The Central Wisconsin Polka Club will celebrate their 40th year presenting the Wisconsin Music Festival this weekend with a change of venue to the Rothschild Pavilion. In recent years the festival was held at the MARC complex/Smith Center in Merrill. Prior to that, the festival was held at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds in Merrill for 35 years.
The cost of insurance, storage and labor for the once-a-year use of the Polka Club’s portable dance floors was a major factor in the decision to move the event to Rothschild’s restored ballroom, said Lynn Krause, Central Wisconsin Polka Club spokesperson.
The Rothschild Pavilion is one of the finest and largest air-conditioned ballrooms in North Central Wisconsin, and features spring-supported, hard maple floors.
“The Rothschild Pavilion was ideal,” Krause added.
Krause said the club would have liked to keep the event in Merrill, but couldn’t find a location as suitable as the Rothschild Pavilion.
“It isn’t that we didn’t want to stay in Merrill,” Krause said. “The choice was whether we would continue the festival or not.”
The move to the Rothschild Pavilion has freed the club of the hassle and expense of toting their own dance floors to the event. The floors and the trailer they were hauled in have been sold.
“We don’t have to bring anything,” Krause said of the new arrangement. “Our people are getting older and putting up the floors was getting to be too much.”
The music festival kicks off Saturday with music by The Leon Olsen Show from noon-8 p.m. The Top Notchmen will play from noon-8 p.m. and Julie Lee and her White Rose Band continue from 8 p.m.-midnight. Sunday starts with a polka service at 10:30 a.m. followed by music from Julie Lee and The Polish Connection from noon-8 p.m.
Food and refreshments will be available. Tickets are $13 for Saturday, $11 for Sunday, or $22 for the weekend.
The Rothschild Paviliion is located at 1104 Park St., Rothschild, just one block north of the Hwy. 51/29 interchange, Exit 171.
The Central Wisconsin Polka Club traces its roots back to 1972, when a few couples met at the Union Hall in Merrill for the purpose of promoting polka music in the area. The club grew rapidly, built their own dance floors and beer bars and put on their first polka festival in 1973. It was a two-day affair at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds, held under two large tents.
As the membership spread throughout central Wisconsin, the club incorporated in 1974 as Central Wisconsin Polka Club, Inc.
This year also marks the 25th year of “The Saturday Morning Polka Variety Show” on WJMT radio in Merrill. Sponsored by the Central Wisconsin Polka Club, the show has gone on live every Saturday from 6-9 a.m.
“We’ve never missed doing a show live,” said Krause, who hosts the show with the support of other club members.
For more information, contact Lynn at 715-675-2601.