Latest news with #HisOrchestra
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Polka's a fantastic dance': Hundreds attend Pennsylvania PolkaFest
Apr. 5—Promoter Joe Nardone smiled with satisfaction Saturday afternoon as his gaze took in the hundreds of people gathered in the Keystone Ballroom at Mohegan PA for Pennsylvania PolkaFest 2025. "It's a great crowd," he said. "But," a clueless reporter asked him, "Why isn't anybody dancing?" "They'll dance when Jimmy Sturr starts playing," Nardone said, explaining that Polka Bandski, which served as opening act, was playing the kind of polka music you listen to rather than dance to. Sure enough, when Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra took the stage moments later, two dance floors filled to overflowing with couples fairly flying across the floor. "Polka's a fantastic dance," said Sandra Rowlands of Dallas, who came to the PolkaFest with her husband, Richard, and four other friends. Indeed, there seem to be many fantastic varieties — as dancers twirled and skipped and circled the floor. On their feet they wore sported everything from high-heeled boots to two-toned spectator shoes to glittery sneakers. On their heads they wore anything from baseball caps to a woven wreath that added a touch of Eastern European flair. Polka fans of all ages were there, including Kimberly and Michael Shambora of Laflin, who have been dancing for 15 years and are related on Michael's side of the family to Joe and John Stanky, of local polka fame. Perhaps the youngest in the crowd were 17-month-old twins, Elizabeth and Andrew Gallas, whose parents, Jean and John Gallas of Lancaster, wanted to show them a bit of their paternal grandmother's heritage. As the evening progressed, Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra, the Family Band and Polka Bandski were each to play two sets. The event was arranged by Joe Nardone, Thom Greco and Jim Della Croce, and sponsored by Mrs. T's Pierogies and the Times Leader.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mohegan Pennsylvania presents Pennsylvania Polkafest
Apr. 1—WILKES-BARRE — It's Polka Time! After resounding success over the past two years, the 2025 Pennsylvania Polkafest, sponsored by Mrs. T's Pierogies and The Times Leader, makes its debut in the Keystone Grand Ballroom on Saturday, April 5. Pennsylvania Polkafest is open to guests of all ages! This event promises to be an evening of vibrant music, energetic dancing, unforgettable performances and generational memories. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. and the party starts at 4 p.m. Tickets to Pennsylvania Polkafest are on sale now at General admission tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door the day of the event. Reserved table seating is also available at $30 per person for groups of up to 10 guests. Produced by the entertainment powerhouse trio of Thom Greco's Rittenhouse Entertainment, Joe Nardone's Magnus Concerts, and Jim Della Croce's Pathfinder, Pennsylvania Polkafest features a talented lineup, headlined by the legendary 18-time Grammy Award-winner and Polka King, Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra. Known for their electrifying performances and timeless melodies, Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra are sure to bring the house down with a mix of classic hits and exciting arrangements! The band will be joined by Grammy-nominated group, the Polka Family Band. Originally from Southern California and now based in Mt. Carmel, the beloved Polka Family Band delivers energy, charm and crowd-pleasing tunes every time they take the stage. In addition to lively entertainment, guests can indulge in a delectable spread of food and drinks, including delicious traditional favorites like pierogies. Pennsylvania Polkafest will be recorded live by Service Electric Cable TV for later broadcast, ensuring audiences can enjoy the excitement far and wide. Pennsylvania Polkafest is an all-ages event, however, most areas of Mohegan Pennsylvania are 21+ including the hotel, casino floor and most restaurants. All guests under 21 must be accompanied by an adult, enter via the hotel and convention center entrance and proceed directly to the Keystone Grand Ballroom.
New York Times
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Betty Bonney, 100, Dies; Her Song for a Yankee Star Was a Big-Band Hit
Betty Bonney was already a veteran big-band vocalist at 17 when she joined Les Brown and His Orchestra in 1941 — in time to sing the praises of the New York Yankees star Joe DiMaggio as he was racking up his major-league-record 56-game hitting streak. While performing that summer at a club in Armonk, N.Y., in Westchester County, the band 'got caught up in the streak,' Mr. Brown told Newsday in 1990, and 'would announce it from the bandstand every night if Joe had gotten another hit, or if he was coming to bat late in the game still without a hit.' As DiMaggio piled up hits — from mid-May to mid-July — a New York City disc jockey, Alan Courtney, and the band's arranger, Ben Homer, wrote a jaunty tune, 'Joltin' Joe DiMaggio,' which Ms. Bonney sang in her smooth, elegant style at the Armonk club while band members goofed around with baseball gloves, bats and caps, Mr. Brown said.
