- I'm Jake, and this is The Chardon Polka Band.

Since I was 16, polka music has been my job, and at that job, I get into some pretty crazy stuff.

There's Mitch, Mike, Brian, and Bob.

You never know what we're gonna do or who we might run into, but we're gonna share it all with you on "The World According to Polka."

(upbeat tuba music) (air whooshes) (engine revs) (tires squeal) Today on "The World According to Polka," we're looking at a festival that takes place in Youngstown, Ohio, but draws people from all around the country.

It's called Simply Slavic, and it celebrates Slavic culture with music, dancing, food, and so much more.

And to help us out on this journey, I have a wonderful co-host, a co-host who is also a table.

- I am!

- Rodina.

- Hi, Jake, thanks for having me!

- Thanks for visiting us on the show.

Now, I think before we go any further, we have to address the furniture in the room.

- We do, yes.

- Why are you a table?

- (laughs) Well, my name is Rodina, and Rodina means family and homeland, and this costume represents the 13 countries all coming together to celebrate and have a great time.

And what do families do when they come together?

They come around the table.

- I love it.

That's a beautiful sentiment and one we are going to revisit throughout the program because that's what Simply Slavic is all about.

Now, one thing that brings Slavic people and all people everywhere together is Polka music.

Do you like polka music?

- I do, yeah.

It can be found in all the 13 Slavic countries in multiple forms and varieties.

- I love it.

Well, and we're gonna experience some of that right now with The Chardon Polka Band.

(upbeat Polka music) (upbeat Polka music continues) ♪ When you're feeling down and out ♪ ♪ And need some cheering up - Ahoy!

♪ I'm gonna tell you what you gotta do ♪ ♪ Just get out and listen to your favorite Polka band ♪ - That's us!

♪ It's guaranteed to help you ♪ Chase away the blues ♪ We're gonna have a Polka celebration ♪ ♪ You bring your friends out ♪ And I'll bring mine ♪ We're gonna have a Polka celebration ♪ ♪ We're gonna party and have a good time ♪ ♪ The music's got that magic touch ♪ ♪ To send your heart a-whirl ♪ This happy rhythm makes it feel so fine ♪ ♪ It's gotta touch of happiness and bound to cheer you up ♪ ♪ There's nothing like the Polka any place or any time ♪ ♪ We're gonna have a Polka celebration ♪ ♪ You bring your friends out ♪ And I'll bring mine ♪ We're gonna have a Polka celebration ♪ ♪ We're gonna party and have a good time ♪ ♪ We're gonna have a Polka celebration ♪ ♪ You bring you friends - Everybody bring your friends ♪ And I'll bring mine - Come on, come on, come on.

♪ We're gonna have a Polka celebration ♪ ♪ We're gonna party and have a good time ♪ (upbeat Polka music continues) (upbeat Polka music continues) (upbeat Polka music continues) (upbeat Polka music concludes) (crowd cheers) Today, we're looking at an awesome festival called Simply Slavic.

And now to help guide us through, I have the perfect co-host.

You are an expert.

You are- - Rodina.

- Now I wanna start with something.

Our viewers may not even know this term.

I know I didn't when I first heard it, Slavic.

- Yeah, so Slavic is an umbrella term to describe 13 nations in Eastern Europe that came from one Slavic tribe.

- Okay, so they started out as one tribe, then became 13 nations.

- Yep.

- And I imagine that these 13 nations have certain things in common and certain things different like language.

- Like language, exactly.

They all speak different languages, Polish, Croatian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Carpatho-Rusyn.

- I'm so glad you said that because I know you know at least one or two of these languages - A little bit.

- And I know you can sing in at least one or two of these languages - Can, yep.

- All right, would you like to do a song?

- Yeah, let's do it.

- What's the song?

- Szla Dzieweczka (upbeat accordion music) (Rodina sings in Polish) Szła dzieweczka do laseczka (Rodina sings in Polish) do zielonego, hah hah (Rodina sings in Polish) do zielonego.

(Rodina sings in Polish) Napotkała myśliweczka (Rodina sings in Polish) Bardzo szwarnego, hah hah (Rodina sings in Polish) bardzo szwarnego.

(Rodina sings in Polish) Gdzie jest ta ulica, (Rodina sings in Polish) gdzie jest ten dom (Rodina sings in Polish) Gdzie jest ta dziewczyna, (Rodina sings in Polish) co kocham ją?

(Rodina sings in Polish) Znalazłem ulicę, (Rodina sings in Polish) znalazłem dom, (Rodina sings in Polish) Znalazłem dziewczynę, (Rodina sings in Polish) co kocham ją.

♪ La la la la la la la la la la la la ♪ (lively accordion music concludes) - Oh my gosh, you've just made my day with this beautiful music.

Thank you so much.

- Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

- Now, what is that song again?

- Szla Dzieweczka - And what is that song about?

- It is about a girl meeting a hunter in the woods.

- Bringing people together.

- Definitely.

- That's what we keep telling our audience Simply Slavic is all about, a girl and a guy meet in the woods.

That's one way to do it.

We're not meeting in the woods though.

We are at the Simply Slavic Festival in Youngstown, Ohio.

Now, I want to ask you before we go on, one more thing about this song, because we've been talking to you a lot as Rodina today, but you are also my friend, Catherine.

- I am.

- And Catherine grew up with this heritage in her life.

Did you ever sing that song?

- [Rodina] I did, yeah.

My dad would play the accordion and my mom would sing with her friends and we would all just a big happy family.

- [Jake] I love it.

So you grew up with all this?

- I definitely did.

- And Catherine's whole family is involved in this festival.

Here's her sister, Sarah.

So give me an idea of what this festival is all about in your words.

- It is about coming together, a lot of different Slavic ethnicities, nationalities, sharing what we know, sharing what we've grown up with, what we hold dear to us with other people and also learning about other people's cultures.

(lively Polka music) (lively Polka music continues) ♪ She told me she loved me ♪ But oh how she lied ♪ Oh how she lied ♪ Oh how she lied ♪ She told me she loved me ♪ But oh how she lied ♪ Oh how she lied to me - Hey!

(lively Polka music continues) (lively Polka music continues) ♪ Oh, don't you leave me, Baby Doll ♪ ♪ Don't you leave, my Baby Doll ♪ ♪ Don't you leave me, Baby Doll ♪ ♪ You're my darling now (lively Polka music continues) (lively Polka music continues) (lively Polka music continues) (lively Polka music continues) (lively Polka music continues) ♪ She told me she loved me ♪ But oh how she lied ♪ Oh how she lied ♪ Oh how she lied ♪ She told me she loved me ♪ But oh how she lied ♪ Oh how she lied to me (crowd cheers) - Woohoo hoo hoy!

That was the "Baby Doll Polka" with Mike Franklin, Brian Brazier, Bob Young, Mitch Lawrence, Jake Kouwe, and Bob Buzecan.

There was a lot of Polka dancing going on in that song, but that's not the only kind of dance that you find at the Simply Slavic Festival.

What kind of dancing do we see in the Slavic culture?

- All different kinds.

We see line dances, circle dances, couple dances, czardases, kolos, specialty dances, people showing off, having fun.

- I love it.

Well, to show off some dance moves for us today, we've got a group featured at Simply Slavic, and they're from Illinois, and that group is called- - The Tatra Mountain Cultural Foundation.

- Well, we're gonna check it out right now.

(lively folk music) - [Rodina] This dance is unique to the Southern Mountain region in Poland.

It's a courting dance.

You will see one guy goes up to one girl.

This is an example of dances that represent traditional life.

Men would go up into the mountain as shepherds with their axes.

They would show off and dance with comradery and cheer.

(lively folk music continues) This is an example of kids starting at a young age.

He's doing what the adult men would be doing.

He gets the basics and is able to grow up into it.

He's learning the steps at a young age, learning rhythm.

(lively folk music) (audience claps) (audience cheers) - First of all, what's your name?

- Jacob.

- Yep, my name's Jake too!

I mean, Jacob's my full name.

I go by Jake.

Do you go by Jake?

- No.

- Oh, that's okay, that's okay.

So tell me about your group.

What's your group called?

- Tatra Foundation.

- And where are you guys from?

- Chicago.

- And do you have to do a lot of work to prepare for this?

- [Jacob] Sometimes we learn stuff for like the shows, and sometimes we already know the stuff.

(spectator shouts) (spectator whistles) (lively folk music) (air whooshes) (relaxed bass music) (relaxed bass music) - Of course, you never know who you're gonna run into here at Simply Slavic.

It's my old friend Autumn, The Pierogi Lady.

What's up, Autumn?

- Just slinging these pierogies.

- How many have you gone through this weekend?

- Probably about 8,000 so far.

- [Jake] 8,000.

Can I ask you, what do you like about this festival, Simply Slavic?

- [Autumn] I really love seeing the ladies go by in their outfits.

They're so sweet.

I love how everybody is so festive, and it's just a wonderful festival.

- And now I'm here with- - Adam.

- Adam, and, Adam, earlier you were pouring the beer, right, man?

- That's right.

- Tell us about the beer.

- So we're a brewery called Modern Methods Brewing Company outta Warren, Ohio.

This is a beer that we brewed for five years.

It's a fundraiser for the Simply Slavic Youth Scholarship for students at YSU.

So we tap the first cask, you know, opening ceremony.

It's available on tap, and then it's in a lot of bars or restaurants, grocery stores across the Mahoning Valley.

It's a great beer, of course, but ultimately, we do get to write a nice check to the Scholarship Fund.

- Now can y'all tell me, I see people coming over here and getting information, what's going on right here?

- We get a lot of people who come and they're either looking for like Grandpa's village, where they were from, or they might be asking about a recipe or something.

But the big thing is, "I know the name of my village.

Can you help me find it?"

And we'll do things.

We're pretty good at it too.

- We're talking about bringing folks together.

What's another thing that we could expect bringing people together at Simply Slavic?

- Food!

- I love food.

What kind of food can we find at the Simply Slavic Festival?

- All sorts of yummy food.

We have pierogi or [in Polish] “pʲɛˈrɔgʲi” We have gołąbki, or halupki.

We have kielbasi.

We have chicken paprikash.

We have chimney cakes, all sorts.

- [Jake] Did you grow up with some of this food?

- I did, yeah.

During the holidays we would make the food from scratch.

We would make pierogi with sweet cheese filling or potato filling.

And then we would also have pickled herring on rye bread called Śledzie - Pickled herring on rye bread?

- It's better than you think!

(mouth gulps) - Sleh... - Śledzie - I love it, pickled herring.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, here is a pickled polka for you from The Chardon Polka Band.

♪ Hiding here ♪ Hiding there ♪ I'm hiding everywhere ♪ I am over here ♪ And now I'm over there, look out ♪ ♪ Hiding here ♪ Hiding there ♪ I'm hiding everywhere ♪ Say let's all play hide and seek ♪ - Youngstown, Ohio!

♪ Apples, peaches, pumpkin pie ♪ Who's not ready, holler I ♪ Let's all play hide and seek ♪ Apples, peaches, pumpkin pie ♪ Who's not ready, holler I ♪ Let's all play hide and seek ("Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" continues) ("Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" continues) ("Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" continues) ("Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" continues) ♪ Well, you oughtta see my Jilly ♪ ♪ And a pretty girl is she (flirtatious whistling) ♪ She lives on the other side of town ♪ ♪ West side ♪ She likes to play with her glass eye ♪ ♪ She chews her chewing gum ♪ And she always plays hide and seek ♪ ♪ We said apples, peaches, pumpkin pie ♪ ♪ Who's not ready, holler I ♪ Let's all play hide and seek ♪ Apples, peaches, pumpkin pie ♪ Who's not ready, holler I ♪ Let's all play hide and seek ♪ Let's go ("Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" continues) ("Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" continues) ("Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" continues) ♪ Go, go, go ("Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" continues) ♪ Oh, apples, peaches, pumpkin pie ♪ ♪ Who's not ready, holler I ♪ Let's all play hide and seek ♪ Apples, peaches, pumpkin pie ♪ Who's not ready, holler I ♪ Let's all play hide and seek ("Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" concludes) (crowd cheers) All right, so that was a song from an incredibly talented group of guys, The Chardon Polka Band.

- Pretty good.

- I don't have to tell you that, but there are other fine groups at this festival.

There's other great music at this festival, and I want you to tell me a little bit about it.

- Yeah, there's all different kinds.

There's Polka, there's Tambura, there's Gypsy.

Everyone's having a great time.

- All throughout the street, you find musicians.

In every nook and cranny, there's music going on at Simply Slavic, and I love that.

- It's great.

(energetic string music) (singing in foreign language) (energetic string music continues) (lively folk music) (singing in foreign language) (lively folk music) (singing in foreign language) - So, Rodina, we have covered music, we've covered food, we've covered dancing, but I wanna talk about this job at the festival.

And this job is?

- I roll around the festival selling shots and bringing merriment.

- That you do.

And it is one of the coolest things I've seen at any festival when you show up as Rodina, as this table, and you're rolling around and engaging with folks.

And I thought, since that's your job at the festival, you might be willing to lead us in a toast today.

- Let's do it!

- Let's do it.

Now, what do you got for us?

- živjeli!

živjeli živjel - živjeli?

- Yep.

- Okay, and that is?

- Cheers or to your health in Croatian.

- All right, I'll take živjeli.

I got it now, - To health and happiness.

- To traditions here in Ohio and the rest of the world.

(Rodina speaks foreign language) - živjeli!

("The House Is Rockin'" begins) Ah, that's Polka, folks.

("The House Is Rockin'" plays) ♪ If the house is a rockin' don't bother knockin' ♪ ♪ If the house is a rockin' don't bother knockin' ♪ ♪ If the house is a rockin' don't bother come on in ♪ ♪ Kick off your shoes start losin' the blues ♪ ♪ This old house ain't got nothin' to lose ♪ ♪ Seen it all for years start spreadin' the news ♪ ♪ Get on the floor and shimmy to shake sumpin' loose ♪ ♪ Yeah the house is a rockin' don't bother knockin' ♪ ♪ If the house is a rockin' don't bother knockin' ♪ ♪ If the house is a rockin' don't bother come on in ♪ - Let's hear it, Mitch.

("The House Is Rockin'" continues) ("The House Is Rockin'" continues) ("The House Is Rockin'" continues) ("The House Is Rockin'" continues) ("The House Is Rockin'" continues) ("The House Is Rockin'" continues) ("The House Is Rockin'" continues) ("The House Is Rockin'" continues) ("The House Is Rockin'" continues) ("The House Is Rockin'" continues) ♪ If the house is a rockin' don't bother knockin' ♪ ♪ If the house is a rockin' don't bother knockin' ♪ ♪ If the house is a rockin' don't bother come on in ♪ - Come on, come on, come on.

♪ Yeah the house is a rockin' don't bother come on in ♪ ("The House Is Rockin'" concludes) (crowd cheers) - Bobby Buzecan, Mike Franklin, Mitch Lawrence.

All right, we are having a total blast today, but I want to drive this point home for anybody watching.

Rodina's not just about drinking shots.

Reiterate for us again, what is Rodina?

- So Rodina means family, and Rodina means homeland.

And I'm Rodina.

- And now your garb, your ensemble is the ensemble of a?

- Bride.

- This bridal outfit brings together many Slavic elements including a headdress with both Russian and Ukrainian influences, a Slovak inspired blouse, red beads on the outfit that point to Polish heritage.

This bridal outfit and the wonderful woman who wears it both serve as a celebration of Slavic culture.

And so does this next part of the festival, which we will be discussing now.

Now, Rodina, I want you to tell us about the finale of the festival.

What brings everybody together?

- Yeah, the vatra.

It is a bonfire in the center of downtown.

- [Jake] Yeah, and it's a fire that celebrates the summer solstice in Slavic culture, right?

- [Rodina] Yeah, everyone's coming together, dancing, singing, musicians.

It's a great time.

- And there's also a story that goes along with it, right?

- Correct, it's the three brothers representing the three tribes of the Slavic Nation.

- And you guys, your family, let me be a part of this story this year, and it is literally my highest achievement as a Polka musician.

I want you to know that.

And we're gonna show some footage of the vatra, and you're gonna tell us a story while we're watching.

- Perfect, let's do it!

The legend goes that there were three brothers, princes of the Slav's land, Lech, Czech, and Rus.

One day they went hunting together.

During the hunt, they split up, each taking a different direction.

- [Jake] Lech went north and encountered a white eagle at sunset, taking it as a sign that he should stay, becoming the kingdom of Poland.

Czech went west and found fertile land in the central Bohemian Flatlands, (air whooshes) raising a family that would become the Czechia Nation.

Rus went east, and along with those he met along the way would become the peoples of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.

- [Rodina] They each followed their own destinies, which led them away from each other to become fathers of different Slavic nations.

- [Jake] While in legend, the brothers never met again, we're imagining a reunion for them tonight.

- [Rodina] Lech, arise from the North, Czech from the West, and Rus from the East.

- [Jake] And in our roles as the three Slavic brothers, we light a bonfire in the center of Youngstown, Ohio.

- [Rodina] Tonight, the three brothers celebrate the summer solstice.

(upbeat folk music) (people cheer) (upbeat folk music continues) - We'd like to think that we made the three Slavic brothers and the nations they represent proud as we brought folks together tonight.

(upbeat polka music) (upbeat polka music continues) This has been another installment of "The World According to Polka" where we've been looking at the Simply Slavic Festival in Youngstown, Ohio.

Now, Rodina, is there anything else you'd like us to know about this terrific event?

- Yeah, our festival is about bringing people together and celebrating the Slavic countries.

So I invite everyone to come down in June and have a great time.

- And I have had a great time with my friend Rodina here at the PBS Western Reserve Studios in Kent, Ohio.

All right, you wanna send us off?

Do widzenia!

(Rodina says goodbye in Polish) - Until we meet again.

(upbeat acoustic music) All right, here we go, Rodina, Catherine.

♪ I'm crazy.

♪ Crazy for feeling so lonely ♪ I'm crazy ♪ Crazy for feeling so blue ♪ I knew ♪ You'd love me as long as you wanted ♪ ♪ And someday you'd leave me for somebody new ♪ ♪ Worry, why do I sit here and worry ♪ ♪ Wondering what in the world did I do ♪ - My favorite chord.

♪ Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you ♪ ♪ Crazy for trying and crazy for crying ♪ ♪ And crazy for loving you (audience applauds) (people chatter)