'A nice variety': Polish, Slovenian bands to be featured at Johnstown's three-day PolkaFest

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Calling all polka lovers who want to immerse themselves in the music and food of the Polish and Slovenian cultures.

Visit Johnstown will present the 1st Summit Bank Johnstown PolkaFest from May 31 through June 2 at Peoples Natural Gas Park, 90 Johns St., downtown Johnstown.

Jayne Korenoski, Visit Johnstown’s director of advertising and sales, said this year marks the 26th anniversary of PolkaFest, which has experienced a lot of growth over the years.

“The crowds continue to come out, and I think it’s the atmosphere and the fun that attracts people.

“Everyone is laughing and having a good time,” she said. “I just wish the people who have had the thought that they don’t like polka music would come see these bands because some have won Grammy awards.”

Acting as PolkaFest emcee will be Frank Powaski, a polka radio DJ who has been promoting polkas since 1968, offering some of the best Polish, Slovenian and Eastern-style polka music to listeners.

“Having him is like having a star,” Korenoski said. “There are people who come to PolkaFest just to see Frank because he’s so well-loved.

“He’s very meticulous in everything he does.”

To better accommodate the venue for PolkaFest, a temporary teak wooden floor will be installed for dancing.

“That is one thing that the true polka dancers want is that wooden floor,” Korenoski said.

PolkaFest boasts some of the top Polish and Slovenian bands from across the country.

“We’ve been able to make it work with having both styles of music,” Korenoski said. “It’s introducing people to other styles of music, and we rotate the bands so you have a nice variety, and everyone seems to love it.”

The festival will run from 5 to 10 p.m. May 31 with Johnstown Button Box, John Stevens Polka Band and Polka Family Band.

From 1:30 to 11 p.m. June 1, featured acts will be Rosie and the Jammers; Don Wojtila Band with special guests the Wojtila brothers, Joe, Michael and Dan; Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push; The Garrett Tatano Band; and the Polka Family Band.

From 1 to 5 p.m. June 2, musical acts will include Don Wojtila Band, with special guests the Wojtila brothers, and Polka Country Musicians.

Korenoski said four-time Grammy nominee Polka Family Band is a PolkaFest favorite and has been coming to the event for many years.

“I can’t say enough about them.

“They are fabulous,” she said.

“They never wane and are consistent every year, and people of all ages love them. If you have the Polka Family Band, you will have people coming to see them.”

The Polka Country Musicians play a version of Chicago-style polka music called “push,” which typically features double trumpets, accordion, concertina, bass and drums.

“They attract a young demographic, so we are always glad to have them back,” Korenoski said.

Korenoski said 12-time Grammy nominee Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push is one of the most popular bands featured at PolkaFest.

“It’s Polish-style, and the music is just consistently good,” she said.

Don Wojtila Band has been recognized as one of Cleveland’s top polka and variety bands, and this year, Wojtila will be joined by brothers Joe, Michael and Dan.

“The Wojtila brothers are so talented. It’s rare that they perform all together because they’re in different bands,” Korenoski said. “We had them last year and it was great.”

The Garrett Tatano Band specializes in Cleveland-style Slovenian polka music.

“They are a young group, and they attract the younger crowd, and that’s our goal, to try to get more younger people interested in polka music,” Korenoski said.

John Stevens Polka Band, which released 18 albums, has performed on numerous TV shows, including “Pennsylvania Polka,” “The Jolly Joe Timmer Show,” “Let’s Polka” and “The Bethlehem Musikfest.”

“They perform Polish-style polka music, and they are a really good band,” Korenoski said. “Everyone has fun when John is around. He plays with the crowd and he’s really good with that.”

Rosie and the Jammers performs music ranging from the big band era to timeless favorites such as country, soft rock and ballads.

Johnstown Button Box was organized in 1981 by a group of area musicians who share a deep love for the button box as an ethnic musical instrument.

“They are our local bands, and we always want to include them,” Korenoski said.

A polka Mass will be celebrated at noon June 2 with the Don Wojtila Band.

“Although it’s a Catholic Mass, nondenominational (people) could certainly enjoy it because the polka music is beautiful,” Korenoski said.

“It’s great, and I encourage anybody to come to the Mass.”

PolkaFest also includes a variety of ethnic and festival-style food vendors, serving pierogies, haluski, halupki, cevapi, kielbasa, cheese-steak, hamburgers, French fries, sausage sandwiches, nut rolls and sweet treats.

“We want to have a nice balance of both ethnic food and some of your traditional festival food. We try to cover all the bases and bring what people like,” said Nicole Waligora, Visit Johnstown’s sports tourism program coordinator.

In addition, there will be ethnic merchandise and craft vendors.

“There will be a variety and a mix of everything from crocheted items to homemade jewelry and soaps,” Waligora said. “We’ll also have vendors who do ethnic items.”

Proceeds from PolkaFest T-shirt sales and 50/50 tickets will be put back into the festival fund to help cover costs.

Along with attracting locals, the festival also draws people from across Pennsylvania, as well as Ohio, New York, Maryland and Michigan.

“We’re really trying to attract the younger people because that’s the future and what’s going to keep polka music alive,” Korenoski said.

“There are a limited amount of phenomenal polka bands out there and we do get the best of the best here. That attracts the people.”

She added that PolkaFest is a great way to kick off the summer.

“It’s just a lot of fun and everyone is so welcoming,” Korenoski said.

Admission is $5 for May 31 and June 1 and free on June 2. Free parking will be available in the downtown.

For more information, visit www.visitjohnstownpa.com/ johnstown-events/polkafest.