2013 April

Don & Gail Haderle's POLKA OUT WEST
small version

2013 April Happenings

We returned from our trip to the gulf (Mississippi & Alabama) in early April and spent a week recovering in the desert (Palm Desert) before resuming our polka life. So we missed a few events. Meanwhile, Gail has cataract eye surgery in early May (right eye) and early June (left eye) - so that will slow her down a bit. 

My grammar school class of 1958 (St. Emydius in San Francisco) meets for lunch annually - which we did again April 27. Yes, we graduated 55 years ago. I went to kindergarten with most of these folks, so we've known each other for well nigh 60+ years. What's remarkable is that people change physically, but the person you knew as a kid is still the same inside. So reconnecting with these folks is easy and wondrous.

Meanwhile - on to polka time. 

KNEWZ visited Fontana, Ca. April 13-14

The dynamic KNEWZ band, based in Buffalo, New York, visited us in Fontana, California in mid April at the Sons of Italy Hall for two days of hard-charging, heart-pounding Polish polka rhythm. In January, we enjoyed Tommy Wanderlich (clarinet, concertina, vocals) and John Fomenko (accordion) who performed with John Gora in Phoenix. It was great to see them again, along with Tom Picciano and the rest of the gang. We’ve danced to these guys for over a decade – out east and out west. They had just survived another Dyngus Day extravaganza in Buffalo and they were still on a high, much to our delight.

The crowd was lively and appreciative. A couple of local musicians – Dave Miron, Bob Patocka, Paul Tomazin, and Fred Sonoff – popped in to catch the band. Fred Sonoff had two fingers bandaged that were smashed in the fold of his garage door – that will crimp his accordion playing for awhile. 

Fred Sonoff's smashed fingers

The Jordans celebrated wedding anniversary number 23 and treated us all to cake and other sweet things. Here they are pictured with their smiling son.

We had a couple of young (20 year olds) folk transplanted from Wisconsin now residing in San Diego who wowed us with their athletic polka styling. 

The band pumped out the music and we danced and danced. The mosh pit filled for the last 15 minutes of each evening with the entire room swaying to the music. 

Another great weekend with KNEWZ! Here's a shot of Gene & I with the band. I'm not sure how these guys fit in an airplane (except Tommy & John). Not only do they play big, they stand big.

Check them out with Dorothy!

And we hadn't seen Ralph & Joyce in quite awhile, so it was good to see them back in action.

Enjoy the collage:

Joe Domitrowich in Carmel April 20

The Lugano Swiss Bistro in Carmel, California serves up authentic Swiss cuisine and atmosphere. The owners, Nargis and Andre Lengacher, are delightful hosts and good friends. On many weekend nights they offer live music with a small dance floor. On Saturday April 20, we visited them for dinner and to enjoy Joe Domitrowich’s masterful accordion, on which he served up German, Swiss, Polish, Czech, and Italian music, mixing up polkas, waltzes, rumbas, and other European varieties. And we love visiting with the fun-loving regulars, who harken from Germany and Sicily. They celebrate Gemütlichkeit, joining Joe on vocals, dancing with gusto, and just having a good time. 

Joe accompanies Nino

 Joe was in great form as was Nino Gennaro, a Sicilian-born fisherman, who was featured in the local newspaper where he detailed his recipe for crab cakes. Nino sang “Mala Femmina” and many other popular, old Italian tunes. His brother Joe did an operatic version of “O sole mio” and Erna Warrick did a medley of German tunes. It’s marvelous to see so many couples on a small floor dancing up a storm, courteously flowing and avoiding others. And the food – we can’t resist the fondue, salads, and, of course the Matterhorn ice cream dish bathed in chocolate and caramel. 

Erna Warrick & Mary Medeiros

Revelers at Lugano's

Polka Power in Fontana April 20-21

On the weekend of April 20, Polka Power performed at the Slovene Hall in Fontana. Unfortunately we missed the event, but thanks to Mary Saber and Bev Fuhrman we got a synopsis.

 

 Mary Saber had an eggplant sized bruise along with a few others she acquired from a fall the previous week. As a consequence, she didn't dance. So we have her to thank for most of the photos. 

The crowd was in the 60-80 range, which is typical nowadays, even for a guest band. Though small, the crowd was enthusiastic. A contingent from Arizona (Don & Gunn, Sue Flores & Shirley, the O'Loughlins, and our Michigan Polka Pal buddies John & Shirley) added a bit of verve to the event. 

We hadn't seen Art and Maxine Brabander in a while nor Harold and Fern Scheel - so that was a treat. Harold took Shirley Coapman for a polka spin on his walker - now you don't see that a rave party! 

  

Enjoy the pictures:

 

THE WORKING CREW

 

and

 

 and

 and everyone wants to dance with Eric. Check out the action in the mosh pit.

As the party ended, Frank Rote serenaded the folks on Sunday night, as only Frank can do.

Internationals at Teske's in San Jose April 27

Teske's Germania Restaurant in San Jose provides live polka music a couple of nights each month, except in September and October when the bands perform every weekend. On Saturday, April 27th, we caught the Internationals, joining our San Jose friends for an evening of fun. The Internationals, a 4 piece band, have been performing for 3-4 decades and are the anchor band for the big oktoberfest party in San Francisco together with the Chico Bavarian Marching Band. We're always delighted to see them at Teske's. 

The restaurant has a well-occupied bar with two dining rooms and an outside patio where there's room for 100 diners, the band, and a dance area that can accommodate 10-20 couples. On this evening there was a large party celebrating a birthday with kids galore. So the dance floor was full most of the evening with kids and young folk - a delight to watch. Even though we didn't dance much on this evening, the music was great and the energy of the young folks was infectious.

 

 

By far the most entertaining part of the evening was watching Sue Slaughter devour her gigantic piece of cake after putting away a Wiener Schnitzel with red cabbage. She has a thing for burnt almond.

Unfortunately we missed the Joe Bajuk Trio who played in Sonoma at the Moose Lodge the next day. We were reengaging with our family. Sorry, Joe.

Stas Mardeusz Surgery

I received a note from Dave Bonczkiewicz telling us on May 2 that Stas is home after heart surgery with a long recovery expected. Then they need to deal with his prostate. Stas is doing well and anxious to get back to his polka family.

"Hot Dog" Stas Mardeusz

If you want to send him a note he can be reached at:

20415 146th Way
Sun City West, Az 85375

 EVENTS PLANNING

Go to polkabob’s webpage for a complete list of events. Let me call your attention to a couple of events for planning.

May 26-27, 2013 The Gruber Family Band performs at the Slovene Hall in Fontana. 

May 31, June 1-2, 2013 The Gruber Family Band performs at the Eurofest in Reno, Nv. 
 
August 11, 2013 The Don Wojtila Band performs at the Slovene Hall in Fontana. 

September 12-15, 2013 The Gruber Family Band performs at the Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel, Oregon


September 14-15, 2013 Polka Power performs at the Slovene Hall in Fontana.  

November 23-24, 2013 John Gora returns to the Sons of Italy Hall in Fontana.