Parting Thoughts: September/October 2014

by erik@localeben.com
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Volksfest honors Carl Neumann and Bill McCollum

By: Jim Dittmann

Well here we are:  – Volume 3 Issue 5

Wie geht es dir?

So, did you make it over to Volksfest dehr hey?   A couple of our good friends received distinguished service awards for their outstanding contributions to the performance, preservation and promotion of Polka music in Wisconsin!  These two “Durable Survivors” – Carl Neumann of Waupun and Bill “Uncle Bill” McCollum received lifetime achievement awards from the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame.  Please visit www.LocaLeben.com where you can view a video of the presentation.  Uncle Bill tells some pretty good stories…  

It’s gone now but I’ll always remember it as Howie Louden’s tavern.  We’d stop in now and then – Howie’s signature shuffle and the quick yak-yak-yak from behind the bar, as he’d suggest a Virginia Dare for Kathy – Old Style for me.  To me the building was a work of art – masonry, tile and hardwood details built for durability and comfort.  The deco booths provided the social media space – if you paused for a moment, you could hear the jazz bands from years gone by – still playing in the back corner.  Remember when the Beaver Dam mall was brand new?  To humor the community, Howie and Chili John ran an ad in the Daily which read something like this: “Contrary to popular belief Howie Louden’s Tavern & Chili John’s Café will NOT be moving to the mall.”

This summer we were given the opportunity to follow the Nation of Patriots Tour as it traveled the 48 contiguous states.  Photos from across the country arrived, and week by week as I posted these images, the emotions amplified – I felt I was meeting these folks first hand.  There isn’t space to mention everyone, but I met patriots from Ohio – Massachusetts – Virginia – Florida – Mississippi – Louisiana – Texas – New Mexico – Nevada – California – Montana – Wisconsin, just to name a few.  What impresses me the most is this is grassroots – real people aligning with a cause they really give a “you know what” about.  It is more powerful than my words can describe.  A slide show and video can be viewed below please take a look… 

Special thanks go to Tim Csiacsek for being a true gentleman.  I had lost track of some very important heirlooms his family had entrusted to me.  The time came that I needed to call Tim – he listened calmly while I fell on the sword, explained my failure, tried to apologize; then he very quietly said, “Well, we all lose things once in awhile.” – I reassured him that I was still looking and would not give up, and he in kind encouraged me stating, “Let’s stay in touch.”  The story ends well – we located the family photographs a few hours later and I got to call Tim with the good news – all is good…   – Cheers!

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