Join the squeezebox celebration at the 39th annual Super Button Box Bash on Sunday, April 16, 2023. Dance to the sounds of fifty accordions, plus jam sessions all day. The American Croatian Lodge in Eastlake, Ohio, becomes Polkatown USA just for the occasion, from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. Your host is the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame, America’s polka museum.
Thrill to the grandest festival of button accordion music in North America. Bring your own box and play along. Indulge in nationality treats, such as smoked Slovenian sausage, savory roast beef and strudel. Pick up a souvenir tee-shirt, sweatshirt, babushka or polka CD at the Polka Hall of Fame pop-up shop.
Button box groups and artists appear on the main stage, plus polka jamming alongside. Featured performers so far include: Patty C and the Guys, The Fairport Jammers, Kathy Hlad, Ron Likovic, Frank and Darryl Valencic, Rob DeBlander, Anthony Culkar, and more to come.
The diatonic accordion, known as the button box, is a traditional instrument in Slovenian folk music and has attracted nationwide popularity in the U.S. and Canada. The button box operates like a harmonica with bellows. A button-operated note changes depending on if the bellows are pulled in or out. Most players learn by ear.
The American Croatian Lodge is at 34900 Lakeshore Boulevard in Eastlake, Ohio, just west of Route 91 (SOM Center Road).
Save $3 when you buy an advance ticket at $12. 18 and under free. Dinners, sandwiches, side dishes, desserts and beverages are available. $15 at the door. Order from the Polka Hall of Fame, 605 E. 222nd Street, Euclid, OH 44123. Open Wednesday and Saturday: 11 to 4. For more information, contact the Polka Hall Fame, (216) 261-3263, or PolkaShop at aol.com.
Collinwood’s Nancy Prudic and Bert Dennis join the jam sessions at the Super Button Box Bash, Sunday, April 16, 2023, hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame at the American Croatian Lodge in Eastlake, Ohio.