1 00:00:05,233 --> 00:00:08,933 ["Clarinet Polka"] 2 00:00:09,033 --> 00:00:10,566 - It's at our festivals. 3 00:00:10,666 --> 00:00:12,700 Our sporting events. 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:14,233 Our churches. 5 00:00:14,333 --> 00:00:16,333 It's even our official state dance. 6 00:00:16,433 --> 00:00:18,100 - What is this music? 7 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:19,166 - It's polka! 8 00:00:19,266 --> 00:00:20,900 - Happy music. Polka music, right? 9 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,800 - Polka is the soundtrack of Wisconsin. 10 00:00:23,900 --> 00:00:25,700 - Polka is Wisconsin! 11 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,700 - And it has a special way of bringing people together. 12 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,833 - My wife and I danced every week for 60 years. 13 00:00:32,933 --> 00:00:34,900 - It's music that's made for dancing; 14 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,166 begging you to clap your hands, tap your feet, 15 00:00:38,266 --> 00:00:40,100 and get out onto the floor. 16 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:41,966 - Why did you start dancing, dear? 17 00:00:42,066 --> 00:00:43,900 - For the women. 18 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,500 - [Squeezebox plays "Let's Have a Party"] 19 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:47,766 ♪ Let's have a party 20 00:00:47,866 --> 00:00:49,233 - I'm Mollie Busta. 21 00:00:49,333 --> 00:00:51,100 And I've been playing and dancing the polka 22 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,633 since I was a little kid. 23 00:00:53,733 --> 00:00:57,100 - [Squeezebox plays "Pulling Around the Floor"] 24 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:59,866 - I've been able to turn my passion into my career, 25 00:00:59,966 --> 00:01:03,533 recording and playing polka music across America. 26 00:01:03,633 --> 00:01:05,833 Over the next hour, I'm going to take a look 27 00:01:05,933 --> 00:01:08,200 at how polka got so big in Wisconsin 28 00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:10,333 and why we continue to love it. 29 00:01:10,433 --> 00:01:15,000 - ["Pod Krakowem Czarna Rola" (The Black Soil of Krakow)] 30 00:01:15,100 --> 00:01:17,200 - I'll discover its scandalous beginnings. 31 00:01:17,300 --> 00:01:19,733 - Queen Victoria forbad the polka 32 00:01:19,833 --> 00:01:21,800 to be danced in her presence. 33 00:01:21,900 --> 00:01:24,600 - Visit some of Wisconsin's great polka festivals. 34 00:01:24,700 --> 00:01:28,300 - I call this a Polish Woodstock. 35 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:29,966 - And talk to some of the people 36 00:01:30,066 --> 00:01:31,733 keeping this folk tradition alive. 37 00:01:31,833 --> 00:01:33,833 - We're just having fun. - Yeah, having fun. 38 00:01:33,933 --> 00:01:36,266 - And most people don't like that much fun. 39 00:01:36,366 --> 00:01:38,233 [laughing] 40 00:01:38,333 --> 00:01:40,533 ["Pod Krakowem Czarna Rola" (The Black Soil of Krakow)] 41 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,266 - Join me, Mollie B, for a celebration of 42 00:01:46,366 --> 00:01:48,300 - crowd: Polka! 43 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:49,866 ♪ ♪ 44 00:01:49,966 --> 00:01:53,400 [cheers and applause] 45 00:01:54,233 --> 00:01:56,433 - Polka! is funded in part by 46 00:01:56,533 --> 00:01:58,966 Stanley J. Cottrill Fund, 47 00:01:59,066 --> 00:02:01,833 International Polka Association 48 00:02:01,933 --> 00:02:04,433 Wisconsin Dells Polka Fest 49 00:02:04,533 --> 00:02:07,533 and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television. 50 00:02:09,266 --> 00:02:11,733 [indistinct conversation] 51 00:02:15,333 --> 00:02:18,333 ♪ ♪ 52 00:02:20,433 --> 00:02:22,566 - It would be really strange 53 00:02:22,666 --> 00:02:25,000 if there were this music and dance tradition 54 00:02:25,100 --> 00:02:28,833 that literally millions of people participate in, 55 00:02:28,933 --> 00:02:31,900 and nothing has been studied or written about it. 56 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:33,833 Well, truth is stranger than fiction. 57 00:02:33,933 --> 00:02:35,300 That's polka. 58 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:40,033 [The Polka Family Band plays "Mocilnikar's Polka"] 59 00:02:44,566 --> 00:02:45,933 - The happiest people on the planet 60 00:02:46,033 --> 00:02:47,633 are at a polka dance. 61 00:02:47,733 --> 00:02:48,733 I've been playing polka 62 00:02:48,833 --> 00:02:50,933 since I was, probably, seven years old. 63 00:02:51,033 --> 00:02:53,666 I'm fifty-three, and I've never seen a fight. 64 00:02:53,766 --> 00:02:56,133 - It's happy music. 65 00:02:56,233 --> 00:02:59,166 You don't see many fights or anything at the polka music. 66 00:02:59,266 --> 00:03:00,600 - We fight after! 67 00:03:02,266 --> 00:03:05,000 - In polka music, you don't sing about your troubles, 68 00:03:05,100 --> 00:03:06,333 you forget your troubles. 69 00:03:06,433 --> 00:03:08,400 [Hey Baba Reba plays "Ee eye ee eye ee eye oh!"] 70 00:03:08,500 --> 00:03:10,700 - crowd: ♪ Ee eye ee eye ee eye oh 71 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:12,566 - ♪ Ee eye ee eye ee eye oh 72 00:03:12,666 --> 00:03:14,466 - crowd: ♪ Ee eye ee eye ee eye oh 73 00:03:14,566 --> 00:03:18,366 - The catharsis that goes on 74 00:03:18,466 --> 00:03:19,733 within a polka festival, 75 00:03:19,833 --> 00:03:22,266 a dance, or listening to the music 76 00:03:22,366 --> 00:03:23,966 is peace. 77 00:03:24,066 --> 00:03:27,233 It brings you peace, it brings you joy, 78 00:03:27,333 --> 00:03:28,866 it brings you happiness. 79 00:03:28,966 --> 00:03:32,200 - Band: ♪Ee eye ee eye ee eye oh -crowd: ♪Ee eye ee eye ee eye oh 80 00:03:32,300 --> 00:03:34,866 - Whoo! 81 00:03:34,966 --> 00:03:36,266 - It's a folk tradition 82 00:03:36,366 --> 00:03:38,533 like no other in Wisconsin. 83 00:03:38,633 --> 00:03:41,266 When we celebrate life, chances are 84 00:03:41,366 --> 00:03:44,066 we're dancing and playing the polka. 85 00:03:44,166 --> 00:03:46,400 It's part of our heritage. 86 00:03:46,500 --> 00:03:48,733 It's something we share with family. 87 00:03:48,833 --> 00:03:50,966 It's a connection to our community. 88 00:03:51,066 --> 00:03:53,233 The polka story 89 00:03:53,333 --> 00:03:54,900 is the story of Wisconsin. 90 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,900 ["Iron Range Polka"] 91 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,366 - If you want to look at a dance form 92 00:04:00,466 --> 00:04:04,266 that distinguishes Wisconsin from other places-- 93 00:04:04,366 --> 00:04:06,300 not only in the nation, 94 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:07,633 but also in the world-- 95 00:04:07,733 --> 00:04:09,400 it's polka music. 96 00:04:09,500 --> 00:04:12,500 And so it's fitting that it's our official state dance. 97 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:14,966 [cheers and applause] 98 00:04:18,100 --> 00:04:21,533 ♪ ♪ 99 00:04:22,466 --> 00:04:26,166 - Polka emerged in central Europe around the 1840s. 100 00:04:26,266 --> 00:04:28,933 Exactly how is something of a mystery, 101 00:04:29,033 --> 00:04:32,900 but its name can be traced to a pair of Slavic words. 102 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,300 The world "Polka" essentially means Polish woman, 103 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,800 like "Polák" is a Polish man. 104 00:04:39,900 --> 00:04:41,000 Although there's a Czech word 105 00:04:41,100 --> 00:04:44,366 "pulka" that means sort of half, 106 00:04:44,466 --> 00:04:47,300 and there is kind of a half step in the polka 107 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:48,566 when you're dancing it. 108 00:04:48,666 --> 00:04:51,666 ["Oh Suzanna Schottische"] 109 00:04:54,233 --> 00:04:55,433 - Like the word itself, 110 00:04:55,533 --> 00:04:58,133 the story of how polka began is murky. 111 00:04:58,233 --> 00:04:59,733 But most common 112 00:04:59,833 --> 00:05:02,133 is the legend about a peasant girl in Bohemia 113 00:05:02,233 --> 00:05:05,466 who spontaneously invented the dance in front of her boss. 114 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,366 - She's usually a Czech or a Polish girl 115 00:05:10,466 --> 00:05:13,200 and her boss is usually a German or Austrian, 116 00:05:13,300 --> 00:05:15,466 and he notes it down some way 117 00:05:15,566 --> 00:05:17,566 and spreads it all around. 118 00:05:17,666 --> 00:05:20,700 - There isn't much historical evidence 119 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,300 to support this origin story. 120 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:24,600 It's more likely 121 00:05:24,700 --> 00:05:27,866 that polka emerged out of another couples' dance. 122 00:05:29,233 --> 00:05:31,833 - I say it came from the waltz. 123 00:05:31,933 --> 00:05:34,933 [waltz music] 124 00:05:36,833 --> 00:05:39,100 - To Europe's cultured society, 125 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,233 the waltz was scandalous. 126 00:05:41,333 --> 00:05:43,700 It was shocking for a man and a woman 127 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:45,900 to wrap arms around each other. 128 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:47,066 But after a while, 129 00:05:47,166 --> 00:05:49,133 the waltz lost that shock value, 130 00:05:49,233 --> 00:05:51,233 paving the way for a new dance. 131 00:05:52,733 --> 00:05:55,566 - Pop culture loves to outrage 132 00:05:55,666 --> 00:05:57,800 the previous generation's norms. 133 00:05:57,900 --> 00:06:02,466 Along around the 1840s, they just upped the ante. 134 00:06:02,566 --> 00:06:06,733 Let's do it in 2/4 time and hop up and down frenetically! 135 00:06:06,833 --> 00:06:09,433 ["Tritsch-Tratsch Polka" by Johann Strauss II] 136 00:06:09,533 --> 00:06:11,900 - Well, predictably, the polka 137 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,300 was condemned as licentious and horrible. 138 00:06:17,633 --> 00:06:18,933 In the 1850s, 139 00:06:19,033 --> 00:06:22,100 Queen Victoria forbad the polka 140 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:24,300 to be danced in her presence. 141 00:06:25,266 --> 00:06:28,966 - But this new dance was a huge hit. 142 00:06:29,066 --> 00:06:32,300 Polka spread through Europe like wildfire. 143 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:33,866 And it was at this time 144 00:06:33,966 --> 00:06:37,533 that thousands of people were immigrating to America. 145 00:06:41,266 --> 00:06:44,266 ["Oj Maricka Pegla" (Marie is Ironing)] 146 00:06:46,133 --> 00:06:49,366 - You had Germans and Swiss, and Luxembourgers, 147 00:06:49,466 --> 00:06:53,766 and Dutch people, and you had French-speaking Belgians, 148 00:06:53,866 --> 00:06:57,833 you had Polish and Czechs and Slovenians, 149 00:06:57,933 --> 00:07:00,733 you had Finns, and Norwegians and Swedes, 150 00:07:00,833 --> 00:07:03,566 and all of them had some form of polka. 151 00:07:05,900 --> 00:07:08,166 - Polka turned out to be a fad in Europe 152 00:07:08,266 --> 00:07:09,533 and would eventually subside. 153 00:07:09,633 --> 00:07:12,200 But the immigrants headed to America 154 00:07:12,300 --> 00:07:14,966 had polka ringing in their ears. 155 00:07:15,066 --> 00:07:16,800 - Because it was the music and dance that 156 00:07:16,900 --> 00:07:19,766 was popular in their homeland at the time they emigrated, 157 00:07:19,866 --> 00:07:22,633 it became their heritage here. 158 00:07:28,333 --> 00:07:31,333 ["Goin' Home from Symphony No. 9" (alphorn song)] 159 00:07:32,566 --> 00:07:35,766 - Today, Wisconsin's identity is closely tied 160 00:07:35,866 --> 00:07:38,333 to the cultures of its European immigrants. 161 00:07:40,633 --> 00:07:43,766 Sometimes in wonderfully apparent ways. 162 00:07:45,166 --> 00:07:47,933 One of Wisconsin's most charming small towns 163 00:07:48,033 --> 00:07:49,366 is New Glarus. 164 00:07:49,466 --> 00:07:51,733 Founded by Swiss immigrants in the 1840s, 165 00:07:51,833 --> 00:07:54,600 New Glarus not only looks like the old world, 166 00:07:54,700 --> 00:07:56,566 it celebrates the old traditions. 167 00:07:56,666 --> 00:07:59,500 One of those, of course, is polka. 168 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,666 ["Pop N' John's Polka"] 169 00:08:05,366 --> 00:08:08,366 - Every year, The Roger Bright Memorial Polka Fest 170 00:08:08,466 --> 00:08:11,833 in New Glarus attracts thousands of people. 171 00:08:11,933 --> 00:08:14,566 For some, the event is personal. 172 00:08:17,233 --> 00:08:19,566 - Polka, Swiss music, 173 00:08:19,666 --> 00:08:23,333 makes me think of my mom and my dad 174 00:08:23,433 --> 00:08:25,433 and my heritage. 175 00:08:25,533 --> 00:08:27,833 My mother was from Switzerland. 176 00:08:27,933 --> 00:08:32,233 She lived to be 101, eight months and 28 days. 177 00:08:32,333 --> 00:08:36,200 She had a great spirit, and she loved to dance, 178 00:08:36,300 --> 00:08:38,366 and my father. 179 00:08:38,466 --> 00:08:41,466 ["My Ann Waltz"] 180 00:08:46,133 --> 00:08:48,366 - My father is Swiss. 181 00:08:48,466 --> 00:08:49,566 At an event like this, 182 00:08:49,666 --> 00:08:52,533 you can't help but think of your old family members 183 00:08:52,633 --> 00:08:55,066 and family fun times, really. 184 00:09:01,533 --> 00:09:02,900 - I come here every year. 185 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,566 Sit and enjoy, and meet people, 186 00:09:05,666 --> 00:09:08,300 and drink beer and listen to the music. 187 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,433 - 95 year-old New Glarus resident Herman Pfund 188 00:09:11,533 --> 00:09:13,800 is a true polka lover. 189 00:09:13,900 --> 00:09:15,200 For over half a century, 190 00:09:15,300 --> 00:09:18,200 dancing was one his great passions. 191 00:09:18,300 --> 00:09:19,533 - Oh, boy. 192 00:09:19,633 --> 00:09:23,333 I miss it now because my legs won't let me. 193 00:09:23,433 --> 00:09:24,766 I really miss it. 194 00:09:24,866 --> 00:09:26,700 So I come and listen to it. 195 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:28,566 It's my background, Swiss. 196 00:09:28,666 --> 00:09:30,000 And I love it. 197 00:09:35,333 --> 00:09:38,033 - [laughing] Hey! 198 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:41,366 - The polka festival is a link 199 00:09:41,466 --> 00:09:43,633 to New Glarus's Swiss heritage. 200 00:09:43,733 --> 00:09:47,000 People can sample local-made cheese, 201 00:09:47,100 --> 00:09:48,766 beer, 202 00:09:48,866 --> 00:09:50,533 and bacon. 203 00:09:50,633 --> 00:09:53,833 Half a block from the main tent, 204 00:09:53,933 --> 00:09:57,166 Puempel's Olde Tavern is also a part of the festival. 205 00:09:57,266 --> 00:10:00,266 ["Baby Doll Polka"] 206 00:10:01,500 --> 00:10:04,033 Puempel's was established in 1893, 207 00:10:04,133 --> 00:10:06,366 and has hardly changed in all that time. 208 00:10:09,066 --> 00:10:11,100 On a floor that's over a century old, 209 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:13,400 there isn't much room for dancing. 210 00:10:13,500 --> 00:10:15,633 But that doesn't stop these polka lovers 211 00:10:15,733 --> 00:10:17,600 from making the most of it. 212 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:28,966 The culture of the Swiss immigrants 213 00:10:29,066 --> 00:10:31,300 is alive and well in New Glarus, 214 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,333 and a vital part of their tradition is polka. 215 00:10:34,433 --> 00:10:37,000 ♪ ♪ 216 00:10:37,100 --> 00:10:40,100 [cheers and applause] 217 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:45,500 But New Glarus certainly isn't the only place 218 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:48,200 you can experience a great polka festival. 219 00:10:48,300 --> 00:10:52,066 They happen throughout the year in every corner of the state. 220 00:10:53,066 --> 00:10:55,700 One of the most popular polka festivals in Wisconsin, 221 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,466 and possibly the country, takes place right here in Pulaski. 222 00:10:59,566 --> 00:11:02,200 ♪ ♪ 223 00:11:02,300 --> 00:11:05,066 Pulaski was settled by Polish immigrants, 224 00:11:05,166 --> 00:11:06,966 who transformed its rocky soil 225 00:11:07,066 --> 00:11:10,633 into the vibrant farmlands surrounding the town today. 226 00:11:10,733 --> 00:11:13,733 But Poles brought more than agricultural skill to this area. 227 00:11:13,833 --> 00:11:16,066 They also brought their music. 228 00:11:16,166 --> 00:11:18,700 And in 1978, a festival was launched 229 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,333 that has become an institution. 230 00:11:22,533 --> 00:11:25,000 Pulaski Polka Days is a four-day event 231 00:11:25,100 --> 00:11:27,266 that attracts thousands of people. 232 00:11:27,366 --> 00:11:29,333 Folks come here from across Wisconsin, 233 00:11:29,433 --> 00:11:31,466 and across the country. 234 00:11:31,566 --> 00:11:35,566 - I call this a Polish Woodstock. 235 00:11:37,300 --> 00:11:39,666 ["Polish Boyfriend"] 236 00:11:39,766 --> 00:11:42,433 ♪ ♪ 237 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:58,533 ♪ I've got a Polish boyfriend 238 00:11:58,633 --> 00:12:02,000 ♪ He looks a lot like you 239 00:12:02,100 --> 00:12:05,066 ♪ Oh he's kind of nice 240 00:12:05,166 --> 00:12:06,733 ♪ Pretty dark eyes 241 00:12:06,833 --> 00:12:08,066 ♪ I love him 242 00:12:08,166 --> 00:12:09,333 What are you grilling? 243 00:12:09,433 --> 00:12:11,000 - Polish sausage. 244 00:12:11,100 --> 00:12:14,000 - At Pulaski, you can have tasty Polish fare, 245 00:12:14,100 --> 00:12:16,633 like a pierogi and a cabbage roll. 246 00:12:16,733 --> 00:12:19,366 [drummer strikes cymbal] 247 00:12:19,466 --> 00:12:21,766 - Yeah! - [cheers and applause] 248 00:12:21,866 --> 00:12:24,166 - But what brings in the big crowds is polka. 249 00:12:24,266 --> 00:12:27,166 ["Old Time Polka Dance"] 250 00:12:27,266 --> 00:12:29,266 ♪ ♪ 251 00:12:35,233 --> 00:12:36,900 - LeAnn and her Aunt Sue 252 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,300 are from a Polish family. 253 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:41,833 They've traveled to every Pulaski Polka Days 254 00:12:41,933 --> 00:12:43,733 for over ten years. 255 00:12:43,833 --> 00:12:45,933 - I initially came up here with a bunch of friends. 256 00:12:46,033 --> 00:12:48,533 And then I told my family, told my aunt, my mom and dad. 257 00:12:48,633 --> 00:12:50,733 And they said, "Oh! We're gonna have to go next year." 258 00:12:50,833 --> 00:12:52,633 Well now, they've ruined my fun every year! 259 00:12:52,733 --> 00:12:54,166 [laughing] 260 00:12:54,266 --> 00:12:56,633 But then again, I have a dancing partner every year. 261 00:12:56,733 --> 00:12:59,366 So it's all good! [laughing] 262 00:12:59,466 --> 00:13:01,300 ["Pod Krakowem Czarna Rola" (The Black Soil of Krakow)] 263 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:03,500 ♪ Pod Krakowem czarna rola ♪ Ja jej oral nie bede 264 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:04,900 - Sue and LeAnn enjoy dancing 265 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:07,166 to the festival's Polish style bands, 266 00:13:07,266 --> 00:13:09,566 which attract a new audience. 267 00:13:09,666 --> 00:13:12,333 - The Polish style has 268 00:13:12,433 --> 00:13:14,800 a much more syncopated beat, 269 00:13:14,900 --> 00:13:19,033 big amps, electric bass guitars, and loud drumming. 270 00:13:20,633 --> 00:13:22,900 A loud sound. 271 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,066 It has a lot more in common with rock 272 00:13:25,166 --> 00:13:27,566 than the other polka styles. 273 00:13:27,666 --> 00:13:30,366 There's kind of a generation gap sometimes 274 00:13:30,466 --> 00:13:33,633 with the people who don't like the music to be that loud. 275 00:13:33,733 --> 00:13:36,733 It's one of the reasons that the Polish style 276 00:13:36,833 --> 00:13:38,633 has kept a younger audience. 277 00:13:38,733 --> 00:13:41,666 ♪ ♪ 278 00:13:46,700 --> 00:13:49,233 - Many of the young people dance in the hop style, 279 00:13:49,333 --> 00:13:51,366 which came out of the Polish community. 280 00:13:52,500 --> 00:13:54,333 - You dance in double time to the music. 281 00:13:54,433 --> 00:13:55,866 One,two,three, hop! One,two,three, hop! 282 00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:02,833 - This new generation of dancers is one reason 283 00:14:02,933 --> 00:14:05,433 Pulaski Polka Days is so unique. 284 00:14:05,533 --> 00:14:07,033 - Harold, I know you're a polka fan. 285 00:14:07,133 --> 00:14:08,100 I'm a polka fan. 286 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:09,333 Why do you think this festival 287 00:14:09,433 --> 00:14:11,766 is so important to the polka industry? 288 00:14:11,866 --> 00:14:13,200 - If you come to Pulaski, 289 00:14:13,300 --> 00:14:15,166 you're gonna see the younger generation coming out. 290 00:14:15,266 --> 00:14:17,600 And that means a lot because a lot of our old friends 291 00:14:17,700 --> 00:14:19,566 are now 70, 80 years old. 292 00:14:19,666 --> 00:14:22,033 And we've got the younger generation involved in it. 293 00:14:22,133 --> 00:14:25,133 And I tell you, it's a great honor to see that here. 294 00:14:26,133 --> 00:14:29,266 - Pulaski's famous festival is a joyful reflection 295 00:14:29,366 --> 00:14:30,933 of its Polish pedigree. 296 00:14:31,033 --> 00:14:32,366 - People are 297 00:14:32,466 --> 00:14:36,466 just very uninhibited 298 00:14:36,566 --> 00:14:38,466 in terms of enjoying themselves, 299 00:14:38,566 --> 00:14:41,066 enjoying one another, and just having a great time. 300 00:14:42,100 --> 00:14:45,233 - Once you're here once, you'll come back every year. 301 00:14:45,333 --> 00:14:47,800 - You'll come back. You will. 302 00:14:49,366 --> 00:14:51,833 [cheers and applause] 303 00:14:51,933 --> 00:14:53,766 - Hello, Pulaski! 304 00:14:53,866 --> 00:14:56,300 - crowd: Whoo! 305 00:14:57,300 --> 00:14:59,100 ["Ein Prosit"] 306 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:03,833 - ♪ Ein Prosit, ein Prosit 307 00:15:03,933 --> 00:15:05,300 ♪ Der Gemütlichkeit... 308 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:07,466 - Germans were the largest European immigrant group 309 00:15:07,566 --> 00:15:09,466 to settle in America. 310 00:15:09,566 --> 00:15:12,666 And today, over 40 percent of Wisconsin residents 311 00:15:12,766 --> 00:15:14,733 have German ancestry. 312 00:15:14,833 --> 00:15:18,733 - ♪ Der Gemütlichkeit 313 00:15:18,833 --> 00:15:21,733 - Oktoberfests are beer celebrations 314 00:15:21,833 --> 00:15:24,900 held throughout Wisconsin and the nation. 315 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:26,966 They're inspired by the annual Oktoberfest 316 00:15:27,066 --> 00:15:29,466 held in Munich, Germany. 317 00:15:29,566 --> 00:15:32,566 ♪ ♪ 318 00:15:33,766 --> 00:15:37,433 This Oktoberfest is hosted by German restaurant Essen Haus 319 00:15:37,533 --> 00:15:39,266 in Madison. 320 00:15:39,366 --> 00:15:41,333 People come dressed for the occasion, 321 00:15:41,433 --> 00:15:44,300 whether they have German ancestry or not. 322 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,400 - This place is nothing but German culture here. 323 00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:48,400 Most people have something German on. 324 00:15:48,500 --> 00:15:51,266 Or they're carrying something German... 325 00:15:51,366 --> 00:15:53,033 in a glass. 326 00:15:53,133 --> 00:15:54,733 - Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke 327 00:15:54,833 --> 00:15:56,666 - crowd: Hoi, hoi, hoi! - Ernie: I can't hear you. 328 00:15:56,766 --> 00:15:58,066 Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke 329 00:15:58,166 --> 00:15:59,366 - crowd: Hoi, hoi, hoi! 330 00:15:59,466 --> 00:16:03,433 ["Fest Polka"] 331 00:16:03,533 --> 00:16:07,366 - So they may be Irish as can be, but today they're German. 332 00:16:07,466 --> 00:16:10,500 - Mannerchor Guys call out: Oans! Zwoa! G'suffa! 333 00:16:12,700 --> 00:16:14,633 - European immigrants didn't just bring 334 00:16:14,733 --> 00:16:18,100 their languages, cultures, and love of polka to America. 335 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,700 They also brought their favorite beverage. 336 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:22,500 ["In Heaven, There is No Beer"] 337 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:25,166 ♪ Well in Heaven there is no beer 338 00:16:25,266 --> 00:16:28,100 ♪ That's why we drink it here 339 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:32,000 - Beer! 340 00:16:32,100 --> 00:16:33,666 - Gotta have beer. 341 00:16:33,766 --> 00:16:35,433 Beer has everything in it, right? 342 00:16:36,533 --> 00:16:39,266 - In Milwaukee, breweries like Miller and Schlitz 343 00:16:39,366 --> 00:16:43,366 were founded in the 1850s by German immigrants. 344 00:16:43,466 --> 00:16:46,600 Beer has been part of our state identity ever since. 345 00:16:47,433 --> 00:16:50,966 - Wisconsin is rightly known as the party state. 346 00:16:51,066 --> 00:16:53,700 People like to work hard, they like to play hard, 347 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:57,300 they like to have their beer and they like to dance. 348 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:01,966 - It's a beverage associated with community and celebration, 349 00:17:02,066 --> 00:17:03,533 just like polka. 350 00:17:03,633 --> 00:17:06,500 And you'll find beer served at most polka dances. 351 00:17:07,566 --> 00:17:09,600 - This is the heart of the Midwest, 352 00:17:09,700 --> 00:17:11,433 where these hard-working people, 353 00:17:11,533 --> 00:17:12,766 like to have a good time. 354 00:17:12,866 --> 00:17:15,466 And they like to go hear music that's happy, you know? 355 00:17:15,566 --> 00:17:18,033 They want to hear music that makes them feel good. 356 00:17:21,233 --> 00:17:24,666 - Hey! Woo hoo! 357 00:17:24,766 --> 00:17:26,300 Ah, we're getting' goin' now. 358 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,633 ["Dorf Kapelle"] 359 00:17:29,733 --> 00:17:32,566 - Because European immigrants cherished their polka tradition, 360 00:17:32,666 --> 00:17:34,866 they passed it along. 361 00:17:34,966 --> 00:17:37,000 Generations have grown up with it 362 00:17:37,100 --> 00:17:39,366 and then shared it with their children. 363 00:17:39,466 --> 00:17:41,166 It's a link from the past 364 00:17:41,266 --> 00:17:44,133 that has carried polka all the way up to the present. 365 00:17:44,233 --> 00:17:46,233 Luckily, the polka tradition 366 00:17:46,333 --> 00:17:48,400 is something kids take to naturally. 367 00:17:48,500 --> 00:17:50,966 ["A Polka Celebration"] 368 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:58,700 ♪ We're gonna have a polka celebration 369 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,000 ♪ You bring your friends out 370 00:18:01,100 --> 00:18:02,733 ♪ And I'll bring mine 371 00:18:02,833 --> 00:18:04,166 - I grew up with my grandmother 372 00:18:04,266 --> 00:18:06,566 teaching me how to polka, 373 00:18:06,666 --> 00:18:09,433 and I stood on her feet as she taught me how to polka. 374 00:18:09,533 --> 00:18:11,733 - ♪ We're gonna party and have a good time 375 00:18:11,833 --> 00:18:13,833 - The polka is a multi-generational dance. 376 00:18:13,933 --> 00:18:16,533 It's grandma and grandpa, 377 00:18:16,633 --> 00:18:19,000 and their kids, and the little kids. 378 00:18:20,466 --> 00:18:24,600 - There are a lot of parents who are carrying around 379 00:18:24,700 --> 00:18:25,566 a baby or toddler, 380 00:18:25,666 --> 00:18:27,033 bouncing them along, 381 00:18:27,133 --> 00:18:30,300 as they are inculcating that feel for the polka. 382 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:31,566 ♪ ♪ 383 00:18:31,666 --> 00:18:34,933 - Whoooooooooooo! 384 00:18:35,033 --> 00:18:38,100 ♪ ♪ 385 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:41,766 ♪ We're gonna have a polka celebration 386 00:18:41,866 --> 00:18:43,166 ♪ You bring your friends out 387 00:18:43,266 --> 00:18:44,366 - Well, you know what? 388 00:18:44,466 --> 00:18:47,133 Put a polka record on for a kid. 389 00:18:47,233 --> 00:18:48,433 Watch what happens. 390 00:18:48,533 --> 00:18:51,533 ["Gornick's Polka"] 391 00:18:51,633 --> 00:18:53,866 - I don't care what nationality they are, 392 00:18:53,966 --> 00:18:55,500 you put on music that's going 393 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:56,966 [singing bass line] ♪ Oompah oompah 394 00:18:57,066 --> 00:18:58,966 ♪ ♪ 395 00:18:59,066 --> 00:19:00,766 Once you hear that, 396 00:19:00,866 --> 00:19:01,900 it's just the beat, 397 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,300 and then you just start doing this, 398 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:05,966 even if you don't know what you're doing. 399 00:19:06,066 --> 00:19:09,900 - Band: Weee-hoooooooo! 400 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,533 - [cheers and applause] 401 00:19:17,633 --> 00:19:20,500 ["Poor Boy Lookin' for a Home"] 402 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:23,233 - One of his first words was polka: 403 00:19:23,333 --> 00:19:24,433 "Polka, polka!" towards the radio. 404 00:19:24,533 --> 00:19:25,900 He always has to have it on. 405 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:27,533 They both always have to have it on. 406 00:19:27,633 --> 00:19:29,266 It's on at the house when we left. 407 00:19:35,033 --> 00:19:36,700 - ♪ Well-a old Mister fox 408 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,866 ♪ Done found him a home He got a place to sleep 409 00:19:39,966 --> 00:19:42,166 ♪ Well, the fox got a place to call his own 410 00:19:42,266 --> 00:19:44,433 - I have a video of him from six months old 411 00:19:44,533 --> 00:19:46,600 standing on the back of the stage at Polka Days 412 00:19:46,700 --> 00:19:48,300 watching his Uncle Chris play drums, 413 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:50,866 and he's just a-jumpin' on my lap and jumpin'. 414 00:19:50,966 --> 00:19:53,966 ["Root Beer Rag"] 415 00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:58,966 - Zander and his family seem to have polka 416 00:19:59,066 --> 00:20:01,100 running through their veins. 417 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:02,266 But they're not alone. 418 00:20:02,366 --> 00:20:04,266 ["The Tinker Polka"] 419 00:20:04,366 --> 00:20:07,100 - When I perform at dances, I don't see 420 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,500 kids and parents looking at their phones. 421 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,800 I see them sharing an experience together. 422 00:20:11,900 --> 00:20:15,700 I think it's neat to see the families that come to the event. 423 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,366 Not only do we then see the polka music being carried on 424 00:20:18,466 --> 00:20:22,633 but it's a very family-friendly environment. 425 00:20:22,733 --> 00:20:24,233 Do you feel the same way? 426 00:20:24,333 --> 00:20:25,533 - Oh, yeah. 427 00:20:25,633 --> 00:20:27,533 There's many times when we'll go to a dance, 428 00:20:27,633 --> 00:20:30,000 and someone will be like, "Oh, I'll watch them," 429 00:20:30,100 --> 00:20:31,700 or "Oh, you guys go dance. 430 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:33,100 We'll take care of them." 431 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,433 And it's just like everybody's just a big family. 432 00:20:36,533 --> 00:20:39,100 ["New Ulm Waltz"] 433 00:20:47,633 --> 00:20:49,900 - And you see a lot of other parents, too, 434 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:51,566 teaching their kids. 435 00:20:51,666 --> 00:20:53,500 And you know that they're in that moment 436 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,633 like we get with our kids. 437 00:20:56,733 --> 00:20:57,866 As parents, we're just proud 438 00:20:57,966 --> 00:21:01,233 that we're passing it on to the next generation, 439 00:21:01,333 --> 00:21:05,100 and we can share something that we all enjoy together. 440 00:21:10,766 --> 00:21:12,266 ["Saturday Night Waltz"] 441 00:21:12,366 --> 00:21:14,966 - I come from a polka family. 442 00:21:15,066 --> 00:21:16,600 That's me right there. 443 00:21:16,700 --> 00:21:19,766 Growing up, I loved dancing and playing the polka, 444 00:21:19,866 --> 00:21:23,066 especially with my dad. 445 00:21:23,166 --> 00:21:25,600 Now, I'm a polka performer and recording artist. 446 00:21:25,700 --> 00:21:28,833 Is everybody happy? 447 00:21:29,700 --> 00:21:32,900 And on occasion, I still get to play along with dad. 448 00:21:33,900 --> 00:21:36,666 - I grew up on a farm in northeast Iowa. 449 00:21:36,766 --> 00:21:40,066 And I can't ever remember a time that I didn't like polka music. 450 00:21:40,166 --> 00:21:43,333 So it was something I grew up liking an awful lot. 451 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:46,433 - Playing polka music is something 452 00:21:46,533 --> 00:21:48,833 dad passed on to us kids. 453 00:21:48,933 --> 00:21:51,433 My brother Chad plays drums. 454 00:21:51,533 --> 00:21:56,066 Multigenerational musicians like us are common in polka music. 455 00:21:56,900 --> 00:21:58,500 - One of the things 456 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,333 I think is that polka is 457 00:22:01,433 --> 00:22:04,466 a genetically-transmitted trait. 458 00:22:04,566 --> 00:22:08,266 There are so many wonderful family bands, 459 00:22:08,366 --> 00:22:11,400 you can go two, three generations 460 00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:14,500 where everybody plays polka. 461 00:22:17,366 --> 00:22:20,800 ♪ ♪ 462 00:22:20,900 --> 00:22:24,800 [Box On plays "Karolenka" (Karen)] 463 00:22:27,633 --> 00:22:31,600 - Box On is a Polish style polka band from Michigan. 464 00:22:31,700 --> 00:22:35,500 Mom and dad are joined on the stage by seven of their kids. 465 00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:40,566 At first, parents Rick and Alicia 466 00:22:40,666 --> 00:22:43,366 were reluctant to form a family polka band. 467 00:22:43,466 --> 00:22:45,733 - My wife and myself have always played in polkas, 468 00:22:45,833 --> 00:22:47,000 since I was eight years old 469 00:22:47,100 --> 00:22:48,833 and her also. 470 00:22:48,933 --> 00:22:51,333 And we said we'd never want our kids to get into polkas 471 00:22:51,433 --> 00:22:53,133 just because we know the travel and stuff. 472 00:22:53,233 --> 00:22:54,900 It's a lot of work. 473 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,266 - But the Vinecki family started playing polka music 474 00:22:57,366 --> 00:23:01,033 at local nursing homes, and people loved them. 475 00:23:01,133 --> 00:23:02,666 Things snowballed from there, 476 00:23:02,766 --> 00:23:05,133 and now they're playing around the country. 477 00:23:05,233 --> 00:23:09,000 ["You're Why God Made Me"] ♪ You're why God made me 478 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:12,200 - But what do the kids think of all this? 479 00:23:12,300 --> 00:23:14,466 - Since we grew up on polka music 480 00:23:14,566 --> 00:23:15,733 that has been our thing. 481 00:23:15,833 --> 00:23:17,566 And plus with just my dad playing accordion, 482 00:23:17,666 --> 00:23:18,933 it just all worked out. 483 00:23:19,033 --> 00:23:20,933 - It's fun to just do it as a family 484 00:23:21,033 --> 00:23:22,200 and interact with each other. 485 00:23:22,300 --> 00:23:24,133 It's not stressful. - No, it's not stressful at all. 486 00:23:24,233 --> 00:23:26,266 - It's not like, "Ugh, mom and dad are with us." 487 00:23:26,366 --> 00:23:27,833 It's like, "Oh, these are my cool parents 488 00:23:27,933 --> 00:23:29,466 who play and still look young!" 489 00:23:29,566 --> 00:23:31,300 - Yeah, they're young and awesome looking 490 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:33,000 so it's like, "Yeah, you can tag along!" 491 00:23:33,100 --> 00:23:34,533 - I love it, I do. 492 00:23:34,633 --> 00:23:36,933 I mean a lot of people are kind of questioning us like, 493 00:23:37,033 --> 00:23:39,400 "How do you guys travel so much? 494 00:23:39,500 --> 00:23:41,800 How is it, all of you being together 24/7?" 495 00:23:41,900 --> 00:23:43,433 But we have a good time. 496 00:23:43,533 --> 00:23:45,800 I mean, we're making memories everywhere we go. 497 00:23:45,900 --> 00:23:48,500 ["Karolenka" (Karen)] 498 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:50,833 ♪ Karolenka don't you cry 499 00:23:50,933 --> 00:23:53,200 ♪ I will never say goodbye 500 00:23:53,300 --> 00:23:55,000 - Every time we go out and we play, 501 00:23:55,100 --> 00:23:57,000 it's a little bit better, it's a little bit better. 502 00:23:57,100 --> 00:23:59,966 I'm proud, as a father, to know that these are my children. 503 00:24:00,066 --> 00:24:01,433 - All right, Pulaski, come on everybody. 504 00:24:01,533 --> 00:24:05,100 Here we go: Box! On! Box! On! 505 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,900 - Rick and Alicia have a talented polka family. 506 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,566 Alicia comes from one herself. 507 00:24:13,333 --> 00:24:16,833 - Her family formed a Mexican band in the early 70s. 508 00:24:16,933 --> 00:24:19,333 Alicia's mom was of Mexican descent, 509 00:24:19,433 --> 00:24:21,100 her dad of Polish. 510 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:22,266 Her brother Hank remembers 511 00:24:22,366 --> 00:24:23,966 grandmother's fateful suggestion. 512 00:24:24,066 --> 00:24:25,966 - Hey, you guys are learning all this Mexican stuff. 513 00:24:26,066 --> 00:24:27,966 Hey, remember, you are hunkies, too. 514 00:24:28,066 --> 00:24:30,200 You're from the old country. You're Polish. 515 00:24:30,300 --> 00:24:31,500 You gotta learn some Polish songs. 516 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:34,300 So we started to learn a couple Polish tunes for her. 517 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:35,600 [singing "Hosa Dyna" in Polish] 518 00:24:35,700 --> 00:24:38,866 ♪ Oj od krakowa jade 519 00:24:38,966 --> 00:24:41,933 ♪ Z dalekiej obcej strony 520 00:24:42,033 --> 00:24:43,766 ♪ Bo mi nie cheilei dac 521 00:24:43,866 --> 00:24:46,066 - The Guzevich family switched to polka music, 522 00:24:46,166 --> 00:24:48,833 calling themselves The Polka Family Band. 523 00:24:48,933 --> 00:24:51,700 But their appearance threw audiences for a loop. 524 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:53,900 - We have moustaches, long hair, 525 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:55,700 and we'd get up there, and we start singing. 526 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:56,866 [singing in Polish] 527 00:24:56,966 --> 00:24:59,966 ♪ Oj Boze Boze ♪ Moj Boze 528 00:25:00,066 --> 00:25:01,700 And all these Polish people are like, 529 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:03,100 "What in the heck is going on? 530 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:05,300 That's a bunch of Mexicans singing in Polish!" 531 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:09,766 ♪ Graj Chlopcy Graj I na wodke mi dac 532 00:25:09,866 --> 00:25:14,000 ♪ Graj Chlopcy Graj I wodke popijac 533 00:25:14,100 --> 00:25:15,766 ♪ Graj Chlopcy Graj 534 00:25:19,766 --> 00:25:21,633 - After nearly 40 years, 535 00:25:21,733 --> 00:25:24,200 multiple Grammy-nominated Hank Guzevich 536 00:25:24,300 --> 00:25:27,300 is the only original Polka Family Band member. 537 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:31,433 - [singing in Polish "We Are Family Polka"] 538 00:25:31,533 --> 00:25:35,633 ♪ We are family ♪ Polka family 539 00:25:37,166 --> 00:25:40,233 - Hank's sister Alicia is now with Box On. 540 00:25:40,333 --> 00:25:42,366 You might notice Uncle Hank's influence 541 00:25:42,466 --> 00:25:44,800 on this new young band. 542 00:25:46,500 --> 00:25:48,533 Hank and his sister Alicia learned polka 543 00:25:48,633 --> 00:25:50,133 from their parents. 544 00:25:53,566 --> 00:25:57,100 Alicia and Rick passed it along to their kids. 545 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:58,966 It's a musical circle of life 546 00:25:59,066 --> 00:26:01,666 that you'll find in many polka bands. 547 00:26:02,500 --> 00:26:05,500 - ["Nobody's Lonesome for Me"] 548 00:26:15,933 --> 00:26:17,100 - The Goodtime Dutchmen 549 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:20,033 are a popular multi-generational polka band 550 00:26:20,133 --> 00:26:22,133 from Kewaskum, Wisconsin. 551 00:26:22,233 --> 00:26:25,800 Ralph Thull used to play in his father's band. 552 00:26:25,900 --> 00:26:29,433 Now, Ralph's kids join him on the stage. 553 00:26:29,533 --> 00:26:31,900 The Goodtime Dutchmen formed in the 90s, 554 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,133 with all five of Ralph's kids. 555 00:26:35,233 --> 00:26:38,166 Could you see talent in them at an early age? 556 00:26:38,266 --> 00:26:39,333 - Oh, yeah. 557 00:26:39,433 --> 00:26:40,900 Feet were always tapping, and 558 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:43,300 as soon as they could find the instrument, they picked it up 559 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,933 and went and practiced and practiced. 560 00:26:46,033 --> 00:26:47,266 - We practiced anywhere. 561 00:26:47,366 --> 00:26:48,500 And I can remember, you know, 562 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:50,466 "Oh, well now Randy's coming down to the basement, 563 00:26:50,566 --> 00:26:51,833 "and he's practicing, 564 00:26:51,933 --> 00:26:53,433 so he's driving me nuts." 565 00:26:53,533 --> 00:26:57,266 So I would take my saxophone and go and play to the cows. 566 00:26:57,366 --> 00:27:00,166 - Ah, I love it! And their reaction was? 567 00:27:00,266 --> 00:27:02,100 - They'd move away from me. 568 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:03,566 [laughing] 569 00:27:03,666 --> 00:27:05,566 ["Southern Belle" by Copper Box] 570 00:27:05,666 --> 00:27:07,333 - Ralph Thull's daughter, Michelle, 571 00:27:07,433 --> 00:27:09,666 is now married to Danny Jerabek. 572 00:27:09,766 --> 00:27:12,366 Danny comes from a polka family, too: 573 00:27:12,466 --> 00:27:14,533 the Tuba Dan Band. 574 00:27:14,633 --> 00:27:15,966 - When I was a kid, 575 00:27:16,066 --> 00:27:18,900 my grandfather gave me his little button box accordion, 576 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:22,133 and says, "Hey, Danny, can you learn a couple songs?" 577 00:27:22,233 --> 00:27:23,333 And I'm like, "No." 578 00:27:23,433 --> 00:27:25,000 And my dad's like, "Yeah. 579 00:27:25,100 --> 00:27:27,433 Yeah he will, Grandpa." 580 00:27:27,533 --> 00:27:32,033 - Today, Danny and Michelle have their own band: Copper Box. 581 00:27:32,133 --> 00:27:35,000 And while they play many genres of music, 582 00:27:35,100 --> 00:27:37,933 polka is a tradition they will always cherish. 583 00:27:38,933 --> 00:27:40,566 - Having both my side of the family 584 00:27:40,666 --> 00:27:42,433 and my husband's side of the family 585 00:27:42,533 --> 00:27:44,500 deeply rooted in polka music, 586 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:46,533 we try to pass down the tradition 587 00:27:46,633 --> 00:27:49,500 because it's been around in our family for generations. 588 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:50,566 - Everybody, now. 589 00:27:50,666 --> 00:27:54,266 ♪ I love to polka 590 00:27:54,366 --> 00:27:58,866 ♪ When I'm dancing with my sweetheart 591 00:28:00,033 --> 00:28:02,000 - The Thull family's polka legacy continues. 592 00:28:02,100 --> 00:28:04,333 Ralph's grandson looks like 593 00:28:04,433 --> 00:28:06,666 he's ready to take up on grandpa's instrument, 594 00:28:06,766 --> 00:28:08,133 the good old polka mainstay: 595 00:28:08,233 --> 00:28:11,700 the accordion. 596 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:14,800 [cheers and applause] 597 00:28:16,733 --> 00:28:19,333 ♪ ♪ 598 00:28:19,433 --> 00:28:22,400 - Squeezeboxes like accordions and concertinas 599 00:28:22,500 --> 00:28:24,266 play a big role in polka music. 600 00:28:24,366 --> 00:28:26,633 This is a button accordion. 601 00:28:26,733 --> 00:28:29,500 Confuse it with a concertina at your own risk. 602 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:36,433 - And a one, two... [accordions bellow opening note] 603 00:28:37,566 --> 00:28:39,766 - The big divide among squeezebox players 604 00:28:39,866 --> 00:28:43,900 is between concertina players and accordion players. 605 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:46,633 - What's the difference between a concertina and an accordion? 606 00:28:46,733 --> 00:28:49,533 ♪ ♪ 607 00:28:49,633 --> 00:28:51,733 It takes longer to burn an accordion! 608 00:28:51,833 --> 00:28:52,800 [laughing] 609 00:28:52,900 --> 00:28:55,100 ♪ ♪ 610 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:02,233 - There's the cartoon 611 00:29:02,333 --> 00:29:05,200 of a fella dying and going up to Heaven. 612 00:29:05,300 --> 00:29:07,566 There, St. Peter has a harp. 613 00:29:07,666 --> 00:29:09,700 He said, "Welcome to Heaven, here's your harp." 614 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:11,533 And there's a guy going down the other way 615 00:29:11,633 --> 00:29:12,733 and there's the Devil 616 00:29:12,833 --> 00:29:15,600 saying, "Welcome to Hell, here's your accordion." 617 00:29:15,700 --> 00:29:17,200 [laughing] ♪ ♪ 618 00:29:20,433 --> 00:29:22,666 - The joke is: a guy goes to the store and 619 00:29:22,766 --> 00:29:25,700 takes his accordion to the mall and leaves it in the car, 620 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:27,266 goes in shopping, 621 00:29:27,366 --> 00:29:29,966 and he comes back and there's seven more in his car. 622 00:29:30,066 --> 00:29:32,666 - When I was 10, my accordion was stolen 623 00:29:32,766 --> 00:29:34,800 out of the back of dad's station wagon 624 00:29:34,900 --> 00:29:36,166 after they'd just packed up. 625 00:29:36,266 --> 00:29:38,633 And that's all they took was my accordion. 626 00:29:38,733 --> 00:29:41,133 Did it ever get returned? - No. [laughing] 627 00:29:41,233 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaking of accordion jokes, it's an honest to God truth. 628 00:29:44,900 --> 00:29:47,133 Someone actually stole an accordion, 629 00:29:47,233 --> 00:29:48,533 they didn't put one in. 630 00:29:48,633 --> 00:29:51,233 ♪ ♪ 631 00:29:55,900 --> 00:29:57,933 - Perhaps more than any other instrument, 632 00:29:58,033 --> 00:30:00,333 the accordion is associated with polka music. 633 00:30:00,433 --> 00:30:03,766 - They don't call it the "stomach Steinway" for nothing. 634 00:30:03,866 --> 00:30:06,833 You can take an accordion, play by yourself, 635 00:30:06,933 --> 00:30:09,533 and sound like a whole band. 636 00:30:09,633 --> 00:30:10,700 - It's the only instrument 637 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:13,233 that you can start a party all by yourself. 638 00:30:13,333 --> 00:30:14,666 I can't do it with a trumpet. 639 00:30:14,766 --> 00:30:16,533 - But I can! 640 00:30:16,633 --> 00:30:19,633 ["Sneaky Pete"] 641 00:30:21,033 --> 00:30:22,766 The accordion actually is a classical instrument. 642 00:30:22,866 --> 00:30:26,800 The United States is probably the last country on earth 643 00:30:26,900 --> 00:30:29,366 that considers an accordion 644 00:30:29,466 --> 00:30:31,100 anything but classical 645 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:35,233 and has probably the largest stereotypes. 646 00:30:35,333 --> 00:30:37,600 Okay, if you play the accordion, you're fat 647 00:30:37,700 --> 00:30:39,600 and you've got to have lederhosen. 648 00:30:39,700 --> 00:30:42,466 ♪ ♪ 649 00:30:42,566 --> 00:30:43,900 [whistles sharply] 650 00:30:45,333 --> 00:30:47,133 - So how is an accordion different 651 00:30:47,233 --> 00:30:49,400 than a concertina? 652 00:30:50,700 --> 00:30:54,766 - The word in German for chord, a musical chord, 653 00:30:54,866 --> 00:30:56,300 is Akkord. 654 00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,033 And so an Akkordeon is an instrument 655 00:30:59,133 --> 00:31:02,066 where you can press one button and get a chord. 656 00:31:02,166 --> 00:31:04,766 [plays chords] 657 00:31:04,866 --> 00:31:06,300 And on a concertina, 658 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:08,500 you just get one note per button regardless. 659 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:10,800 So if you want to make a chord, 660 00:31:10,900 --> 00:31:12,433 you have to press two or more buttons. 661 00:31:12,533 --> 00:31:14,766 - When they were first made, they just had 662 00:31:14,866 --> 00:31:18,533 relatively few buttons, if you will, on each side. 663 00:31:18,633 --> 00:31:20,600 When they added more octaves, 664 00:31:20,700 --> 00:31:23,300 they left those existing buttons where they were 665 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:24,833 and they filled in around that. 666 00:31:24,933 --> 00:31:28,066 - Kind of like the letters on a keyboard. 667 00:31:28,166 --> 00:31:31,000 You know, they're not in alphabetical order or anything, 668 00:31:31,100 --> 00:31:32,833 they're just based on usage. 669 00:31:32,933 --> 00:31:34,233 - Don't you think that the guy 670 00:31:34,333 --> 00:31:36,433 that really put them together had to be drinking a lot? 671 00:31:36,533 --> 00:31:38,300 - I think so. [laughing] 672 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:39,933 - There's really no rhyme or reason 673 00:31:40,033 --> 00:31:41,533 to what the pattern on the things are. 674 00:31:41,633 --> 00:31:43,233 I never could figure it out. 675 00:31:44,233 --> 00:31:47,200 - No matter where the buttons are, Karl Hartwich, 676 00:31:47,300 --> 00:31:49,900 from Galesville, Wisconsin, has certainly figured out 677 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:51,933 how to play the concertina. 678 00:31:52,033 --> 00:31:54,800 - He is the best concertina player that I know 679 00:31:54,900 --> 00:31:56,566 on the face of this earth. 680 00:31:56,666 --> 00:31:58,266 He plays so well. 681 00:31:59,900 --> 00:32:01,966 - Aw, thank you, Jim. - I oftentimes-- 682 00:32:02,066 --> 00:32:03,466 - Aw! [smooch] - [chuckles good-naturedly] 683 00:32:03,566 --> 00:32:05,466 ♪ ♪ 684 00:32:05,566 --> 00:32:10,400 - Karl was attracted to the instrument from a young age. 685 00:32:11,433 --> 00:32:13,933 - I grew up with it when I was a little kid, 686 00:32:14,033 --> 00:32:16,366 and I've just always loved the sound of the concertina. 687 00:32:16,466 --> 00:32:19,266 It's got a nice reedy sound to it. 688 00:32:19,366 --> 00:32:21,933 When I was five, six years old, I decided I wanted to play 689 00:32:22,033 --> 00:32:24,033 either concertina or accordion, 690 00:32:24,133 --> 00:32:25,633 and I decided to go with the concertina. 691 00:32:25,733 --> 00:32:27,733 And I'm glad I did. 692 00:32:27,833 --> 00:32:30,000 Because they just seem like they're more fun than accordion. 693 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:35,133 - Molly B: It's "Eddie's Waltz." 694 00:32:35,233 --> 00:32:37,700 - Hey, hey! - Mark on the clarinet. 695 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:40,133 Karl and Jim on the concertinas. 696 00:32:40,233 --> 00:32:42,166 - Just think: three down! 697 00:32:42,266 --> 00:32:45,166 - Polka players are easy-going on the stage. 698 00:32:45,266 --> 00:32:46,800 - I wish you "sto lat." 699 00:32:46,900 --> 00:32:49,500 Sto lat, just like the shirt says, sto lat. 700 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:52,600 That means "May you live one hundred years!" in Polish. 701 00:32:52,700 --> 00:32:55,100 - And they love interacting with their crowd. 702 00:32:56,533 --> 00:32:59,066 - How many people paid to get in here today? 703 00:32:59,166 --> 00:33:01,966 You were charged way too much! [laughing] 704 00:33:02,066 --> 00:33:04,800 - One of the things about polka bands 705 00:33:04,900 --> 00:33:07,766 is they have a very close relationship 706 00:33:07,866 --> 00:33:09,000 to their audience. 707 00:33:11,233 --> 00:33:14,100 - Are you having fun, Bob? 708 00:33:15,100 --> 00:33:18,000 Is everybody having fun? - [audience cheers] 709 00:33:18,100 --> 00:33:19,466 - There's a strong connection 710 00:33:19,566 --> 00:33:21,733 between the musicians and their audiences. 711 00:33:21,833 --> 00:33:23,566 They're not haughty, 712 00:33:23,666 --> 00:33:25,733 they're not up on an elevated stage. 713 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:29,900 - You're a regular guy or gal. 714 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:31,100 You'll be out there 715 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:35,566 helping lug the amps and hooking up the cords. 716 00:33:35,666 --> 00:33:37,233 - Test one, two, check. 717 00:33:37,333 --> 00:33:39,000 - Testing one, two, one, two. 718 00:33:39,100 --> 00:33:41,866 - Just like everybody else. 719 00:33:43,500 --> 00:33:46,200 - Musicians are the heart and soul of polka. 720 00:33:46,300 --> 00:33:48,500 But only a few manage to do it full time. 721 00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:51,100 And none of us are driving Ferraris. 722 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:53,700 - Well, I gave up on the first million, 723 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:56,700 I'm working on the third. [laughing] 724 00:33:56,800 --> 00:33:59,100 Never happen, will it? - No. 725 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,066 - Not the way you pay! [laughing] 726 00:34:01,166 --> 00:34:04,366 - You cannot make millions of dollars on polka music, no. 727 00:34:04,466 --> 00:34:06,300 This is a hobby that we enjoy, 728 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,500 and everybody's got regular jobs. 729 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,533 So we come back to the real world on Monday. 730 00:34:11,633 --> 00:34:13,333 Dragging your feet. 731 00:34:13,433 --> 00:34:14,666 [sighing melodramatically] Uggghh! 732 00:34:14,766 --> 00:34:17,500 ♪ ♪ 733 00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:19,500 - A lot of times, we don't get home 734 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:21,666 'til 3 or 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning 735 00:34:21,766 --> 00:34:23,933 and go home, take a shower, and go right to work. 736 00:34:24,033 --> 00:34:25,766 - A typical gig, 737 00:34:25,866 --> 00:34:27,533 you might spend three, four hours 738 00:34:27,633 --> 00:34:30,266 driving to it, and longer sometimes. 739 00:34:30,366 --> 00:34:32,200 - It usually turns into a 16-hour day. 740 00:34:32,300 --> 00:34:33,433 - Yeah. 741 00:34:33,533 --> 00:34:37,066 - Travel is the hardest thing 'cause 742 00:34:37,166 --> 00:34:39,133 not only are you a full time musician, 743 00:34:39,233 --> 00:34:40,466 but you're always, 744 00:34:40,566 --> 00:34:42,600 you're also just like a full time truck driver. 745 00:34:42,700 --> 00:34:45,700 ♪ ♪ 746 00:34:52,033 --> 00:34:54,466 - One of Wisconsin's great polka players 747 00:34:54,566 --> 00:34:56,366 is Steve Meisner from Whitewater. 748 00:34:56,466 --> 00:34:58,266 At the age of five, 749 00:34:58,366 --> 00:35:01,200 his extraordinary polka journey began 750 00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:04,200 with a discovery in his grandmother's house. 751 00:35:04,300 --> 00:35:06,700 - Her attic was always full of stuff. 752 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:09,633 My brother and I came across a 12-bass accordion. 753 00:35:09,733 --> 00:35:11,000 And I said to grandma, 754 00:35:11,100 --> 00:35:13,400 "Do you think my dad would teach me how to play this?" 755 00:35:13,500 --> 00:35:15,900 And she said, "Well, when he comes to pick you up, 756 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:17,000 we'll ask him." 757 00:35:17,100 --> 00:35:18,433 And he gets there, picks us up 758 00:35:18,533 --> 00:35:21,100 and I said, "Dad, will you teach me how to play this accordion?" 759 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:25,066 And he said, "Sure, if you promise never to quit." 760 00:35:25,166 --> 00:35:27,100 So that's it. 761 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:28,466 - So you never quit? 762 00:35:28,566 --> 00:35:29,766 - I never quit. 763 00:35:29,866 --> 00:35:32,233 - You started playing when you were five. 764 00:35:32,333 --> 00:35:35,233 When did you step foot on stage and start playing? 765 00:35:35,333 --> 00:35:36,766 - When I was six. 766 00:35:36,866 --> 00:35:38,366 - Oh! So, very very soon. 767 00:35:38,466 --> 00:35:40,333 - My goal when I was a kid 768 00:35:40,433 --> 00:35:41,600 was to play with my dad. 769 00:35:41,700 --> 00:35:44,666 So that's all I really wanted to do. 770 00:35:47,566 --> 00:35:51,266 - Hey, how about a little father and son duet here? 771 00:35:51,366 --> 00:35:54,366 ♪ ♪ 772 00:35:57,433 --> 00:36:00,633 - Steve's dad was the great Verne Meisner. 773 00:36:00,733 --> 00:36:04,333 Hailed by the New York Times as "one of the titans of polka," 774 00:36:04,433 --> 00:36:08,133 Verne began his career playing in local bars at the age of 11. 775 00:36:08,233 --> 00:36:11,933 - ♪ Oh my She's making eyes at me 776 00:36:12,033 --> 00:36:13,066 ♪ Yeah 777 00:36:13,166 --> 00:36:14,466 - He was a full time musician 778 00:36:14,566 --> 00:36:16,033 his entire life, 779 00:36:16,133 --> 00:36:18,666 a well-known bandleader around the country. 780 00:36:18,766 --> 00:36:21,366 You could walk into any tavern 781 00:36:21,466 --> 00:36:23,833 and the jukebox would have Verne Meisner on it. 782 00:36:23,933 --> 00:36:26,833 - ♪ She wants to marry me 783 00:36:26,933 --> 00:36:30,300 ♪ And be my honey babe 784 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:31,766 - Verne and Steve Meisner 785 00:36:31,866 --> 00:36:34,600 primarily play Slovenian style polka, 786 00:36:34,700 --> 00:36:36,666 a style that features the accordion. 787 00:36:36,766 --> 00:36:39,766 ♪ ♪ 788 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:45,633 - Slovenian style has always been 789 00:36:45,733 --> 00:36:49,333 kind of the jazz side of polka music. 790 00:36:49,433 --> 00:36:51,366 Most Slovenian-style bands, 791 00:36:51,466 --> 00:36:53,000 they know how the melody's going, 792 00:36:53,100 --> 00:36:54,333 doesn't necessarily mean we're gonna play 793 00:36:54,433 --> 00:36:56,166 those exact notes tonight. 794 00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:00,000 They're just feeling it and playing it. 795 00:37:00,100 --> 00:37:02,566 - Okay, has everybody got their dancing shoes on? 796 00:37:02,666 --> 00:37:04,100 Let me look around out there. 797 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:05,333 Okay, a one, and a two. 798 00:37:05,433 --> 00:37:06,700 Polka time! 799 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:09,800 ♪ ♪ 800 00:37:11,700 --> 00:37:14,966 - Steve's dream of playing with his dad would come true. 801 00:37:19,466 --> 00:37:21,666 In 1984, father and son 802 00:37:21,766 --> 00:37:24,100 release the album Meisner Magic . 803 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,266 - That was so close to me, 804 00:37:26,366 --> 00:37:30,300 because it was the first one I got to play second accordion on. 805 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:32,833 I wrote some songs, he wrote some songs. 806 00:37:32,933 --> 00:37:35,500 And from that point on, every album after that 807 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:38,766 I helped produce and make all of his albums. 808 00:37:40,300 --> 00:37:43,000 - Steve continued recording and performing with his dad, 809 00:37:43,100 --> 00:37:44,166 but he would go on 810 00:37:44,266 --> 00:37:47,400 to establish himself as an accordion virtuoso. 811 00:37:58,166 --> 00:38:00,600 - His piano accordion playing is amazing. 812 00:38:00,700 --> 00:38:04,766 He's able to do the bass part and totally counter melodies. 813 00:38:04,866 --> 00:38:08,200 So he might be making this fantastic run going up, 814 00:38:08,300 --> 00:38:10,700 while his bass side with his left hand 815 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:12,100 is coming down, doing a run. 816 00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:13,933 It's like, "That's mind blowing." 817 00:38:14,033 --> 00:38:16,366 ♪ ♪ 818 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:19,733 - Steve gives all the credit to his dad. 819 00:38:19,833 --> 00:38:22,900 He never stopped learning from the master. 820 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:25,100 - Just listening to his music 821 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:27,233 or just watching him, 822 00:38:27,333 --> 00:38:29,166 he was the best teacher I could ever have. 823 00:38:29,266 --> 00:38:31,466 Even when he wasn't teaching me, he was teaching me. 824 00:38:31,566 --> 00:38:33,966 Kickin' his feet 825 00:38:34,066 --> 00:38:36,566 or jumpin' around. 826 00:38:36,666 --> 00:38:38,533 He would just light up the stage when he played. 827 00:38:38,633 --> 00:38:40,633 - Are y'all havin' a good time? 828 00:38:40,733 --> 00:38:43,233 - Yeah! 829 00:38:43,333 --> 00:38:48,300 - Verne Meisner passed away in 2005 at the age of 66. 830 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:52,000 He's been inducted into several polka Halls of Fame. 831 00:38:52,100 --> 00:38:55,966 But perhaps Verne's biggest legacy is what he gave his son. 832 00:38:56,066 --> 00:38:58,200 ♪ We don't want to go home 833 00:38:58,300 --> 00:39:01,200 ♪ We're having too much fun 834 00:39:01,300 --> 00:39:02,433 ♪ Yes we are 835 00:39:02,533 --> 00:39:04,400 ♪ We don't want to go home 836 00:39:04,500 --> 00:39:06,866 ♪ We don't want to go home 837 00:39:06,966 --> 00:39:08,466 - To me there's only one guy. 838 00:39:08,566 --> 00:39:09,933 It was Verne Meisner. 839 00:39:10,033 --> 00:39:13,933 He truly was, from day one, my inspiration. 840 00:39:14,033 --> 00:39:15,900 - ♪ We don't want to go home 841 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:19,733 ♪ We're having too much fun 842 00:39:19,833 --> 00:39:21,733 - [cheers and applause] 843 00:39:21,833 --> 00:39:22,866 - Hey! 844 00:39:25,766 --> 00:39:28,666 - Polka music is the soundtrack of Wisconsin. 845 00:39:28,766 --> 00:39:31,766 ♪ ♪ 846 00:39:33,933 --> 00:39:37,066 And it turns up in all sorts of places in our state. 847 00:39:37,166 --> 00:39:41,633 Festivals, bars, weddings, 848 00:39:41,733 --> 00:39:44,433 and even sporting events like Badger football games. 849 00:39:44,533 --> 00:39:46,233 [crowd cheers excitedly] 850 00:39:46,333 --> 00:39:50,533 [band plays "You've Said It All"] 851 00:39:50,633 --> 00:39:53,633 ♪ ♪ 852 00:39:57,700 --> 00:40:01,100 - [crowd sings] ♪ When you say WIS-CON-SIN 853 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:02,466 ♪ You've said it all 854 00:40:02,566 --> 00:40:04,466 [band plays final notes] 855 00:40:04,566 --> 00:40:08,300 But one of the most unusual places you'll find polka... 856 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:10,533 - Welcome to our polka worship service. 857 00:40:10,633 --> 00:40:12,400 It is wonderful to be here. 858 00:40:12,500 --> 00:40:14,633 - ...is at church. 859 00:40:14,733 --> 00:40:16,900 - We're gonna use a few of our band instruments 860 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:18,900 that we have here today. 861 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:21,266 - This is an ecumenical polka church service. 862 00:40:21,366 --> 00:40:24,333 It's based on a Roman Catholic tradition in the Midwest, 863 00:40:24,433 --> 00:40:27,800 dating back to the 1970s, called a Polka Mass. 864 00:40:27,900 --> 00:40:29,266 It's like other church services, 865 00:40:29,366 --> 00:40:33,000 but instead of an organ or choir, there's a polka band. 866 00:40:33,100 --> 00:40:34,733 - ["Chapel in the Valley"] 867 00:40:34,833 --> 00:40:38,100 ♪ Oh La! Oh Lee Oh! 868 00:40:38,200 --> 00:40:42,000 ♪ Please take our troubles for today 869 00:40:42,100 --> 00:40:44,533 - The band plays religious songs 870 00:40:44,633 --> 00:40:45,733 but with a polka beat. 871 00:40:45,833 --> 00:40:49,333 ♪ ♪ 872 00:40:52,100 --> 00:40:54,366 - People don't dance at a Polka Mass. 873 00:40:54,466 --> 00:40:56,633 They sing along to the music, as usual. 874 00:40:56,733 --> 00:41:01,700 - ♪ Great things happen when God mixed with us 875 00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:04,833 - A Polka Mass is commonly held on Sunday mornings 876 00:41:04,933 --> 00:41:06,633 at festivals like this one: 877 00:41:06,733 --> 00:41:09,966 the Wisconsin State Polka Festival in Oconomowoc. 878 00:41:12,066 --> 00:41:14,500 Another place you can attend a Polka Mass 879 00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:17,166 is at a church picnic. 880 00:41:17,266 --> 00:41:19,133 And one small town in Wisconsin 881 00:41:19,233 --> 00:41:21,866 throws a mighty big one. 882 00:41:21,966 --> 00:41:25,433 Church picnics featuring polka music are a summer staple 883 00:41:25,533 --> 00:41:27,033 in communities across Wisconsin. 884 00:41:27,133 --> 00:41:30,866 But the one in Bevent has become an event . 885 00:41:30,966 --> 00:41:32,966 [indistinct conversation] 886 00:41:33,966 --> 00:41:35,766 - Bevent is a small Polish community 887 00:41:35,866 --> 00:41:38,633 about 20 miles north of Stevens Point. 888 00:41:38,733 --> 00:41:39,833 It's here 889 00:41:39,933 --> 00:41:42,033 that Saint Ladislaus Catholic Church 890 00:41:42,133 --> 00:41:44,100 puts on a very popular picnic. 891 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:45,300 They've named it 892 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:47,700 "Event in Bevent." 893 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:50,233 - The main objective is a fundraiser for the parish. 894 00:41:50,333 --> 00:41:53,633 And it's a way of getting people to come together. 895 00:41:53,733 --> 00:41:56,133 The work it takes to put something like this on 896 00:41:56,233 --> 00:41:57,566 is unbelievable. 897 00:41:57,666 --> 00:42:01,833 - The chicken dinner served at Event in Bevent is very popular. 898 00:42:01,933 --> 00:42:04,266 Bevent native Adeline Domask 899 00:42:04,366 --> 00:42:07,466 oversees preparation of all the food. 900 00:42:07,566 --> 00:42:08,500 - Chicken and ham. 901 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:10,033 Sauerkraut and sausage. 902 00:42:10,133 --> 00:42:12,433 Chicken soup with the homemade noodles. 903 00:42:12,533 --> 00:42:14,000 Potatoes, gravy, stuffing, 904 00:42:14,100 --> 00:42:17,066 and about 300 pies, we make. 905 00:42:17,166 --> 00:42:19,100 Everything homemade. 906 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:21,100 You better eat fast. [laughing] 907 00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:23,400 - The food is served by 908 00:42:23,500 --> 00:42:26,566 a small army of bustling volunteers. 909 00:42:26,666 --> 00:42:29,633 The most experienced among them is Mattie Wanta. 910 00:42:29,733 --> 00:42:31,366 - Cutting the bars. 911 00:42:31,466 --> 00:42:33,866 Cakes and bars and all that stuff. 912 00:42:33,966 --> 00:42:36,466 - Mattie's been a church volunteer for a long time. 913 00:42:36,566 --> 00:42:38,966 - Uh, 72 years. 914 00:42:39,066 --> 00:42:42,066 - She's lived in Bevent all of her 96 years, 915 00:42:42,166 --> 00:42:44,133 and fondly remembers dancing the polka 916 00:42:44,233 --> 00:42:45,933 with anyone she could find. 917 00:42:46,033 --> 00:42:48,566 - My sister and partners and boys and whoever. 918 00:42:48,666 --> 00:42:51,366 - You did not dance with boys! 919 00:42:51,466 --> 00:42:52,433 - Yes I did. 920 00:42:52,533 --> 00:42:54,033 - And Mattie's favorite kind of music 921 00:42:54,133 --> 00:42:56,066 probably won't surprise you. 922 00:42:56,166 --> 00:42:57,933 - Polka! 923 00:42:58,033 --> 00:43:01,100 ♪ ♪ 924 00:43:04,066 --> 00:43:07,133 - Of course, polka is the big draw at Event in Bevent. 925 00:43:07,233 --> 00:43:10,233 ♪ ♪ 926 00:43:14,133 --> 00:43:15,600 - Bevent's church picnic attracts 927 00:43:15,700 --> 00:43:19,033 a large and enthusiastic dance crowd every summer. 928 00:43:19,133 --> 00:43:20,566 This year, that includes 929 00:43:20,666 --> 00:43:23,600 the extraordinary couple, Ashley and Randy Thull. 930 00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:29,166 They're award-winning dancers 931 00:43:29,266 --> 00:43:33,133 who teach people across the country how to polka. 932 00:43:33,233 --> 00:43:36,033 They start with the basic polka step. 933 00:43:36,133 --> 00:43:37,833 - We teach a six-step pattern. 934 00:43:37,933 --> 00:43:39,066 - Okay. 935 00:43:39,166 --> 00:43:41,200 - And if you're the lead, 936 00:43:41,300 --> 00:43:42,533 you'd start with your left foot. 937 00:43:42,633 --> 00:43:44,600 If you're the follow, you'd start with your right foot. 938 00:43:44,700 --> 00:43:47,333 And it's pretty much left-right-left, 939 00:43:47,433 --> 00:43:48,800 right-left-right. 940 00:43:48,900 --> 00:43:51,566 You just keep doing that six-step pattern over and over. 941 00:43:51,666 --> 00:43:54,133 And eventually things happen. 942 00:43:54,233 --> 00:43:57,900 ♪ ♪ 943 00:43:58,000 --> 00:43:59,766 ♪ Yee-whoo 944 00:44:06,066 --> 00:44:08,066 We just like to go out and have fun, 945 00:44:08,166 --> 00:44:10,866 like everybody else is on the dance floor. 946 00:44:10,966 --> 00:44:12,100 - The primary difference 947 00:44:12,200 --> 00:44:16,166 is we do try to add a little ballroom and swing 948 00:44:16,266 --> 00:44:18,133 and some other dances. 949 00:44:18,233 --> 00:44:20,366 - Whether it's polka or salsa 950 00:44:20,466 --> 00:44:22,000 or any of the other ballroom forms, 951 00:44:22,100 --> 00:44:25,600 a lot of the stuff just kind of intertwines, 952 00:44:25,700 --> 00:44:28,000 and it's easy to put into the polka. 953 00:44:28,100 --> 00:44:31,100 ♪ ♪ 954 00:44:46,266 --> 00:44:47,566 [Ashley laughs] 955 00:44:47,666 --> 00:44:49,500 - You two are fabulous dancers. 956 00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:51,233 Do you find that people 957 00:44:51,333 --> 00:44:53,400 are embarrassed to go out and try dancing, 958 00:44:53,500 --> 00:44:56,833 or don't feel it's welcome to go out there if they're a beginner? 959 00:44:56,933 --> 00:44:58,833 - I don't think polka's like that. 960 00:44:58,933 --> 00:45:00,500 I just really want to see 961 00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:02,566 people go out and have a good time. 962 00:45:02,666 --> 00:45:04,866 ♪ It's enough to set my feet a-dancing 963 00:45:04,966 --> 00:45:06,166 ♪ Dancing 964 00:45:06,266 --> 00:45:09,600 ♪ Dancing all the night away 965 00:45:09,700 --> 00:45:12,066 - Even if you don't know how to dance a polka, 966 00:45:12,166 --> 00:45:14,933 you can get out there and bounce around and have fun. 967 00:45:15,033 --> 00:45:17,766 I mean, really, no one's gonna to criticize you. 968 00:45:17,866 --> 00:45:18,933 - It's true. 969 00:45:19,033 --> 00:45:20,333 If you look around the dance floor, 970 00:45:20,433 --> 00:45:23,266 everybody's smiling and having a good time. 971 00:45:23,366 --> 00:45:27,333 ♪ ♪ 972 00:45:27,433 --> 00:45:30,100 - John and Lynn certainly have a good time. 973 00:45:30,200 --> 00:45:32,933 They've both worked tirelessly to promote polka 974 00:45:33,033 --> 00:45:34,500 throughout their lives. 975 00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:37,766 And what better way to promote it than with dancing? 976 00:45:37,866 --> 00:45:39,566 - I met her at a dance hall. 977 00:45:39,666 --> 00:45:41,566 She was there one night. I was there. 978 00:45:41,666 --> 00:45:42,900 We danced. 979 00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:44,800 I said, "Wow, we do a good job together!" 980 00:45:44,900 --> 00:45:47,466 So, here we are. 981 00:45:48,500 --> 00:45:51,633 - John and Lynn have won many dance contests, 982 00:45:51,733 --> 00:45:55,500 often placing higher than much younger couples. 983 00:45:56,566 --> 00:45:59,933 - A lot of the routines that we do in polka, 984 00:46:00,033 --> 00:46:02,666 we can incorporate in other forms of dancing 985 00:46:02,766 --> 00:46:04,800 like swing, South American. 986 00:46:04,900 --> 00:46:06,166 We do them all. 987 00:46:07,566 --> 00:46:09,533 - I've loved it from little on. 988 00:46:09,633 --> 00:46:13,300 I truly think I came out of the womb dancing the polka. 989 00:46:13,400 --> 00:46:16,400 ♪ ♪ 990 00:46:19,800 --> 00:46:22,233 - She's 80 and I'm older than her. 991 00:46:22,333 --> 00:46:23,600 - Much older. 992 00:46:23,700 --> 00:46:26,066 Much older. - Eighty and a half. 993 00:46:28,333 --> 00:46:31,100 - We just, we have a good time. 994 00:46:31,200 --> 00:46:33,866 - John and Lynn may not be typical dancers. 995 00:46:33,966 --> 00:46:37,766 But they're in the most common age group that likes to polka. 996 00:46:37,866 --> 00:46:39,833 - One, two. Check one, two. 997 00:46:39,933 --> 00:46:41,166 Testing one, two. 998 00:46:41,266 --> 00:46:43,200 Check one, two. 999 00:46:43,300 --> 00:46:44,533 - For a regular dance, 1000 00:46:44,633 --> 00:46:47,533 it's basically an older crowd. 1001 00:46:47,633 --> 00:46:48,900 But some of them are out there, 1002 00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:51,033 they walk in the door with a cane or whatever sometimes. 1003 00:46:51,133 --> 00:46:52,233 And as soon as 1004 00:46:52,333 --> 00:46:53,866 you start playing, the canes are gone 1005 00:46:53,966 --> 00:46:54,966 and they're out there dancing, 1006 00:46:55,066 --> 00:46:56,366 and you're thinking "How does this happen?" 1007 00:46:56,466 --> 00:46:59,266 - [counting out beat in German] Eins, zwei, drei, vier. 1008 00:46:59,366 --> 00:47:02,433 ♪ ♪ 1009 00:47:07,833 --> 00:47:09,866 - The doctor said to my wife, 1010 00:47:09,966 --> 00:47:11,066 "What do you guys do for exercise? 1011 00:47:11,166 --> 00:47:13,600 You should really do an exercise program." 1012 00:47:13,700 --> 00:47:14,766 Well, we polka. 1013 00:47:14,866 --> 00:47:16,200 "Oh, that's it! 1014 00:47:16,300 --> 00:47:17,800 Don't worry about exercising." 1015 00:47:17,900 --> 00:47:20,033 So, polka definitely keeps you young. 1016 00:47:20,133 --> 00:47:23,766 - It keeps us alive [laughs] and moving! 1017 00:47:23,866 --> 00:47:26,866 ♪ ♪ 1018 00:47:28,866 --> 00:47:31,900 - I just tuned 82. 1019 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:35,033 - I'll be 79 next week. 1020 00:47:35,133 --> 00:47:36,500 - We really have a good time. 1021 00:47:36,600 --> 00:47:37,766 - It's wonderful, we love it. 1022 00:47:37,866 --> 00:47:40,866 ♪ ♪ 1023 00:47:42,400 --> 00:47:46,166 - One of the things about a real dancing crowd is 1024 00:47:46,266 --> 00:47:50,866 that the couples are on the floor almost the whole evening. 1025 00:47:54,866 --> 00:47:56,766 - It's kind of unreal. 1026 00:47:56,866 --> 00:47:58,133 If you stick around here, you'd see 1027 00:47:58,233 --> 00:48:01,033 that some of the same people dancing, like, eight hours. 1028 00:48:01,133 --> 00:48:02,966 I mean it's like they're about on the floor 1029 00:48:03,066 --> 00:48:04,933 about every time there's music going on! 1030 00:48:06,266 --> 00:48:08,366 - They just have fun. 1031 00:48:08,466 --> 00:48:11,466 ♪ ♪ 1032 00:48:14,166 --> 00:48:16,033 - Polka has played matchmaker 1033 00:48:16,133 --> 00:48:17,666 for a lot of the couples you see 1034 00:48:17,766 --> 00:48:19,466 on a typical dance floor. 1035 00:48:20,666 --> 00:48:22,333 - We met at a polka dance. 1036 00:48:22,433 --> 00:48:23,933 - We'd go to all the local festivals 1037 00:48:24,033 --> 00:48:25,533 and we'd meet up once in a while, 1038 00:48:25,633 --> 00:48:26,700 and just stayed in contact. 1039 00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:28,766 - I'd send him an email, "When's the next dance? 1040 00:48:28,866 --> 00:48:31,200 Is your dance card open so I could have a dance?" 1041 00:48:31,300 --> 00:48:33,333 And he said, "It's pretty full." 1042 00:48:33,433 --> 00:48:35,766 Because why did you start dancing, dear? 1043 00:48:35,866 --> 00:48:38,166 - Oh, for the women. 1044 00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:43,033 ♪ ♪ 1045 00:48:43,133 --> 00:48:46,200 - I do a slide polka and she was nuts about it. 1046 00:48:46,300 --> 00:48:48,533 - I love to do the slide polka. 1047 00:48:48,633 --> 00:48:50,000 - And we really go. 1048 00:48:50,100 --> 00:48:54,900 We kind of do that while we're dancing. 1049 00:48:55,000 --> 00:48:58,566 And go like... Hell? [laughs sheepishly] 1050 00:48:58,666 --> 00:49:00,000 Makes us feel good. 1051 00:49:00,100 --> 00:49:01,500 We care for each other. 1052 00:49:01,600 --> 00:49:04,000 - We love it! - Yeah, it's great. 1053 00:49:04,100 --> 00:49:05,166 ♪ ♪ 1054 00:49:05,266 --> 00:49:08,333 - My wife and I danced every week, 1055 00:49:08,433 --> 00:49:10,866 for 60 years. 1056 00:49:10,966 --> 00:49:13,866 Every dance hall around this area 1057 00:49:13,966 --> 00:49:16,533 that had polka music. 1058 00:49:16,633 --> 00:49:20,266 - Herman Pfund met his wife, Kathleen, in 1939. 1059 00:49:20,366 --> 00:49:24,200 They were married for 65 years before she passed away. 1060 00:49:24,300 --> 00:49:27,100 Herman is now 95 and will never forget 1061 00:49:27,200 --> 00:49:28,600 finding Kathleen. 1062 00:49:28,700 --> 00:49:30,766 - I met her in New Glarus here 1063 00:49:30,866 --> 00:49:34,300 at the-- used to be-- the Wilhelm Tell Hotel. 1064 00:49:34,400 --> 00:49:38,000 Her and her girlfriend were at a dance, 1065 00:49:38,100 --> 00:49:39,966 and I knew her girlfriend. 1066 00:49:40,066 --> 00:49:42,166 She introduced me to my wife and after that... 1067 00:49:42,266 --> 00:49:43,966 Whoa! That was it. 1068 00:49:44,066 --> 00:49:47,466 - Did you dance the polka the first time you met? 1069 00:49:47,566 --> 00:49:49,133 - Oh, you bet we did! 1070 00:49:49,233 --> 00:49:52,466 And ever since after that. 1071 00:49:56,300 --> 00:49:57,433 - Thank you. - Yeah. 1072 00:49:57,533 --> 00:49:58,966 - You guys know how to polka? 1073 00:49:59,066 --> 00:50:00,233 - I know how to polka. 1074 00:50:00,333 --> 00:50:02,300 - Perfect! We wanna see you out there. 1075 00:50:02,400 --> 00:50:05,266 - Polka is also a way we celebrate love. 1076 00:50:05,366 --> 00:50:07,166 - Just take that moment in. 1077 00:50:07,266 --> 00:50:08,800 Hold it right there. 1078 00:50:08,900 --> 00:50:11,166 Beautiful. 1079 00:50:11,266 --> 00:50:14,066 - We've been going out to Madison, Wisconsin. 1080 00:50:14,166 --> 00:50:15,300 The Essen Haus. 1081 00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:16,966 That's actually the first time we've polka-ed. 1082 00:50:17,066 --> 00:50:19,166 And had never really done it before. 1083 00:50:19,266 --> 00:50:21,333 But when we went out there, 1084 00:50:21,433 --> 00:50:23,233 everyone was out there dancing 1085 00:50:23,333 --> 00:50:24,833 and we just had a great time. 1086 00:50:24,933 --> 00:50:26,866 - Hey, you look beautiful. 1087 00:50:26,966 --> 00:50:30,733 - Both of our families had polka at their wedding, our parents. 1088 00:50:30,833 --> 00:50:32,900 Like, it's super fun. 1089 00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:34,333 - Well, Melinda and Justin, 1090 00:50:34,433 --> 00:50:36,366 congratulations to you both. 1091 00:50:36,466 --> 00:50:38,300 And thank you so much for having us 1092 00:50:38,400 --> 00:50:39,733 be a part of your special day. 1093 00:50:39,833 --> 00:50:41,366 We really-- It is an honor for us. 1094 00:50:41,466 --> 00:50:44,166 And, of course, this is a celebration. 1095 00:50:44,266 --> 00:50:45,566 And there's no better way to celebrate 1096 00:50:45,666 --> 00:50:47,633 than with good old-fashioned 1097 00:50:47,733 --> 00:50:49,866 polka music. 1098 00:50:49,966 --> 00:50:52,966 - Whoo! ♪ ♪ 1099 00:51:04,633 --> 00:51:06,533 - You know, years ago, 1100 00:51:06,633 --> 00:51:08,633 all you had were polka bands at weddings. 1101 00:51:08,733 --> 00:51:10,366 And things have changed. 1102 00:51:10,466 --> 00:51:11,700 But every now and then, 1103 00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:13,633 you'll still get a polka band at a wedding 1104 00:51:13,733 --> 00:51:16,633 because they know what a wedding needs to really liven things up. 1105 00:51:16,733 --> 00:51:19,733 ♪ ♪ 1106 00:51:25,300 --> 00:51:26,466 - Hey, hey! 1107 00:51:28,433 --> 00:51:29,466 - Hey! Ho! 1108 00:51:29,566 --> 00:51:32,566 - There's a high Polish community and German, 1109 00:51:32,666 --> 00:51:34,533 so it's great for this area. 1110 00:51:34,633 --> 00:51:36,133 I think polka's perfect. 1111 00:51:41,133 --> 00:51:42,633 - Polka is Wisconsin. 1112 00:51:42,733 --> 00:51:45,800 - Hey! Whoo! 1113 00:51:45,900 --> 00:51:48,300 - [cheers and applause] 1114 00:51:48,400 --> 00:51:52,833 - We're having fun now! - [laughing] 1115 00:51:52,933 --> 00:51:57,500 ♪ ♪ 1116 00:51:57,600 --> 00:52:00,733 - Polka is a tradition that bonds us together. 1117 00:52:00,833 --> 00:52:03,833 For many, it evokes our fondest memories. 1118 00:52:05,200 --> 00:52:06,633 - There's something special about polka 1119 00:52:06,733 --> 00:52:08,666 that makes it easy to share with others. 1120 00:52:08,766 --> 00:52:11,033 It connects us to our history, to our state, 1121 00:52:11,133 --> 00:52:13,466 and especially to our families. 1122 00:52:14,600 --> 00:52:15,966 - It was such an important part 1123 00:52:16,066 --> 00:52:17,500 of my grandparents' life. 1124 00:52:17,600 --> 00:52:19,100 On Sunday afternoons, 1125 00:52:19,200 --> 00:52:20,933 it was a big family dinner at their place, 1126 00:52:21,033 --> 00:52:22,633 and we would dance in the dining room 1127 00:52:22,733 --> 00:52:25,133 and dance in the living room. 1128 00:52:25,233 --> 00:52:27,000 We have a family Christmas Eve party 1129 00:52:27,100 --> 00:52:29,600 that's been going on for 70 years. 1130 00:52:29,700 --> 00:52:31,166 And I had a great uncle, 1131 00:52:31,266 --> 00:52:33,500 he played Christmas carols playing accordion. 1132 00:52:33,600 --> 00:52:37,133 So that's a huge part of who I am and where we come from. 1133 00:52:40,066 --> 00:52:41,633 - My mom will be 90 this year 1134 00:52:41,733 --> 00:52:43,666 and we were standing right over here last year. 1135 00:52:43,766 --> 00:52:45,533 And she hasn't danced in a while. 1136 00:52:45,633 --> 00:52:47,966 She's got bad hips and all this and that. 1137 00:52:48,066 --> 00:52:51,733 So she agreed to dance with me off of the dance floor. 1138 00:52:51,833 --> 00:52:55,166 And we spun around a few times and we just had a great time. 1139 00:52:55,266 --> 00:52:56,500 It was a great memory. 1140 00:53:00,766 --> 00:53:01,933 - On his family's farm, 1141 00:53:02,033 --> 00:53:04,733 Ralph Thull has always tuned the radio to polka. 1142 00:53:04,833 --> 00:53:07,566 His daughter Michelle remembers one reason why. 1143 00:53:08,400 --> 00:53:11,200 - My dad thinks the cows milk better to polka music. 1144 00:53:12,300 --> 00:53:14,800 - We always used to play it in the barn all the time. 1145 00:53:14,900 --> 00:53:16,733 - I remember in the parlor, 1146 00:53:16,833 --> 00:53:18,800 he'd, of course, have the polka music on. 1147 00:53:18,900 --> 00:53:21,033 And sometimes if there was hired help, 1148 00:53:21,133 --> 00:53:22,866 they would come and switch the station. 1149 00:53:22,966 --> 00:53:24,333 And I remember my dad saying, 1150 00:53:24,433 --> 00:53:26,566 "The cow's milk much better. 1151 00:53:26,666 --> 00:53:27,766 "They're more well-behaved. 1152 00:53:27,866 --> 00:53:29,100 "Everything just works better 1153 00:53:29,200 --> 00:53:32,133 if you just keep that dial on polka music." 1154 00:53:32,233 --> 00:53:34,100 [Ralph laughing] [cows mooing] 1155 00:53:36,433 --> 00:53:37,766 - ♪ We're going to have 1156 00:53:37,866 --> 00:53:40,266 ♪ A polka celebration 1157 00:53:40,366 --> 00:53:41,566 - Wherever I play, 1158 00:53:41,666 --> 00:53:44,466 I see people filled with happiness and joy. 1159 00:53:44,566 --> 00:53:47,466 Polka really is the music and dance 1160 00:53:47,566 --> 00:53:48,733 of celebration. 1161 00:53:48,833 --> 00:53:52,700 - We are all in it for the fun. 1162 00:53:52,800 --> 00:53:55,733 And most people don't like that much fun. 1163 00:53:55,833 --> 00:53:57,700 But we're not most people. 1164 00:53:57,800 --> 00:53:59,700 - Everybody's smiling. 1165 00:53:59,800 --> 00:54:01,433 Everybody's having a good time. 1166 00:54:01,533 --> 00:54:04,933 It's just such a joy to be here. 1167 00:54:05,033 --> 00:54:07,100 ♪ ♪ 1168 00:54:07,200 --> 00:54:09,133 [whistles invitingly] 1169 00:54:09,233 --> 00:54:10,333 - It's fun! 1170 00:54:10,433 --> 00:54:12,500 How can you not have fun with polka music? 1171 00:54:12,600 --> 00:54:13,633 You hear it 1172 00:54:13,733 --> 00:54:14,900 and you just want to dance, 1173 00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:16,300 you want to have a great time. 1174 00:54:16,400 --> 00:54:17,566 It's a beautiful thing. 1175 00:54:18,666 --> 00:54:20,900 - Lisa was selected to be this year's Polka Queen 1176 00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:23,133 by the Wisconsin Polka Boosters. 1177 00:54:23,233 --> 00:54:27,200 They're dedicated to the promotion the polka tradition. 1178 00:54:27,300 --> 00:54:29,366 - They're looking to bring out folks 1179 00:54:29,466 --> 00:54:31,366 who also have an interest and a love for music 1180 00:54:31,466 --> 00:54:32,766 who haven't been exposed to this. 1181 00:54:32,866 --> 00:54:34,033 We talk about it. 1182 00:54:34,133 --> 00:54:36,400 We share on Facebook and social media 1183 00:54:36,500 --> 00:54:37,933 events that we're going to. 1184 00:54:38,033 --> 00:54:40,533 So we get to expose this awesome music to a whole new generation. 1185 00:54:40,633 --> 00:54:41,700 [Box On singing "North Shore"] 1186 00:54:41,800 --> 00:54:43,333 ♪ Gdzie mi sie 1187 00:54:43,433 --> 00:54:46,900 ♪ Podzialy te siwe golebie 1188 00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:48,766 ♪ Co mi podziubaly 1189 00:54:48,866 --> 00:54:51,433 ♪ Dziewczynie po gebie 1190 00:54:51,533 --> 00:54:54,300 - This is not exclusively 1191 00:54:54,400 --> 00:54:56,333 a music for the retired. 1192 00:54:56,433 --> 00:54:58,300 It still is thriving today. 1193 00:54:58,400 --> 00:55:00,233 There are new and creative artists. 1194 00:55:00,333 --> 00:55:02,566 There are wild young people, 1195 00:55:02,666 --> 00:55:04,666 there are older senior polka bands, 1196 00:55:04,766 --> 00:55:06,400 and everything in between. 1197 00:55:06,500 --> 00:55:08,800 - We'll all stay in polkas for the rest of our lives. 1198 00:55:08,900 --> 00:55:10,466 It's who we are, it's in our blood. 1199 00:55:10,566 --> 00:55:12,433 I can't really see how it could ever die. 1200 00:55:12,533 --> 00:55:15,233 ♪ ♪ 1201 00:55:15,333 --> 00:55:16,900 - People have been saying that it's going to die 1202 00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:18,666 since the 50s when it had its heyday, 1203 00:55:18,766 --> 00:55:20,400 but here we are 1204 00:55:20,500 --> 00:55:22,800 and it's still going. [laughing] 1205 00:55:24,433 --> 00:55:26,166 - In Wisconsin, 1206 00:55:26,266 --> 00:55:29,500 we celebrate life through polka. 1207 00:55:29,600 --> 00:55:31,600 - Whoo hoo! 1208 00:55:31,700 --> 00:55:34,366 - And what a wonderful life that is. 1209 00:55:38,433 --> 00:55:39,700 - [cheers and applause] 1210 00:55:39,800 --> 00:55:41,333 - Yay,"Polish Boyfriend." 1211 00:55:41,433 --> 00:55:43,433 - [cheers and applause continue] 1212 00:55:48,433 --> 00:55:50,533 To purchase a DVD of Polka! 1213 00:55:50,633 --> 00:55:52,800 visit wpt.org 1214 00:55:52,900 --> 00:55:53,733 or call 1215 00:55:53,833 --> 00:55:57,666 800-422-9707 1216 00:56:31,966 --> 00:56:34,166 - Polka! is funded in part by 1217 00:56:34,266 --> 00:56:36,633 Stanley J. Cottrill Fund, 1218 00:56:36,733 --> 00:56:39,300 International Polka Association 1219 00:56:39,400 --> 00:56:42,066 Wisconsin Dells Polka Fest 1220 00:56:42,166 --> 00:56:44,633 and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.