I heard my first Heligonka in about 1935, when I was five years old, and fell in love with the Helicon Bass sound, and then listened to Drago Majnarich play the Frajtonerca diatonic accordion for Slovenian and Croatian parties and weddings and picnics with janje and prasetina, for loggers and farmers in Bend, Oregon.

In those "Great Depression" years, I had only the poor peoples accordion, the Hohner Harmonica. At that time, I also learned the guitar and played it at home on the farm, and while I was in the Navy from 1951 - 1954.

It was my delight to find Polka music at "Polka Palace" in Los Angeles, at the Sokol Hall, 500 North-Western Ave. in Los Angeles, and at the Polish Hall. The bands were Frank Hermanek and the Melody Men, Franz Scherman and the Alpiners, and the Cavariers with Sam Pecorilla on the Accordion. That was during my time as an Electronics Technician in the U.S. Navy.

When in San Fransisco, I found music at the SNPJ Slovenian Hall on "Krajnski Hill" and at the HBZ Croatian Lodge in San Pablo. I got some of my earliest recordings during those years.

In 1954 I was discharged from the Navy, and went to Oregon State College, where I had the great good fortune, to be the host for "Music of Czechoslovakia" on KOAC, the Oregon State Radio Station. I hosted the program from 1954 - 1960 and played 78 RPM recordings from Czechoslovakia and from across the USA.

Whoopee John Wilfahrt with his concertina and band and The Six Fat Dutchmen with Chris Hengle on concertina were some of my favorites. Of course, I included the American King of Polkas, Frankie Yankovic and his Slovenian-American stylings.

Romance and marriage happened in 1951 and my wife Joy, played clarinet in the Sokol Orchestra in Scio, Oregon, with a Bohemian Tony Brenn, on the Heligonka.

We began our own group, the Polka Pipers which played all over the Northwest until 1987. Our children, Eric and Olga both learned to play on the twelve bass Hohner piano accordion, each starting when they were four years old. Eric then played the trumpet and Olga the clarinet. They family were the core of our Polka Band for some quarter of a century. During that time I got my first accordeon, a Crucianelli, and started to play it when I was about thirty five years old.

I received my diploma in Sociology in 1965 and went to Yugoslavija as delegate to the second World Population Conference as a graduate student in Social Psychology. I visited my ancestral home in Croatia and Slovenia, and discovered Boris Frank S Svojimi Kranjnci, and got some of his wonderful Oberkrajner music with accordion and ensemble. I also found the Avsenik Brothers group, with Slavko on the very special Hohner accordion. Other groups also came to hand and I brought quite a number of recordings back to the USA.

I then had the great good fortune, to be hired by Lane Community College as a Professor of Sociology, where I I worked for 33 years. Whilst there, I also taught classes in Eugene, Cottage Grove, Junction City, Florence and other outlying areas.

When KCST radio station in Florence was sold to Jon Thompson, about 1975, I approached Jon and volunteered to start an "International Polka Party" program. He arranged the time slot from 05.00 am to 07.00 am in the morning. That was my first radio program since KOAC, and fortunately, the program went very well.

Some years later the radio station did a survey and found that my program was one of the most listened to, so they extended my time to three hours, and now I have four hours of "the best in OldTyme American and European Music", from 04.00 am to 08.00 am each Sunday Morning.

My collection has grown over the years to now have several thousand recordings on LP, Cassettes, and CD's.

When my wife Nancy and I went to Europe in 2002, I tracked down Rene Wicky at Corema Records in Oberageri, Switzerland. He has recorded some 200 CD's of Swiss Landler music with many performers using the Schweitzer Orgli, (diatonic harmonika), and Orgel (accordion) with clarinet and bowed string bass, and sometimes with keyboard or piano. I bought several thousand dollars worth of these recordings and when I returned to Switzerland last year, I purchased all the rest of his recordings.

I also found Tyrolis Records in Austria and bought many of the Oberkrainer and Folk Music recordings from Sylvia Haid, a wonderful and gracious woman who did wonderful caretaking.

Of course my collection has many recordings with Frankie Yankovic and Joey Miskulin. Sylvia and Fjordsong, from Seattle, Washington, as well as L'il Wally and Eddie Zima. Some of my favorite recordings are of the Rocky Mountain Dutch Hop, with accordion and hammered dulcimer.

When I was teaching classes in Cottage Grove, Oregon, I discovered the KNND radio station, and asked the owners if I could do a radio program there. They agreed, and I have had "Polka Party" on KNND radio station for some 15 years each Saturday morning from 08.00 am to 10.00 am.

My listeners come from all ages, including some of my 10-12,000 former students, many nationalities and a variety of social strata. Many people write or call, some in tears, when I play their familiar favorite music.

Since I am now a retired professor, this work is a small measure of appreciation to the community and a small service I can offer.

Sincerely,
John R. Klobas