As a seventh-grader in Stevens Point in 1981, I became friends with a guy who played the accordion. Almost bashfully, he tried to explain polka music to me. But all those oompah-pahs and organ-like sounds couldn’t compare with the power chords and sing-along choruses of Foreigner and Journey.
Because Stevens Point is enmeshed in Polish and Slavic culture, my parents (a German man and an Irish woman) decided it would be fun for the family to start attending polka Masses. Bouncy hymns were performed, usually with some combination of accordion, concertina, bass guitar, horns and percussion. I liked the drums but found the holy gaiety a little disconcerting
Later on, while living in the Milwaukee area, I met a woman who taught me how to polka at every wedding we attended — including our own — and I finally began to have an appreciation for the music. I can even fake my way through a dance or two.
So it turns out I’ve been to some of the very locales described in Polka Heartland, a rollickingly entertaining and educational book that traces the music from its origins as a cutting-edge European fad to its current status as a festival favorite in cities, towns and villages across Wisconsin.
Polka radio host and folk music historian Rick March set out with veteran photographer Dick Blau in 2013 to chronicle the state’s polka scene from New Berlin and New Glarus to Monroe, Milwaukee, Madison and beyond.
Along the way, March explains numerous polka styles and shares his backstory as a longtime polka-playing musician. Sections called “Polka Interludes” explore the music’s connection with beer, the difference between an accordion and a concertina, and, of course, the polka Mass.
Blau’s photos capture the spirit of the contemporary scene and complement March’s engaging prose. Close-up shots reveal the intricacy of a Hengel concertina, the exuberance in a crowded dance tent at Pulaski Polka Days and the intimacy of Oregon’s Vegas Latin Night Club where Mexican polka aficionados gather. Also featured throughout are vintage images from the dance’s glory days, including cover art from albums such as Joe Karman at Starlite Ballroom, recorded live in Stevens Point in the late 1950s.
The only thing missing here is a companion soundtrack.
Nevertheless, Polka Heartland proves that while polka may not be as mainstream as it was in the 19th and 20th centuries, the genre still thrives in loyal Midwestern communities where the music and dancing have become part of their regional identity.
The seventh-grader in me now understands.
The Wisconsin Historical Museum, 30 N. Carroll St., will host a “Taste Traditions of Wisconsin” meal of German-inspired cuisine and a performance by the Polkateers from Brookfield, Wis., on Thursday, Sept. 24. A polka history discussion and book signing with author Rick March will follow.
Polka Heartland: Why the Midwest Loves to Polka
Photos by Dick Blau, Words by Rick March, Wisconsin Historical Society Press
