By Tyler Marr

A festival of fellowship for polka

Aug 27, 2017 | 11:51 AM

Feet scampered across the floor and dance partners swung around to bellowing accordion tunes at Prince Albert’s 15th annual Polka Festival.

The polka, waltz, two-step and foxtrot were just a few of the many feats of fancy footwork on display for the festival that attracts avid dancers from across Western Canada.

“I think a polka fest brings people together,” Lawrence Bodnar, director and volunteer for the festival said. “It is good exercise and you meet new people and it is a place of good fellowship.”

The polka circuit is one frequented by many who were in attendance. It snakes through small towns and cities across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. At one time there were over 23 similar festivals across the province. Though they have dwindled over the years, it has not deterred the nearly 1,000 in attendance this weekend from passionately pursuing the throwback music around the West.

Doors opened Friday with local bands taking the stage for some preliminary entertainment before Saturday’s main event where a 45-foot long stage was jam packed with four bands who rotated various sounds throughout the night.

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With the festival celebrating its 15th anniversary, organizers pulled out all the stops. Most notably, the legendary longtime performers The CottonPickers Band came out of retirement for the event. 

Two original members and five long time players brought their Polish, German and Ukranian inspired sounds to Prince Albert. They were paraded into their 8 p.m. time slot with bagpipers before opening their set. 

For Wally Wychopen and his wife who drove down from Edmonton, the festival was akin to a small family gathering.

“You get to recognize everybody and they are all kind of the same age and you have someone to talk to and share time with,” Wychopen said. “Especially when you are in the camp ground. People are outside jamming and having fun and visiting…[it keeps you] young and healthy.”

Wychopen and his wife have followed the circuit for nearly 20 years. He recalled the first time he tapped his toes.

“In Grade 12 I asked a girl for a dance and she reached down and said ‘I have a sore ankle’ and then she went down and danced with somebody else,” he said. “I thought to myself ‘I have to learn how to dance.’ Since then I started dancing.”

The event further acts as a fundraiser for the Prince Albert Exhibition Association, with all money raised directed towards improvement of the grounds and facilities. 

“Out home is their home for the weekend,” Bodnar said. “There are a few younger people who have acquired an interest in dancing and it is the next generation. They have their own style and hopefully, we can keep the polka fest going as long as we can.”

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr