Fri 11/26-Sun 11/28
“Polka days are here again!” exults the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame, as it announces the return of its long-running annual Thanksgiving Polka Weekend for the 57th year, after a one-year hiatus.
There are some changes to the gala event as it returns from its pandemic break. It will start on Friday instead of the traditional Thursday kickoff, and it’s got a new location: no longer downtown, but at the Holiday Inn Cleveland South on Rockside Road in Independence.
Otherwise, the event will be familiar: band after band playing tunes for waltzing and polka-ing with major polka stars including Canadian Polka King Walter Ostanek, with former Frankie Yankovic band member Joey Miskulin, Eddie Rodick, Linda Lee Brown, Don Wojtila, Bob Kravos, Mikey Dee, Ron Likovic, Rob DeBlander, Klancnik & Friends, Joe Grkman Jr and more, including this year’s Polka Star of Tomorrow Garrett Tatano, a 23-year-old musician from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, with his orchestr. Tatano won the title at a contest at the SNPJ Farm in Kirtland this summer, and his competitors —all under 25 — will also perform: Clevelanders Joshua Kay and TJ Likovic, and RJ Zolka of Youngstown.
And there’s more! Anthony Culkar will be hosting an accordion workshop. Kathy Hlad and friends will join Father Norm Gajdzinski for the traditional Polka Mass, taing place this year on Saturday instead of Sunday. There’ll be what’s described as an “epic” button box jam session — and at this event, impromptu jam sessions tend to crop up as well. You’ll certainly get to ru elbows with your favorite musicians or even join them for a sing-along.
Things wind down on Sunday with Anthony Culkar at the breakfast brunch starting at 9am, so you’ll have plenty of time to rush over to the Beachland to join Joey Miskulin for the release party of the Songs of the Polka King reissue, dedicated to Cleveland’s legendary Frankie Yankovic.
Tickets for each day are $20 or you can buy a weekend pass for $50. For more information and tickets go to PolkaFame.com or call 216.261-FAME.