One of those small, local museums you’ve probably heard about but never visited is the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame in Euclid. Walking through its informative and well-organized exhibits carry a visitor back in the Cleveland in the early/mod 20th century when its culture was dominated by the wave of European immigrants who settled here in the late 19th/early 20th century. The Slovenians brought with them their folk music, which they blended with American pop to create the distinctive music known as Cleveland-style (or Slovenian) polka.
That style produced polka’s biggest star, Frankie Yankovic, who grew up in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood. When he died in 1998 at the age of 83, his memorial service was held at St. Mary’s in Collinwood, where, following the service, the sidewalk in front was packed with a mob of accordion players playing polkas in his honor. In the late ’40s, he had two platinum selling hits, “Just Because” and “Blue Skirt Waltz,” which propelled him to a touring career that last until nearly his death.
Like all museums, the Polka Hall of Fame is closed right now, but be sure to put it on your list of places to visit when it reopens. Meanwhile, check out its website and browse the bios of its lifetime achievement honorees, a who’s who of Cleveland’s polka past — and present — complete with a sample tune to listen to. http://www.clevelandstyle.com/lifetime~achievement~honorees.html
Meanwhile, they shared the graphic below to help you out in this pandemic time.
Euclid, OH 44123