really appreciate your wonderful performances and the fond memories you've brought back to me. Hvala in Bog blagoslovi
We are truly humbled by your response and appreciation. Thanks for enjoying what we do. We are happy to bring back glad memories! Wow... what beautiful stories and history.
Does a modern day polka band get a lot of poon on the road? I’m guessing that Frankie Yankovic and his band used to rip through groupies back in the day.
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I am eighty years old and I recently discovered your Chardon Polka Band. Your wonderful music and showmanship takes me back to a delightful part my youth. I grew up in the 1940s and 1950s in the South Collinwood area around Green Road and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. That is where America's Polka King Frankie Yankovic lived at the time. I had a bachelor uncle who lived in a rooming house upstairs from The Saranac Tavern on 152nd Street in North Collinwood. Frankie Yankovic and His Yanks often played there on Saturday nights and my parents would take me along to enjoy an evening of singing and dancing to his music. When I was just a youngster of six or seven, my mother taught me how to polka and years later at my wedding, she and I danced the polka to the delight of all the guests. Frank said the he was of Slovenian descent and his polka music was considered "Slovenian Style", different from the Polish and German styles.
The Collinwood area on the east side of Cleveland was home to a both a large Italian community and a large Slovenian community. My mother's immigration papers said she was from Yugoslavia but the fiercely proud people from Slovenia, a small region in the northwest mountains of Yugoslavia, never called themselves anything but Slovenian.
There was nothing quite so much fun as wedding between a Slovenian boy and an Italian girl at the Slovenian Home on Holmes Avenue. The Italians brought enough delicious food to serve a small city and the Slovenians brought enough booze to float an ocean liner. The band played a mix of Italian tunes and Slovenian polkas. One minute we danced to the "Tarantella" and the next we were dancing to "Zivili Brace, Zivili Sestre". Oh, my, what grand events those were.
I really appreciate your wonderful performances and the fond memories you've brought back to me.
Hvala in Bog blagoslovi
We are truly humbled by your response and appreciation. Thanks for enjoying what we do. We are happy to bring back glad memories! Wow... what beautiful stories and history.
Anybody else remember when you could watch live music and see people's faces?
So excited to see you guys in Mt. Angel next weekend!
Oh ya
Fantastic musical performance !
There must be proud Germans here
Polka!
polka polka
MT. ANGEL WHERE?????????
Have a beer 🍺 on me 🚂
Does a modern day polka band get a lot of poon on the road? I’m guessing that Frankie Yankovic and his band used to rip through groupies back in the day.
Sweet accordion Jake!
Many thanks!