Columns & Opinions

Thanks for the dance, y’all! Since starting polkabeat.com in 2010 and assuming ownership of Texas Polka News in 2014, I have thoroughly enjoyed the dance. I think the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the call to stop systemic racism in our country has made many Americans examine their lives and step out from the comfort of the norm and make changes. That is where I find myself.

Polkadate July 2020. Once upon a time, to be exact, the spring of 1987, a powerhouse in the Central Texas music industry, Julius Tupa, floated an idea among his friends and fellow musicians that would come to fruition and continue to bear fruit for several decades and into the next millennium.

On behalf of the International Polka Association Board of Trustees and Hall of Fame Committee, the IPA Officers and Directors are proud to announce the 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees as well as the 2019 Music Award winners.