Euclid Musician Denny Bucar to Be Inducted into the Polka Hall of Fame, Saturday, November 29, in a Gala Presentation at the Downtown Marriott Ballroom
For the first time, the Polka Hall of Fame Awards Show will be staged in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, on Public Square, Saturday, November 29, 2014. The gala Awards Show will be the high point of the three-day Thanksgiving Polka Party Weekend hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 27, 28 and 29, at the Marriott.
Two long-time polka musicians will be inducted at the Awards Show, Euclid musician and radio host Denny Bucar and the late accordionist and bandleader Don Lipovac of Kansas City. Both were voted in for their lifetime achievements by the membership and board of the Polka Hall of Fame and announced at a preview meeting on October 9. They will be honored at the stage event on November 29, along with six individuals to be added to the Trustee Honor Roll. Winners will also be announced in nine categories, including Polka Band of the Year, Polka Musician of the Year, and Polka Album of the Year.
Denny Bucar is a leading bass player on the Cleveland-Style Polka scene who has performed with the greatest names in the business. He has hosted a polka radio show since the 1970s and is a founder of the Polka Hall of Fame. Don Lipovac was America’s champion accordion player in 1958 and went on to lead the best-known polka orchestra in the Kansas City area. He wrote and arranged more than 500 songs and taught two generations of accordion and tamburitza students.
Six achievers will be added to the Trustees Honor Roll: three saxophonists, Clevelanders Tommy Grahek and Jerry Jasinski and Ted Lysiak of Barberton, Ohio; Penn-Ohio bandleader and accordionist Tony Trontel; and two musicians, the late Sheila Salvato of Ashtabula, Ohio, a polka musician with Down’s Syndrome, and the late Cleveland accordionist and instructor Bill Sneller.
Two All-Time Polka Hits were voted in by the membership. “Iron Mike” was popularized in the 1970s by Clevelander Johnny Pecon and adapted from a Slovenian folk song. “El Rio Drive,” was written in 1979 by Wisconsin bandleader Verne Meisner with a Tex-Mex flavor.
The curtain rises on the 27th Polka Hall of Fame Awards Show at 2:00 p.m., Saturday afternoon, November 29, in the Marriott Grand Ballroom, 127 Public Square in Cleveland. This year's theme, “Down at the Friendly Tavern,” salutes the cafes, halls and ballrooms that featured polka music. Entertainers include Canada’s Polka King Walter Ostanek, Alex Meixner of Florida, TV’s Chardon Polka Band, and the Button Box Divas. The All-Star Polka Big Band is under the direction of Tom Mroczka with WINT’s Ray Somich as host.
Enjoy dancing all three days with top Cleveland-Style and Slovenian polka bands and performers from Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada. Performers include the 2013 Polka Band of the Year, the Frank Stanger orchestra, plus Walter Ostanek, Nashville’s Joey Miskulin of Riders in the Sky, and Mike Schneider. Music is Thursday from 3:00 to midnight; Friday from 1:00 p.m. to midnight; and all Saturday evening after the 6:00 p.m. Polka Mass.
Dance admission Thursday and Friday is $15 per person and $10 on Saturday, including free indoor parking. 18 and under free. Awards Show tickets are $20 each. Save with a Saturday Polka Pass – the Awards Show and the Saturday dance are only $25 per person. For dance and show tickets, call the Polka Hall of Fame, (216) 261-FAME, toll-free (866) 66-POLKA, or polkashop@aol.com.
Reserve rooms at the Downtown Marriott Hotel through Kollander Travel at a special rate of $105 per room-night, including free parking, (216) 692-1000, toll-free (800) 800-5981, or kwt@kollander.com.
Musicians and leaders of Slovenian and ethnic organizations founded the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum in 1987. The Cleveland style of polka has roots in Slovenian folk music with influences from country and western, jazz, pop tunes, and other nationality sounds. The lively style of American dance music was especially popular in the years following World War II when artists like America's Polka King Frank Yankovic scored million-selling hits. Polka music is enjoying a revival in cities across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic.
The museum features audio exhibits, photos and original instruments tracing the Cleveland-style polka from its origins in the city’s Slovenian neighborhoods in the 1890s to national renown. The Polka Hall of Fame gallery pays tribute to significant musicians and individuals, as voted each year by the membership. The archive preserves 5,000 Slovenian and Cleveland-style recordings, dating back a century.
The 2014 Polka Hall of Fame Awards Show is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a oublic grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
The Polka Hall of Fame is located at 605 East 222nd Street in Euclid, Ohio, in the historic former Euclid City Hall. Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11:00 to 4:00. Admission is free. For details, contact (216) 261-FAME or www.polkafame.com. ###
Joe Valencic
Joe Valencic is the President of the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum.