Hungry? No problem. The Blue Note Ballroom in Winsted is catering a German meal. And if you need to wet your whistle after all that dancing, how about a beer? Yes! The Blue Note is selling beer, too. And the best part? If you’re one of the first 90 people through the door, you’ll get a free handmade Alpine hat. It’s just the ticket to cap off the German-style evening.
To get the scoop, the Leader talked with Brian Haines, executive director of the museum. He’s the spirit behind the Whoopee Fest and provides all the answers in this Q&A:
Where did the idea for the Whoopee Fest come from?
There’s something very “Minnesotan” about polka-style music. I can remember growing up, being in my grandma’s kitchen while she worked, and her tuning in the AM radio to hear any number of polkas, schottisches and waltzes. I also recall being in my uncles’ barn when they were milking, they’d always have that same music playing through the radio, that music was always keeping time with the milking machine. Outside of personal memories, in this state we have a big Octoberfest in New Ulm, another in Cold Spring, as well as several places that host “German night.” I guess when it comes down to it I wanted to incorporate an event into our schedule that celebrates the heritage and culture of so many people that live in this area and beyond. Not only that, but there is something inherently fun, almost a silly kind of fun, about a polka event — you don’t even have to like the music to appreciate it, anyone can have fun with it, young and old.
What are the details?
The doors will open up at 5:30 and the music will begin at 6. We are having the Blue Note of Winsted cater the event with beer, potato salad, sauerkraut, rolls, and sausages that are made fresh from City Meat Market in Brownton. We’ll also have coffee, water and root beer available. Admission to the event is free, but being that this is a fundraiser, there will be a charge for the meal. I’d also like to add that the event is being sponsored by Pat Chapman of Edward Jones in Hutchinson. Our last big event was far larger than we could have anticipated. The place was packed full, so we’re hoping for a similar turnout.
What about parking at the museum?
If you come, and are able, we ask that you park by Burger King, or in Odd Fellows Park, across State Highway 7, and utilize the walking path to the museum in order to save some parking spaces for those who cannot walk the distance. The museum parking lot will fill fast, and there will be some attendants to aid you in finding a place to park.
Why Chuck Thiel for the music?
Brian Haines: In order to do the event right, we needed some music. There are, of course, several musicians still around in the area, but few of them still get up and play a full set. At any rate, nearly everyone I approached about music mentioned Chuck Thiel, so we went with him. In addition, he’s a local musician and he incorporates his family into his group. I haven’t heard him live, yet, but I hear some great things from those who follow him.
Chuck Thiel: Generations 2-3-4 of the Jolly Ramblers will be playing at the Whoopee Fest May 5. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been traveling with the Jolly Ramblers since 1962 as my dad worked with other bands. Jason, who is now 41, has been an active member since age 8. Jacob started at age 5, playing great-grandpa’s drum set. He is now our full-time drummer at age 13. Jason plays keyboard and Jacob plays drums with the band, but both are very talented trumpeters. They’ve laid tracks for the keyboard and drums, so both can play trumpet on many tunes, allowing us to sound like a five-piece group with the three of us. We have many shows coming up this summer.
Can you provide some background info on the Whoopee exhibit at the museum?
Back in 2019, a man named Vern Steffel came to the museum and asked if we wanted more space and that he’d consider making a donation to build an addition. We were up against a few other organizations as well, but in the end he chose us. One of the first things I learned about Vern was that he owned and operated the Whoopee John Band. Though he never played with the original “Whoopee” John Wilfhart, he purchased the rights to the music and the name from John Wilfhart’s son, who had been playing under the name Whoopee John Band. If I’m correct, Vern had to basically audition to take over the band as Wilfhart’s son needed to be sure that the band would be in good hands. Vern’s band played all over Minnesota and beyond. They even did a Bavarian tour. They weren’t amateurs, that is for sure. At any rate, the band was an important part of Vern’s life, and given the history of polka music in the area, we were ready to embrace Vern’s chapter in the Whoopee John story and have created a nice Whoopee John exhibit at the museum.
Why should people attend?
The event may be called Whoopee Fest, but it’s really a great chance for people to celebrate the history of music in the county. McLeod County has a deep history when it comes to music, especially polka, or “old-time” music. There’s the Jolly Ramblers, Wally Pikal, Jerry Kadlec of the original Whoopee John Band, Jerry Schuft, and of course one of my favorites, Lester Schuft, who just made the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. If you want to dig deep, there are even more musicians, far too many to name. We plan to do a small display that celebrates this history, and hopefully we can toast our new Hall of Fame inductee! Most of all, this is just going to be fun. Like I said before, there is something fun about a polka. We really hope this goes over well and is something we can do annually.
