Polka News: Mollie B Taping Lineup UPDATE

Here's the latest from Mollie B:Taping for the Mollie B Polka Party on RFD-TV will be held February 21-24 at the Sokol Hall in Ennis. Each day is filled with bands from 1 to 9 PM. It's shaping up to be a great 4-day polka party with a variety of bands.

Thursday, February 21 Squeezebox with Mollie B, Matt Hodek and the Dakota Dutchmen, Karl Hartwich and The Country Dutchmen, Chris Rybak Band, Czech and Then Some Special feature: SqueezeBox has young guest vocalist from Wisconsin joining them: Abby Broeniman. She sings regualarly with Dorf Kappelle . One of the songs she will sing with Squeezebox is “Forever & Ever” which was a hit off of Dorf Kappelle’s recording.

Friday, February 22 Squeezebox with Mollie B, Shiner Hobo Band, Red Ravens, Texas Tribute Band, Das Ist Lustig, Eurofest, TubaMeisters, Texas Sound Check, Jerry Haisler & Melody 5

Saturday, February 23 Polka Nuts, Texas Dutchmen, Milo Shedek & the Bohemian Knights, Jodie Mikula Orchestra, Ennis Czech Boys, Brave Combo Special feature: SqueezeBox will be joined by Jim Busta of the Jim Busta Band.

Sunday, February 24 Squeezebox, Kenny Brandt Band, Conjunto Kids, The Royal Klobasneks, Yesey G and Her Stars, Alpenfest, The Moravians Dance lessons from 10-11:30 AM, led by Valina and Ross of Das Ist Lustig. Advanced tickets are $15/day and $20 at the door. $50 for a 4 day pass.  Buy tickets. Special feature: SqueezeBox will be joined by Grammy-nominated John Gora of Canada. New to Sunday's lineup: The Walburg Boys

Polka News: Jazzy Polka, Mardi Gras Polka, Mollie B Polka

Jazzy Polka: Jazz musician with polka roots, Ben Pokluda, will bring his band Jazz Forever, to SPJST Lodge 88 on Sunday, January 27, from 1 to 6 p.m. Big band dress code applies (sigh). Ben is originally from Flatonia and has studied trumpet with a Rice University professor. His group fuses traditional New Orleans Ragtime with Big Band music. Maybe he'll even slip in a polka or two!!! Mardi Gras Polka: It only makes sense that happy music such as polka should be part of Mardi Gras madness. Two performances in Texas on Fat Tuesday (February 12) give you the chance to have your polka and swing to it to! In Dallas, Brave Combo will perform at the Meyerson Symphony Center with the Dallas Wind Symphony at 8 PM. Buy tickets! In New Braunfels, Alex Meixner Band will perform at the Brauntex Theatre at 8 PM. Buy tickets!

Mollie B Polka: Mollie B and Ted said their Squeezebox Texas Tour was GREAT!!! In fact, they say Texas would be a great place to live. Well, yeah! Come on down! After Mollie and Ted get back from their cruise, they'll be taping Mollie B's Polka Party in Ennis from February 21-24. Eight bands each day from 1 to 9 PM. Red Ravens have just been added to the lineup, which includes Squeezebox with Mollie B, Czech and Then Some, Kenny Brandt Band, Matt Hodek and the Dakota Dutchmen, Jerry Haisler & Melody 5, Ennis Czech Boys, Jodie Mikula Orchestra, Jim Busta Band, Das Ist Lustig, Texas Tribute Band, Chris Rybak Band, Shiner Hobo Band, Alpenfest, Texas Dutchmen and The Royal Klobasneks. Valina and Ross of Das Ist Lustig will provide dance lessons on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 11:30 AM. Valina says dancers will learn some fun social folk dances that will be part of the live taping. Cool! Tickets to Mollie B's Polka Party are $15 a day ($20 at the door) or get a 4-day pass for $50. Buy tickets!

Polka News: Mollie B Loves Texas, Larry the Cable Guy Loves Polka, Gene Loves His Work and Bob Loves Fruitcake

Mollie B Loves Texas: Mollie B and the Squeezebox Band are touring Texas in January. They start at the KJT Hall in Ennis on Wednesday, Jan. 16 then head south to Mission for a dance on Thursday, Jan. 17 at Riverside Club and Friday, Jan. 18 at Mission Bell Resort. On Saturday, Jan. 19, they'll be at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Rec Center in Granger and wrap up the tour at SPJST Lodge 88 in Houston on Sunday, Jan. 20. Check their schedule page for details. Larry the Cable Guy Loves Polka: Chris Rybak and his band were asked to play for a special party hosted by Larry the Cable Guy. Can't say what it was for until next March. Sigh! Chris and Edita said Larry was a lot of fun and would like for them to join him for a party in Tennessee soon. I, of course, being THE polka reporter for Texas, will need to accompany the Rybaks to cover the story! Check out Chris' Facebook page for more photos.

Gene Loves His Work: Gene Hackemack at the Tomball German Christmas Market asks, "You mean I also get paid for this?" See more photos and videos from the market, which saw record crowds last weekend.

Bob Loves Fruitcake: Bob Suttie and the Texas Legacy Czech Band is playing for the annual Christmas party at the Taiton Community Center. Besides lots of great music and dancing, there will be chicken noodle soup, by Freddy Vacek and a large dessert table on which almost everyone who comes brings a dessert. Bob will once again bring some fruitcake. He thought he was the last person on earth who likes fruitcake and thought he'd probably get to bring most of it home from past parties. WRONG! "There are other people on earth who laugh at fruitcake jokes, but still secretly like it," Bob said. "I've never brought ANY FRUITCAKE HOME from the Taiton Christmas party. So, for all you (secret) fruitcake lovers, I'll bring fruitcake again this year." You're a wild man Bob!

Polka News: Best of German Fest, CZ Sub, Have a Blue (Room) Christmas, Mollie B in Texas

Best of German Fest: The Tomball German Christmas Market is this weekend Friday-Sunday. Great place to do some unique Christmas shopping, have some German food and beer and of course POLKA! Three stages will feature all kinds of music genres: German and Czech, Cajun, Bluegrass, Country, Christmas just to name a few. Check out the performance schedule. Three contests this year: Best Dressed Christmas Character at 8:30 PM Friday, Chicken Dance Contest at 3:45 PM Saturday and Best Dressed German at 8:15 PM Sunday. CZ Sub: Garrett Neubauer will join the Czechaholics on accordion this Saturday at Lodge 88 subbing for Mark Hermes, who will be performing his other job as manager of the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center. The Center is having its Christmas Open House during the day and its annual fundraising gala that night honoring the Rudy Kurtz, Frank Kubin and John Rejcek Orchestras. Music by David Slovak, Andy Mikula and Mike Marek.

Have a Blue (Room) Christmas: Have you bought your tickets yet to the Blue Room Party at SPJST Lodge 88 in Houston? It's quite possibly the best deal in town for a holiday celebration. For $25, you get a steak dinner, dance with music by the Ennis Czech Boys AND open bar. Don't let the name fool you. No sadness here! The name comes from when members and their guests could be served liquor in the Blue Room "lounge." And of course the Blue Room is next to the Red Room, which is the dining room. Give the lodge a call at 713-869-5767 to reserve your tickets. Deadline is December 10.

Mollie B in Texas: Yay! The Squeezebox Band will be in Texas in January, which is National Polka Month. Schedule so far is Thursday, January 17 at Riverside Club in Mission and Sunday, January 20 at the SPJST Lodge 88 in Houston. Still working on bookings for Friday and Saturday.

Polka News: Czechs in Germantown, Chris in Yorktown, Tomball Is Christmastown

Czechs in Germantown: The Czech Melody Masters will play for a Christmas party dance this Saturday, December 1 at Austin's Saengerrunde Halle, beginning at 7:30 PM. The annual dance is open to the public and is one of several German Christmas events in Austin this coming weekend sponsored by the Austin Saengerrunde and German Free School. Sunday Dec. 2 is the Saengerrunde Christmas Concert at 2:30 PM at the hall, featuring the Seangurrunde choirs and St. Louis Catholic church bell choir. The hall is one of the oldest halls still in regular use in Texas, having been built in 1879. The Austin Saengerrunde organization is Austin's oldest continually existing social/fraternal organization.

Czechs in a German Hall? CMM leader Thomas Durnin says his group has been playing German Oktoberfest events for the past two months, either with the full band or trio version, mostly in the Austin area but also Fredericksburg and Minden, LA, for the second year in a row for their Fasching Festival. "What I've noticed over the past few years are more Texas Czech bands performing at various German events such as the Fredericksburg Oktoberfest and at Wurstfest. I guess to most people they don't notice the difference and/or don't really care. Technically, we've got two Germans in our band," Thomas said. That qualifies!

Watch for a new CMM CD coming soon, which they recorded live at Saengerrunde Halle. "It's one of our most favorite places to play, since the acoustics are so good, given that it was built for choral performances and the wooden dance floor is superb." Thomas said.

Chris in Yorktown: Chris Rybak has added a date to his calendar. He'll be at Yorktown Community Center this Sunday, December 2, from 2-6 PM. Yorktown Community Center is on State Highway 72 and Coleto Creek, 75 miles east of San Antonio and 36 miles northwest of Victoria.

Tomball Is Christmastown: The schedule is set for the Tomball German Christmas Market, to be held December 7-9. Das Ist Lustig, Chris Rybak, Dujka Brothers, TubaMeisters, Alpenfest are just some of the great bands performing throughout the weekend.

Polka News: CZs Are 10, GutenTights Gig, Fun at the Opry

Czechaholics Are 10: Congrats to the CZs on their 10th anniversary. They'll be celebrating Saturday, November 24, at Moravia Store where it all started. Welcome to new member Mayo Walker, who also plays with Southern Express. Mayo took Randy Majek's place. Hated to hear that Randy retired from the band, but hope to see him join a jam from time to time. Thanks to Brian Klekar for sharing these great photos of the group.

GutenTights Gig: You'll want to check out this group on Sunday, November 25 at Shooter's Saloon in Brenham, from 3-6 PM. The GutenTights is composed of Allison Crowson, Gene Hackemack, Ricky Weiss, Daniel Cendalski - a complete mix of German, Czech, Polish plus Allison's famous American Classics. Gene "Doc Hack" says it should be a riot! "The big draw will be Daniel. He is one fantastic lead guitar player and fiddle playing Polak from Chappell Hill – and a real nut and well liked," Gene reports.

Fun at the Opry: Polkabeat reporter Julie Matus enjoyed a night at the Fayette County Opry held November 19 at the La Grange KC Hall. "What a great evening!!! Chris Rybak and Santiago Jimenez, Jr. put on a fabulous show, as always! The House Band, including John Dujka, is really a great group. There was quite a crowd there too! And the hamburgers prepared by the KC Members were good as always," Julie says. The opry is held the third Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (979) 968-5117.

Polka News: Wurstfest Wrap

Congrats to Polka Contest Winners: Lee Roy and Gwen Petersen of Plantersville took first place, Nick and Shirley Macik of Austin came in second and David and Chelsea Smith of New Braunfels took third place at the 2012 Wurstfest. Herb Skoog, Director of Wurst Relations, says attendance looks like another record. "We had a great Wurstfest this year with attendance and sales up for each day, which is wonderful when you consider that 2011 was a very great year. It will be some time before we have the final figures but from all I've heard everyone had a great time and are looking forward to next year when 'Salute to Sausage' will be from November 1 - 10, 2013." Herb says this was his last Wurstfest as Director of Wurst Relations, a post he has held since the salute to sausage began in 1961. I wish you the best on your retirement and thanks for all the great work in promoting this one-of-a-kind event!

Roll Out the Scholarships: On November 8, polka maven Alex Meixner presented a $2,000 donation to benefit the Wurstfest Association Scholarship Trust. The proceeds were generated by a portion of the sales from Meixner's wildly popular $5 Wurstfest Music Sampler, "Stand and Sing Ein Prosit". According to Meixner, "Amidst all of the fun of the festival, it's great to be able to do something positive for the community and help students get access to higher education in German language, culture and music."

Polka News: Wurst Waltzers, Pre-Turkey Day Polka Party, Los Kolaches & 50-Cent Pearl Beer & More!

Wurst Waltzers: Congrats to the winners of the Waltz Contest at Wurstfest. First place went to Pat & Doris Mollenhauer from New Braunfels. Second place to David and Diane Liska of Ennis. Third place to Gwen and Lee Roy Petersen of Plantserville. Check out more Wurstfest photos. Pre-Turkey Day Polka Party: If it’s Thanksgiving, it’s time for the Praha Brothers annual Thanksgiving eve party at Sefcik Hall in Seaton. Dance from 8 to midnight to ring in the 2012 holiday season.

Los Kolaches in Pearl City: The 10th Annual Night in Old Pearl City will be held Saturday, November 17 at Turner Hall in Yoakum. Los Kolaches will provide the music. Band leader Howard Gloor describes the band as South-Central Texas Heritage music. “We play a mix of Mexican, shaken with Czech, with a dash of rhythm and blues and a sprinkle of country, rock and soul. But of course, the main ingredients are amore and you,” he says. Sounds great! You’re invited to join the polkabeat table for a night of dinner, dancing and 50-cent Pearl beer. Woo hoo! Send me an email theresa@polkabeat.com and you’re in!

Pre-Pearl City Party: Join the polkabeat gang for a 3 PM tour of the Shiner Brewery on Friday, November 16. Then head over to Antiques, Art & Beer for happy hour with polkabeat and Chris Rybak. This will get you warmed up for Night in Old Pearl City on the 17th. It’s shaping up to be a beer weekend! Friday at Shiner Brewery, then AA&B, which has 170 beer brands and NIOPC, featuring 50-cent Pearl beer. Polka on!

On a Sad Polka Note: Jerry Haisler reports that this Saturday’s dance at Geneva Hall in Waco, will be the Melody Five's last at this great dancing venue. “It has a great dance floor and spacious accommodations, but I’m sorry to say this will be our last booking there. Unfortunately the crowds for all their dances have been poor and the hall is really struggling. It is a great venue that we have played at since 1966. Hoping that live entertainment can continue there. We will be considering other alternatives in the Waco area,” Jerry says. Sigh.

Polka News: Wurst Report, Polka Jack, La Grange Daytripping, Czech Cultural Weekend

Wurst Report: Alex Meixner and his three-ring circus are psyched and ready to polka their brains out at Wurstfest. Alex tells polkabeat about the special musicians who will be joining him this year. “For the opening weekend only (Fri-Sat-Sun) I will have a special guest with the band—Michael Bridge. He is a 19-year-old Canadian National Champion Accordionist and a very energetic and virtuoso performer. Great kid too. Also, for the whole run (the Meixner band appears Friday through Thursday, Nov. 2-8), the horn man in the band will be Hank Guzevich, the leader of the four-time Grammy nominated Polka Family Band. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest trumpet players ever to play in an American polka band and will be featured on trumpet, sax, clarinet, guitar and vocals. As always, Michael Kramar from Sacramento, California, will be on accordion, button box, trumpet, baritone horn, bass, banjo, guitar and vocals, and Ed Klancnik from Nashville will be supplying the big beat of the band. We’re all looking forward to entertaining our Texas fans!” Mollie B and Ted Lange are also looking forward to entertaining Texas fans. Joining them with their Squeezebox band this year are Dana Lindblad on drums, Al Piatowski on accordion and special guest Jim Busta (Mollie’s dad) on concertina. Squeezebox will be performing Nov. 2-4, then Mollie B and Ted head to Branson to prepare for their Christmas special, Nov. 10-12. Check out Wurstfest’s full line up of bands and times.

Great story in the San Antonio Express about the Opas who keep the Wurstfest running smoothly each year.

More Dancers at Mollie B Christmas Special: Mollie B tells polkabeat that this year’s Christmas Special will feature a few more dancers, including a talented four-year-old who goes by the name “Polka Jack.” Also new this year, is a children’s chorus that Mollie says is sure to bring smiles to the audience. “I am happy to say all those performing in the special are active polka performers and dancers,” she says.

“Just like last year, the 2012 special includes plenty of songs to sing along, as well as to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Santa is also making a trip from the North Pole again, still tootin’ on his tuba.” Read more about the lineup of performers. RFD-TV reports that 17 buses are coming in for the show from Iowa, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. Tickets are still available for the Sunday, Nov. 11 show at 2 PM and Monday, Nov. 12 show at 7:30 PM. Call 417-332-2344 for more info.

Great story about Mollie and Ted in the Sentinel Tribune of Bowling Green, Ohio.

Daytripping in La Grange: The Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center was wonderfully represented on television show The Daytripper, an informational travel series that airs on KLRN Austin. Congratulations to the center and its very own stars Janis Hrncir and Bea Patek, who were interviewed for the piece. BTW: the background music is by the Czechaholics band. The show debuted Oct. 25, and can be seen online. Czech it out!

Czech Cultural Weekend at TCHCC: Hear a lecture on what Christmas is like in Czech Republic and Slovakia, make your own tree ornaments and learn the art of egg decorating from Daniela Sipkova Mahoney, who will also be signing her latest book on the subject. All takes place this weekend Nov. 2-4 at the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center. Find out more.

Polka News: Must-Read Polka Book, Frauenpower at Wurstfest & More!

Give the Gift of Polka History: Jimmy Brosch Remembers Twenty Legendary Texas Czech Polka Bands book makes a perfect Christmas present for the family. “Not just for your mom and dad or grandma and grandpa, but for the kids as well,” says Jimmy Brosch. “They can read about the music that their parents and grandparents grew up with. It can become an heirloom passed on for future generations to enjoy.” Excerpt from Chapter 2: Jimmy Brosch and His Happy Country Boys Growing up in Praha: Jimmy would arrive at a dance with 50 cents in his pocket. He paid 25 cents for admission and during intermission he’d treat the young lady he was dancing with to a soda water. “We’d walk across the street to Blahuta’s store. She would have a red soda water and I’d have a root beer—five cents each. Same thing at second intermission. I was lucky she didn’t want something to eat because I wouldn’t have had enough money. After all that, I would still have a nickel left and I would save it for the next dance.”

The book also comes with a companion CD. “While you’re reading a chapter on a band, you can listen to their music,” Jimmy says. The book costs $28. The book and CD make a great gift set and costs $38. To place an order, send a check made out to Jimmy Brosch to 24707 Weld Ct. Katy, TX 77494. If you mention this article, Jimmy will offer free holiday shipping if ordered by December 15. You can also order online at www.20polkabands.com. Enter code LODGE88 for free shipping.

Now, for any of you who know Jimmy, offering FREE shipping is a big deal. Hurry and order before he changes his mind!

New at Wurstfest: Die Bayriche 7 (Your Bavarian 7), an all-girl band from Germany. The group celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. The band’s objective is to transfer their skills, their musical diversity, their good mood to the audience and to the famous "spark" überpringen - typical female way. Um, that’s the website English translation. In any language, I think the goal is for their audience to have a good time. Check them out on YouTube. They play each day at Wurstfest except Tuesday, Nov. 6. Check the schedule for times. Frauenpower!

Burton Jams Are Back: Yay! Gene and Allison are back the second Wednesdays of every month in the biergarten of the Pig 'n Whistle. Next jam is Wednesday, November 14. Gene says bring your hammer and join in the fun! MAP

Mikayla Wavra Fund: The October 20 dinner and polka jam in New Ulm were a huge success. Polka musicians provided music benefitting Mikayla Wavra, daughter of polka musician Duane Wavra. Mikayla is still recovering from an accident this summer and the dance, dinner and auction will help pay some of her medical bills. If you weren’t able to attend, but would like to make a donation, send it to: Mikayla Wavra Recovery Fund, Columbus State Bank, P.O. Box 249, Columbus, TX 78934.

Polka News: Mollie B, Rybak Tours, Accordion Fest & More!

Polka On Mollie B: RFD-TV has announced the Mollie B Polka Party show will return for two more years. I sent Mollie a congratulatory email and she responded, “THANKS! We hope to be in Texas again!” Of course, Mollie and her husband, Ted, will be in New Braunfels the first weekend of Wurstfest with their Squeezebox band. Then they’re off to Branson to perform the Mollie B Christmas Special at RFD-TV Theatre, November 11-12. I know of two busloads from Texas heading to the show. Go to Europe with the Rybaks: Chris and Edita Rybak have set the dates for not one, but two European tours next year. The first is June 16-28, 2013 and includes visits to France (Paris & Normandy), Luxembourg, Germany (Rudesheim, Furth) & Czech Republic (Prague, Karlovy Vary & Frenstat). The second one is planned for September 2013 (no set dates yet) and will take you to Hungary (Budapest, Szentendre), Slovakia (Kosice, High Tatras, Strbske Pleso), Czech Republic (Roznov pod Radhostem, Lichnov, Frenstat, Karlovy Vary and Prague) and Germany (Nuremberg and Munich - Oktoberfest!) Learn more about the tours and how to sign up.

Squeezed Out?: If it’s October, it must be time for the International Accordion Festival in San Antonio, right? Not this year. The 12th annual homage to the accordion would have been held last weekend, but the festival ran into some financial troubles, mostly brought on by poor concession sales at last year’s rainy fest. No need to cry in your beer though. The festival board is moving the festival to September 13-15, 2013. Glad to hear it since they always include some of our favorite accordionists like Chris Rybak and Mark Halata. Read more.

Don't Forget Mikayla Wavra Benefit: Polka musicians are gathering Saturday, October 20 to provide music benefitting Mikayla Wavra, daughter of polka musician Duane Wavra. Mikayla is still recovering from an accident this summer and the dance, dinner and auction will help pay some of her medical bills. The benefit will be held at New Ulm Fireman’s Park beginning at 5 PM. Find out more about this special event.

Have You Ordered Your Ein Prosit CD Yet?: The hardest working man in polka, Alex Meixner, is always thinking. His latest brilliant idea was to record Stand and Sing Ein Prosit, an ep (a short CD with only 6 songs) with proceeds going to the Wurstfest Scholarship Trust. “I feel it’s very important to support the scholarship so more young people will have the opportunity to study and continue the traditions of German culture, music and language here in the U.S. Buy yours today for only $5 and support the promotion of polka and education at the same time!

Polka News: New Dance Dates, Mikayla Wavra Benefit, ECB New Release, Gold ’N Crisp Anny & More!

New Dance Dates: The Texas Dutchmen will play Sunday, October 14, beginning at 12:30 PM at the St John Vianney Church Fest, off Memorial between Eldridge and Dairy Ashford. Praha Brothers also will play Sunday at the Annual Homecoming Picnic at Westphalia from noon to 3 PM. Mikayla Wavra Benefit: Polka musicians are gathering Saturday, October 20 to provide music benefitting Mikayla Wavra, daughter of polka musician Duane Wavra. Mikayla is still recovering from an accident this summer and the dance, dinner and auction will help pay some of her medical bills. The benefit will be held at New Ulm Fireman's Park beginning at 5 PM. Find out more about this special event.

ECB New Release: It’s finally here! Ennis Czech Boys new CD You Have the Right to Polka! Order yours today!

Congrats Gold ’N Crisp & the Plumber in the Family: Congratulations to Sidney and Emily Cernoch and Phyllis Cernoch Chavarria on the 40th anniversary of the Gold ’N Crisp in La Grange. Uncle Sidney says he remembers their first customer, a young lady on her way to start college at UT. They tried contacting her, but have since lost touch. I’ve always thought it was the best fried chicken in Texas and then lo and behold the Best of Fayette County Awards are announced and GNC is chosen for best hamburger. Wow! Best chicken AND burgers. Also congrats to cousin Daniel, his wife, Rose, and everyone at Cernoch Plumbing, voted Best Plumber in Fayette County.

New Texas Czech Polka Show: Danny Zapletal now has a Texas Czech Polka Hour to complement his Czech Polka Show broadcast on Saturdays from 1 to 2 PM at WRJQ. The new Texas Czech Polka Hour follows from 2 to 3 PM. It was bound to happen. There is just too much good Texas polka music that deserves its own hour!

Great Idea: The hardest working man in polka, Alex Meixner, is always thinking. His latest brilliant idea was to record Stand and Sing Ein Prosit, an ep (a short CD with only 6 songs) with proceeds going to the Wurstfest Scholarship Trust. “I feel it’s very important to support the scholarship so more young people will have the opportunity to study and continue the traditions of German culture, music and language here in the U.S. Buy yours today for only $5 and support the promotion of polka and education at the same time!

Speaking of Wursfest: It will be here soon. Wurst Director Herb Skoog says the Wurstfest tickets are in the mail. Watch for your chance to win them in the Polkabeat Weekend Lineup newsletter. New this year, Herb says, is an all-girl band from Munich. Das ist wunderbar! Check out the schedule of events.

Polka News: New CD; Band Added to Oktoberfest Lineup; New Radio Show & More

Oktoberfest Scoop Ennis Czech Boys are in the lineup in Fredericksburg this weekend. Be among the first to buy their new CD You Have the Right to Polka! You can also order online. It’s an impressive lineup for the 32nd annual fest with 24 bands (at least that’s how many I counted). There’s always room for one more! Thomas Durnin with the Czech Melody Masters band and host/producer of Czech Melody Time on KOOP 91.7FM of the Czech Melody Masters told polkabeat they have been signed on to close out the fest from 4-6 PM on Sunday.

Festival Coordinator Debbie Farquhar says you’ll also want to check out what's new at the fest this year. "One is Strassen Zelt (street tent) located on Adams and will seat over 200 people. Strassen Zelt will have Oktoberfest souvenirs, Paulaner beer, wurst and cheese, a photo booth, German Schuhplattler performances on Saturday and Sunday and our 3rd Annual 42 tournament on Sunday," Debbie says. Prost y'all!

New Texas Czech Polka Show Danny Zapletal now has a Texas Czech Polka Hour to complement his Czech Polka Show broadcast on Saturdays from 1 to 2 PM at WRJQ. The new Texas Czech Polka Hour follows from 2 to 3 PM. It was bound to happen. There is just too much good Texas polka music that deserves its own hour!

Congrats Gold ’N Crisp & the Plumber in the Family Congratulations to Sidney and Emily Cernoch and Phyllis Cernoch Chavarria on the 40th anniversary of the Gold ’N Crisp in La Grange. Uncle Sidney says he remembers their first customer, a young lady on her way to start college at UT. They tried contacting her, but have since lost touch. I’ve always thought it was the best fried chicken in Texas and then lo and behold the Best of Fayette County Awards are announced and GNC is chosen for best hamburger. Wow! Best chicken AND burgers. Also congrats to cousin Daniel, his wife, Rose, and everyone at Cernoch Plumbing, voted Best Plumber in Fayette County.

Great Idea The hardest working man in polka, Alex Meixner, is always thinking. His latest brilliant idea was to record Stand and Sing Ein Prosit, an ep (a short CD with only 6 songs) with proceeds going to the Wurstfest Scholarship Trust. "I feel it’s very important to support the scholarship so more young people will have the opportunity to study and continue the traditions of German culture, music and language here in the U.S. Buy yours today for only $5 and support the promotion of polka and education at the same time!

Speaking of Wursfest It will be here soon. Wurst Director Herb Skoog says the Wurstfest tickets are in the mail. Watch for your chance to win them in the Polkabeat Weekend Lineup newsletter. New this year, Herb says, is an all-girl band from Munich. Das ist wunderbar! Check out the schedule of events.

Just Added Jerry Haisler told polkabeat that he, Alfred Vrazel and their friends will jam on the patio at Ratibor Country Grill in Temple this Saturday, October 6 from 7-10 PM. Polka on!

Nearing a Sellout Vernell Foyt at SPJST Lodge 88 told polkabeat that she has only three tables remaining for the Red Ravens dance on Saturday, October 13. Contact the lodge and make your reservation today!