Jax Stumpes: Cleveland-style Polka Hall of Fame (5/14/2016)

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Cleveland-style Polka Hall of Fame (5/14/2016)

Saturday, May 14, 2016
It was supposed to be a rainy day, which helped us to decide to visit a museum that is only open a couple days per week: The National Cleveland-style Polka Hall of Fame in Euclid, OH.

Euclid Veterans Memorial (1953, designed by Frank Kosich, Sr)
with an M103 heavy tank from WWII (KSS)

Former Euclid City Hall (1938-1989), now home to the
Greater Cleveland Slo-pitch Softball Hall of Fame (2000) and
the National Cleveland-style Polka Hall of Fame (2002) (KSS)

Halls of Fame sign (KSS)

Cleveland-style polka has its roots in Slovenia where the Bohemian polka was a dance craze along with the Austrian waltz in Europe in the late 1800s to 1900s. A large Slovenian immigrant population in Cleveland brought their folk music and with influences from jazz, Tin Pan Alley, and country and western, they developed their own style of happy dance music. Local bands began traveling throughout the US, and later, exposure over the radio and television made this style of polka the recognized popular polka of the nation.

Part of the collection of accordions, including one from
the Hojer/Hoyer Trio that was the first polka band to spread

Slovenian-made accordion

Intricate designs on the accordion

The Bohemian polka music is characterized by use of the accordion, and the Cleveland-style adds the banjo.

A clever donation box

Oak sculpture from Slovenia

Oak sculptures (1969) by Jovanovic

One of the Hall of Fame members is
Father Frank Perkovich, who brought the
Polka Mass to Cleveland; his recording of a
Polka Mass was sold out, and he took the Polka Mass
on tour, including celebrating a Polka Mass
at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican