Coming in April: AAYYEE! Cajun Rocks! Cover girl Elizabeth Kelley is first woman to win Texas Folklife's Big Squeeze Contest. She plays with her family in the Dallas Street Ramblers. She comes by it naturally, thanks to great-great-great Shop the Polka On! Store. grandma! Also, learn more about the Cajun CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, koozies, French Music Associations in Houston and San towels & more! Antonio, and dig the pics from Pe-Te's 35th Anniversary Party as DJ of Cajun Bandstand on Read the Polka On! blog. Houston's KPFT. Congrats Pe-Te! Editor Gary E. McKee delves into the music inspired by the Latest Posts road to Texas independence. (Yes, there is a Polka Man of the Hour - Danny Z photo of Fess Parker as Davy Crockett, er, David Crockett - turns out he didn't like being called Davy. Who knew?) We Dance Hall Art Contest Winners remember Helen Shimek Malick, great accordionist, Czech cook, and mom to 13! Announced We recognize some impressive milestones: Beethoven Maennerchor in San Antonio celebrated 150 years, New Baden Jamboree celebrated the 100th Polka Power Duo: Dujka birthday of its founder, and the Till twins - Alfred and Felix - celebrated their 90th Brothers Celebrate 30 Years birthday. Austin Accordion Association correspondent Marcus Baggio reports on the 30th National Accordion Convention recently held in Richardson; we reveal the It's Oktoberfest Man! high school winners of the Texas State German Contest; and of course we've got your calendar of events for April, including Janak's Church Picnics. Whew! It's a Accordion Cowboy Chris Rybak jam-packed issue! Says Na zdravi, Y'all! Have you subscribed yet? Come by the TPN table at the South Texas Polka & Texas Polka News Launches Sausage Festival this weekend and sign up! We'll have a special - $20, instead of Subscription Drive usual $25. AND we'll still donate $5 to your favorite dance club or ethnic heritage organization. We're on a mission to reach 3,000 subscribers by 2018 - the paper's 30th anniversary of publishing. Read more. Latest Beat South Texas Polka & Weekly Lineup Sausage Festival @ KC Hall, Hallettsville March 24-26 First Polka Friday, March 31 Hall of Fame Dallas: Immigrant Songs w/Brave Combo @ Poor David's Pub, 1313 South Lamar St, 8:15P, The SCHOOL OF ROCK high-school champions will open the show, and Brave Combo plans to Inductees talk a lot about the countries and origins of many of the songs. It'll be a SCHOOL OF POLKA! 214- See the photos 565-1295 by TPN Staff & Ft Worth: Cowtown Opry Gala Honoring Bobby Flores @ Stockman's Club, Stockyards Historic Betty Nemec District, Dinner: 6P followed by Western Swing dance 817-366-9675 Granger: Bubba's Friday Friends @ Cotton Club, 7-11P 512-859-0700 Houston: Jeff Woolsey/Dancehall Kings @ SPJST Lodge 88, 8:30-11P (Ad Monthly Calendar Dancing & page) Dancing & page) Polka Smiles New Braunfels: Terry Cavanagh @ Friesenhaus Restaurant, 6-9P 830-214-0055 See the photos by Pearland: Off the Grid @ King's Biergarten, 6-10P 832-569-4141 Lauren Haase Round Top: Sean Orr @ Stone Cellar, 7P 979-249-3390 and Gary E. Round Top: Hartley Hall, 2-5P @ The Compound 979-551-5916 McKee Round Top: Black Cat Choir @ Teague's Tavern, 6-9P 979-249-3077 San Antonio: Brady Honeycutt @ Martinez Social Club 8-11:30P 210-661-2422 Bands & Taylor: Second Hand Rose @ SPJST Lodge 29, 7:30-11:30P 512-3529139 Fans Tomball: German Heritage Festival @ Historic Downtown, 6-10P - Auf Geht's, Chris Rybak, Alex See the photos by Meixner, Blue Yonder, David G Wonders, Kenny James (Banner ad above) Earline Berger Wharton: Mike Stroup w/Southern Light @ Milam Street Coffee Java Jam, 6-9P BYOB and Okruhlik, Julie covered dish community get-together 979-282-9771 Matus, Karen Wichita Falls: Cowboy True @ Wichita Falls Western Art Council - Jason Roberts Band, 8:30P Williams, & Betty 940-766-3347 Nemec Oborny Saturday, April 1 Family Blanco: Hot Texas Swing Band @ Twin Sisters, 8P 830-833-5773 See the photos by Buffalo: Asleep at the Wheel @ Leon County Expo Center 903-322-1205 Lauren Haase & Cistern: Abel & The Boyz @ Cistern Country Store, 8P-12A 512-739-7840 Gary E. McKee Denton: Immigrant Songs w/Brave Combo @ Dan's Silver Leaf, 103 Industrial St, 9-11:30P 940- 320-2000 Bunny Funny Granger: Jeff Woolsey/Dancehall Kings @ Cotton Club, 9P-1A 512-859-0700 See the photos by Houston: Charlie Prause Big Band @ SPJST Lodge 88, 8:30-11P (Ad Monthly Calendar page) Betty Nemec Liberty: Liberty Opry on the Square - Gospel, 4P 936-336-5830 See more photos London: Justin Trevino @ London Dance Hall, 9P-1A 325-475-2921 next week by Moravia: Aubrie Lynn @ Majek's Vineyard, 3-5P 210-413-8912 John Roberts, New Baden (Franklin): New Baden Jamboree (1st Saturday) @ Community Center, 6-10P 979- Lauren Haase, & 828-2231 Gary E. McKee New Braunfels: Terry Cavanagh @ Friesenhaus Restaurant, 6-9P 830-214-0055 ********** Pearland: Off the Grid @ King's Biergarten, 6-10P 832-569-4141 See more Hville photos next week from Round Top: Abigail Taylor, 12-2P; Chuck Hawthorne, 6-9P @ Teague's Tavern 979-249-3077 John Roberts, Lauren Haase, & Gary San Angelo: Suez Shriners Ball featuring Tony Booth and Darrell McCall @ McNease Convention E. McKee Center (325) 370-1119 or (325) 513-4461 *********** Schulenburg: Sausage Festival @ Downtown, beginning @ 11A - Central Texas Sounds, Jerry Haisler Czechaholics, Mark Halata/Texavia, Texas Dream 979-743-4514 (Banner ad above) & Melody 5 @ Sealy: This Is It (Sealy Dance Club) @ American Legion, 7:30-11:30P Sefcik Hall Tomball: German Heritage Festival @ Historic Downtown, 10A-10P - Auf Geht's, Royal See the photos by Klobasneks, Chris Rybak, Dujka Brothers, Alex Meixner, TubaMeisters, Das Ist Lustig, Round Connie Top Brass Band, Armstrong Family Bluegrass, London Lawhon, Siekers Band, Rebecca Jane, Schielack Joe Brikha (Banner ad above) Webster: Kenny James @ Alpine Brauhaus, 6-9P 281-336-0788 Wichita Falls: Cowboy True @ Wichita Falls Western Art Council - Kristyn Harris, Devon Dawson Young German & Brooke Wallace, 12 & 2:30P; Prairie Moon, 5:30P 940-766-3347 Texans Band Sunday, April 2 See the photos by Austin: Charles Thibodeaux/Austin Cajun Aces @ Continental Club, 3-6P 512-441-2444 Gary E. McKee & Elgin: Red Ravens @ SPJST Lodge 18, 3-7P 512-285-3100 Cyndi Broussard Giddings: 3rd Annual Country Gospel Jamboree @ Giddings High School, 7P Featuring Branded, a nationally famous country gospel duo from Conroe 281-757-0566 or 512-352-3665 See the flyer. Granger: Can't Hardly Playboyz @ Cotton Club, 5-10P 512-859-0700
Houston: Detour @ VFW #10352, 2-6P (Ad Monthly Calendar page) Pearland: Enzian Buam & Off the Grid @ King's Biergarten 5-9P 832-569-4141 Round Top: Mike Stroup Trio @ Teague's Tavern, 12-4P 979-249-3077 Watch the videos by Walt San Antonio: Alpine Express Duo @ Riverwalk Biergarten, 2-6P 210-212-7299 Harfmann of Hville Fest Bands - San Antonio: Countrymen @ Martinez Social Club 3-6:30P 210-661-2422 Ennis Czech Boys, Leo Majek Sweet Home: Charles/Fab 4 @ Community Center, 3-7P (Ad Monthly Calendar page) Orchestra, Dujka Brothers, & Tomball: German Heritage Festival @ Historic Downtown, 12-6P - Walburg Boys, David G. Jodie Mikula Orchestra; and Jerry Wonders, Chris Rybak, JungeMeisters, Alex Meixner, Das Ist Lustig, Armstrong Family Haisler & Melody 5 in Seaton Bluegrass, Traveling Murphys, Shelia Lee and Friends (Banner ad above) Yoakum: Bluebonnet Youth Ranch Spring Fling @ Community Center - Shiner Hobo Band, 10:30A-12:30P 361-293-3546
Polka Trending Monday, April 3 Austin: Charles Thibodeaux/Austin Cajun Aces @ Evangeline Cafe, 6:30-8:30P 512-282-2586
Tuesday, April 4 Geronimo: The Gathering Music Show (1st Tuesday) @ VFW, 7P Featuring: Monte Good, Jade Jack Stone, Sam Bentley 830-379-0506 Houston: Houston Saengerbund singing practice (every Tues.) @ First Evangelical Lutheran Houston: Houston Saengerbund singing practice (every Tues.) @ First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 7:30P 713-726-0706 Houston: Houston Accordion Association Jam (1st Tuesday) @ Son Nam Vietnamese Restaurant, The Wisconsin Public Television 2903 Woodridge @ Winkler, 6:30P 713-649-2780 Documentary POLKA! is a hit! Click here to watch the hour-long show. Wednesday, April 5 Meet Mollie B in this interview with Austin: Glen Collins and the Alibis w/Roy Carroll, Jim Bowles, Paul Schlesinger @ Westminster the station. Manor, annual Dine & Discover event, 11:30A-1:30P 512-454-4711 Flatonia: Mike Stroup with Harlan Kubos, Tom Duplissey & Howard Gloor at Red Vault Bistro, Dallas: Brave Combo & the Mayor Flatonia, 7-9P, Sushi Night 361-865-3663 Will Celebrate the Music of Houston: Das Ist Lustig @ Rudi Lechner's, 6P 713-428-2019 Immigrants at Poor David's Pub Round Rock: Main Street Concert Series w/Cowboy Nemo @ 221 E Main St, 6-8P ********** 512-218-5400 Safeguarding the Dance Hall Days San Antonio: Jim Bolado @ Martinez Social Club 7:30-10:30P 210-661-2422 of Texas - a feature in Preservation Schulenburg: Pettit Brothers @ Sengelmann Hall, 7P 979-743-2300 magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Thursday, April 6 Austin: Charles Thibodeaux/Austin Cajun Aces @ Cypress Grill, 6:30-8:30P 512-358-7474 Texas Folklife: Big Squeeze Finals Bastrop: Farm Street Opry (1st Thursday) @ Bastrop Convention Center, 7P 512-332-8981 El Campo: Odessa @ American Legion, 7:30-10P 979-543-5396 *********** Floresville: Floresville Opry (1st Thursday) @ Wilson County Show Barn, 6-:30P 830-393-6512 or 830-391-1062 Florida's Snow Bird Polka Band Waco: Roger Kirby/Texas Heartbeat (Boot Scootin' Club) @ Sul Ross Center 7-10P Schedule 254-855-0796 www.20polkabands.com Friday, April 7 Austin: Charles Thibodeaux/Austin Cajun Aces @ Stubbs Graceland, 5-7P 512-792-9778 Austin: The Swingsters @ Wessels Hall - Pioneer Farms, 8-11P 512-837-1215 Cistern: Eight From The Gate @ Cistern Country Store, 8P-12A 512-739-7840 Corpus Christi: Dancehall Sounds w/DJ Allen Pollard @ VFW #3837, 8P-12A 361-241-0600 Dallas: Deep Ellum Arts Festival - 100 Original Bands! Brave Combo to perform on Sunday Eagle Lake: Texas Mavericks @ Community Center, 8-11P 979-234-2903 Granger: Bubba's Friday Friends @ Cotton Club, 7-11P 512-859-0700 Houston: Das Ist Lustig @ Rudi Lechner's, 6P 713-428-2019 New Braunfels: Terry Cavanagh @ Friesenhaus Restaurant, 6-9P 830-214-0055 Pearland: Enzian Buam @ King's Biergarten, 6-10P 832-569-4141 San Antonio: Monte Good @ Martinez Social Club 8-11:30P 210-661-2422 San Marcos: Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame Show @ Kent Black's BBQ, 7-10P - Al Dressen's Super Swing Revue & guests 512-745-0659
Visit the Monthly Calendar, along with the Church Picnics brought to you by Janak's Country Market in Hallettsville, and Texas & US Festivals pages. It's always best to call the dance venues to check on any last-minute schedule changes.
Weekly Laugh My wife sat down next to me as I was flipping channels.
She asked, "What's on TV?"
I said, "Dust."
And then the fight started...
Submitted by John Polk
Polka On!
Theresa Cernoch Parker polkabeat.com