The International Polkafest is an annual

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

devoted to

polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

. The festival draws about a dozen bands and was held for a time and until 2008 at the

Ironworld Discovery Center The Minnesota Discovery Center, formerly known as Ironworld Discovery Center and originally as the Iron Range Interpretive Center, opened in the 1977 outside Chisholm, Minnesota, United States. It showcases northeastern Minnesota's "history and f ...

Chisholm, Minnesota Chisholm is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,976 at the 2010 census. The city has been called "The Heart of the Iron Range" due to its location in the middle of the Mesabi Iron Range. History The city ...

. The first Polkafest was held in

Pine City, Minnesota Pine City is a city in and the county seat of Pine County, in east central Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,130 at the 2020 census. A portion of the city is located on the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation. Founded as a railway town, ...

in 1978 at the

Pine County Pine County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,876. Its county seat is Pine City. The county was formed in 1856 and organized in 1872. Part of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is in Pine ...

Fairgrounds and it was held there most often throughout the years until it outgrew the space.

Florian Chmielewski Florian W. Chmielewski Sr. (February 10, 1927 – April 23, 2024) was an American musician and politician. He played as an accordion player with the Chmielewski Family Funtime Band, performing polka music throughout the midwest. Chmielewski was ...

was the brainchild of the event which attracts thousands of people each year. An International Polkafest was held in

Kitzbühel Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbühel district (). Kitzbühel ...

, Austria in 1978.

External links

Florian Chmielewski Fun Time Band Website
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References

Ironworld Discovery Center
Music festivals in Minnesota Folk festivals in the United States Polka {{music-festival-stub