National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum
605 East 222nd Street
Euclid, OH 44123
USA
E-mail: Polkashop@aol.com
Phone: 216-261-3263
Toll Free: 1-866-66POLKA
Fax: 216-261-4134
www.polkafame.com © National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum, 605
East 222nd Street, Euclid, OH 44123, USA.
News
Four to Enter Polka Hall of Fame at Awards Show Saturday, November 25
Two polka musicians, a deejay and a recording engineer will be inducted into the
National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame at the annual awards show on Saturday,
November 25, 2023. Bandleader Al Battistelli, vocalist and radio host Dale Bucar,
studio technician Gary Rhamy, and the late accordionist Joe Mlakar were voted for
their lifetime achievements in Cleveland-Style polka music by Hall of Fame members
and trustees. The announcement was made at the September 20 membership meeting of
the American Slovenian Polka Foundation.
Accordionist Al Battistelli has led a popular Lorain, Ohio, polka band since 1962.
Dale Bucar has hosted a polka radio broadcast for nearly fifty years, currently on
WINT in the Cleveland, Ohio area. He is also a popular vocalist and recording artist.
Gary Rhamy has engineered 200 polka albums out of the 500 recorded at his Peppermint
Studios in Youngstown, Ohio, including five Grammy winners. The late Joe Mlakar operated
one of southern California’s top polka spots, The Elbow Room in Fontana. He organized
the Fontana Slovenian Button Box Club, which brought together amateur accordionists.
Two all-time Cleveland-Style hits were chosen by voters. “The Keystone Polka” was
written and first recorded by Clevelanders Georgie Cook and Jim Kozel in 1953. Barberton,
Ohio, bandleader Frank Spetich composed and released “The Pony Tail Polka” in 1958.
The Board of Trustees added five names to the Polka Hall of Fame Honor Roll. The
Singing Slovenes band and chorus entertain in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest.
The Haughville Slickers were the leading Cleveland-Style Polka band in Indianapolis.
The Lipa Park Button Box Club was made up of accordion enthusiasts from St. Catharines,
Ontario, and Canada’s Niagara peninsula. Fritz Scherz Jr. leads New York State’s
best-known Cleveland-Style polka orchestra. Wayne Tomsic and his orchestra are popular
across the Cleveland area.
The 33th annual National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame awards ceremony takes
place on Saturday afternoon, November 25, 2023, 1:00, in the Grand Ballroom of the
Holiday Inn Cleveland South in Independence, Ohio. This year's all-star show features
Canada’s Polka King Walter Ostanek, Joey Miskulin from Riders in the Sky, and World
Diatonic Accordion Champion Denis Novato arriving from Europe. The stage orchestra
is directed by Tom Mroczka. The Polka Mass follows.