Pictures of an Old Fashioned Polka Dance

They came from Hadley and Chicopee. They came from Connecticut. They even came from Albany. Yup, Albany, NY.  People I don't see very much anymore mixed with locals I see more often.  They crammed into the local Polish Club until there was standing room only.  And they loved the bologna and fried onion sandwiches.  But mostly they danced.

                                      
My husband, John, and Terry, who recently brought Asian cooking to the Polish Club's Saturday lunches, came together yet again to organize the first Hard Times Polka Dance where $2 was the price of admission or bought you a bologna & fried onion sandwich.

 ♫Za dwa dolary, hey, za two bucks! ♫

And people came in no small part due to the help of several radio celebrities who let the world know about the dance.

Helen (WMUA on Sundays) came with a group of her friends.

                        
        







And Billie (WMUA on Saturdays) came out of seclusion to join us.
                                                      
                                  

Chef Don, John's brother, volunteered to cook for our event.


Do you think we'll have enough bologna?

Nancy & Rich manned the gate. 

Terry & Sue handled the 50/50 raffle

Mark VI never sounded better.  That's Eddie N. (without the Hawiian shirt) playing 2nd trumpet for awhile.

Steve is the leader of the band.                                              Tommy on keyboard.

John, who only a few weeks ago made the best fried rice, played the drums.

And here's my Eddie.  Did they make him audition before they brought him up on stage?

         

OK.  I guess he made the grade.  Here he is adding a second accordion to the mix.

 At some point even Tommy's son, John, joined in for a couple of numbers.

Speaking of celebrities...no party is complete without Mitch who joined the band for a couple of songs.

It was great to see Patty & Ernie and friends.

Then the line dancing started....

Debbie, one of our friends from New York, brought a bit of history with her...

...my Eddie, Billie, and Mitch back around 1974.  Would you believe?!!!  They weren't exactly The Beatles but they were cute.

Thanks Steve.

We may have to do this again.  What are you doing NEXT March?

Whoa, flashbacks!

I have become a member of the Polish Club. I say that because it's never been something I planned to do. The local Polish Club, ie Polish American Citizen's Club, has a growing membership and is gaining popularity among a younger group of people. So it has become very active. They now have country music concerts, ping pong tournaments, and free lunches on Saturdays in the winter. And it's always crowded.

But that's not why I joined. My husband is now a director and he thought I might enjoy going to a wine tasting he was organizing. Mostly women were signing up to find a chardonnay suitable for the growing number of women members. So he bought me a membership.

I remember the Polish Club of my youth as a place for old men to hang out to smoke and drink beer. Every Friday in the summer there was a polka dance with a live band and my dad, who was a polka dj, had a one hour remote broadcast from the dance. My friends & I sold soda at the dances to raise money for the uniforms we needed as the baton twirling contingent of the Polish American Veterans group that marched in several parades each summer. Parades in the local small towns are pretty scarce now. Polka dances are becoming pretty scarce as well.

So as the Polish Club of my youth considers whether to close its doors due to an aging and dwindling membership, the Polish Club of my maturity continues to grow and prosper. My husband is attempting to bring back polka dances (it is a Polish club after all) with the first one happening next month. And as a member I'll be at the front door collecting the $2 admission fee. Deja vu.