Lustig Haus Blog

Lustige Leute Newsletter July 2023

Howdy Friends! And welcome to our new Friends!

Here it is, the calm before the storm, the dog days of summer, the long days of early mornings of hard work, followed by a little afternoon siesta in the heat, followed by a polkarific evening with music, food and cold beer. Yes, the dog days of summer are upon us. We hope you had a happy Independence Day and Week! What a summer it has been. Tell us how your summer has been going - we'd love to hear from you!

July public performances:

The Sauer Kraut Grill / also known as Code 49 Burger; Summer of Stubenmusi; 734 Crabb River Rd in Richmond, TX

Wednesdays July 12 & 26
Thursday July 20; 6 - 8pm The Duo Unplugged and untamed...

Nathan's BBQ; 1307 Prairie Lea, Brenham, TX
Sunday July 23; Old School Polka Sundays! 3pm - 6pm; The Duo

Looking ahead:

August

The Sauer Kraut Grill / also known as Code 49 Burger; Summer of Stubenmusi; 734 Crabb River Rd in Richmond, TX
Thursdays Aug 3 & 10; 6 - 8pm The Duo, Unplugged and untamed...

Altstadt Brewery; 6120 East, US-290, Fredericksburg, TX; In the Grand Hall
Saturday August 12; 12:30 - 3:30; The Trio with Robert on fiddle

The Table at Madeley; 316 Madeley Street, Conroe, TX; Outdoor concert venue
Friday August 18; 7:30 - 9:00; The Trio with Robert on fiddle
Admission $12 - $15

Altstadt Brewery; 6120 East, US-290, Fredericksburg, TX; In the Grand Hall
Saturday August 19; 12:30 - 3:30; The Trio with Michael on drums

September begins the Oktoberfest season!

Have something to celebrate? Call us for pricing and availability if you have something to celebrate this summer. How 'bout a Backyard Bierfest? Polka on the porch? Oktoberfest rehearsal? We can play for you as a duo unplugged, or we can bring the sound equipment and specialty folk instruments. We tailor our set up and repertoire to your needs! In addition to our German / Austrian / Dutch / Czech repertoire, and old country, we now offer original songs, and some Irish folk music too! Speaking of Oktoberfest, we have two Sundays that just became available during the Oktoberfest season! Sunday Sept 24, and Sunday Oct 1 are both currently open. On Sept 24, we can offer the duo or trio. On Sunday Oct 1, we can offer the duo, 3 piece, 4 piece and even folk dancers! Thinking of Christmas time already? We've quite a few traditional German Christmas songs, as well as many of the standards everyone loves to sing along to. Let us know if we can send you a quote!

Hosting our trips: We are very close to being ready to publish the itinerary and pricing for the 3 week trip to Franconia, former East Germany, the Bohemian area of the Czech Republic, and Bavaria! The basics are: Our private bus meets us in Munich on June 4, spend 2 nights in Bayreuth with a visit to Bamberg, A stop at a border museum followed by lunch in Halle on our way north to spend 4 nights in Wittenberg. A torchlit tour of Wittenberg followed by day trips to Leipzig, and Berlin. A stop for a day in Dresden on our way to 3 nights in Bautzen, with a day trip for lunch in Poland - by special request. Then we head to the Czech Republic for 3 nights in Kutna Hora with a visit to the Sedlec Ossuary - also by special request! We'll have day trips to Cesky Krumlov and Prague! Heading back to Germany, we'll stop at the Patton Museum in Pilsen before we spend the night in a brewery hotel near Munich. The final 6 nights of the 19 day holiday will be in southern Bavaria with day trips to Innsbruck, Mittenwald, Linderhof Castle, The Zugspitze, Garmisch Partenkirchen, and more. There's even an open day in the itinerary while in Bavaria where we will be polling our registered guests to decide on the activity for that day. There will be several guided walking tours in many of the areas we visit, even free time for exploring and shopping. Lots of fun and adventure too! Live music will be part of this trip, sometimes by locals, and sometimes by your hosts! What more could you want from a small group vacation? We'll return to Munich for our flights home on Sunday June 23. This trip is just 11 months away! Passport processing is taking longer than usual, so check yours for validity and plan ahead. Like we said, we're really close to being able to publish the itinerary and pricing.

Website: You can always find out what's happening with us at http://www.prostyall.com. We update our calendar as information becomes available, and always keep the upcoming gigs and last minute changes on the home page. The shop page https://www.prostyall.com/shop has all sorts of fun things available, including the brand new design "It's All About The Ponytail" t-shirt.

Social Media: You can find us on Facebook, and Youtube. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/valinapolka , friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valinapolka "like" us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prostyall/ We have an instagram, but don't know how to use it.

Behind the scenes: Ross and I are doing summer time things between our busy schedule of side jobs, rehearsals and scattered shows. Ross continues to help his parents, and work on projects for people. Valina spends a lot of time in the office working on Tomball's Christmas festival schedule proposal, next year's Europe tour, band paperwork, and graphics. But, with Independence week, there have been a few days of 'staycation' with friends in from out of town. The Lustig Haus has seen quite a bit of laughter in the past few weeks, and it's been great!

My Mom was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in early January. This June, she had surgery to remove the bits left behind. She's feeling much better with most of the Chemo side effects having subsided. She's even eating chocolate and small amounts of cheese again! She's quite chipper and looking forward to this journey being behind her. There are still some treatments to go, and a few weeks of radiation, but she's on the upswing! She and Daddy are back to going out to eat nearly 4 nights a week, hanging with their granddaughter, listening to live music, looking at future cruises, and planning to join us in Europe next summer. We're all continuing to pray for her, and for Wim as he navigates all the chaos around his wife of 59 years. Thank you for keeping them in your prayers! Some of you have been such wonderful support to her, and we're all very thankful!

We hope we get to see you very soon! Stay cool, stay healthy, be happy, travel safe this summer, share a smile with a stranger, and Polka On. Prost Y'all!

Lustige Leute Newsletter June 2023

Howdy Friends! And welcome to our new Friends!

Summer's Here! Graduations, weddings, vacations, picnics, beaches, lakes, ahhhhh, that's the life! And Father's Day is just a few weeks away. Dads love polka and Bier! (wink wink) And Das ist lustig has some celebrating available for you!

June public performances:

Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe; 205 East 1st Street, Sanford FL
Friday June 9; 7pm - 10pm
Saturday June 10; 1pm - 4pm & 7pm - 10pm
Sunday June 11; 12pm - 3pm & 6pm - 9pm
Reservations possible for Fridays - they fill up quickly! "To make your reservation, please call 407-321-2204 prompt 1. Reservationist hours are M-F 11:00 - 5:00 or via email reservations@hollerbachs.com"

White Horse Tavern; 400 N Main, Burton, TX
Friday June 16, 7pm - 10pm; The Duo
- $25 cover - Allison's delicious Pork steak dinner included! Reservations strongly recommended - 979 277 5768
Celebrate Father's Day weekend and spoil Dad with a huge meal, all the cold beer he can hold and some good old Biergarten frolics!

Faust Brewing Company; 499 S Castell, New Braunfels, TX
Friday June 23; 6pm - 9pm; The Trio with Kelsey on horns
Order and Alex Meixner Polka Pils, brewed right there! Free Admission!

The Sauer Kraut Grill; Summer of Stubenmusi; 734 Crabb River Rd in Richmond, TX
Thursdays June 15, 29, Wednesday June 21; 6 - 8pm The Duo
Unplugged and untamed...

Looking ahead:

July

The Sauer Kraut Grill, Thursdays July 6, 20, & Wednesdays July 12, 26; 6 - 8pm; The Duo unplugged

Nathan's BBQ, Sunday July 23; 3 - 6pm; The Duo

August

The Sauer Kraut Grill, Thursdays Aug 3, 10; 6 - 8pm; The Duo unplugged

The Table at Madeley, Friday Aug 18; The Trio; Biergarten Concert; Admission $15

There is a new album out with one of our original songs on it! The Round Top Brass Band just released their "Celebrating 50 years - Then And Now" album. They recorded the Tomball Y'all song, composed by Valina, translated from Valina to readable music and put on paper by Ross, then arranged for the brass band by George De Rocher. It's the first song ever written by Valina and Ross, and it's out there in hard copy with a whole brass band playing it! ...and Valina is the vocalist. Song #20 in the "bonus tracks" on their 50th anniversary CD! It's actually a double album, so you receive their first recording from 1981 as well. 35 songs! Exciting times! Would you like to purchase one? $25 including shipping in the 48 states.

Have something to celebrate? Call us for pricing and availability if you have something to celebrate this summer. How 'bout a Backyard Bierfest? Polka on the porch? We can play for you as a duo unplugged, or we can bring the sound equipment and specialty folk instruments. We tailor our set up and repertoire to your needs! In addition to our German / Austrian / Dutch / Czech repertoire, and old country, we now offer original songs, and some Irish folk music too! Let us know if we can provide the entertainment for your event.

Hosting our trips: Would you like to join us for a 3 week trip to Franconia, former East Germany, the Czech Republic, Bavaria and Austria? The basics are: Departing Monday June 3, arriving in Munich on June 4, spend 2 nights in the eastern part of Franconia visiting Bayreuth and Bamberg, Then head north for 4 nights in Wittenberg with day trips to Halle, Leipzig, and Berlin, 3 nights in Bautzen with a day trip to Dresden, and a day trip touring the region - and by request, we will pop in to Poland for lunch! Then we head to the Czech Republic for 3 nights in Kutna Hora with a day trip Cesky Krumlov and Prague! Heading back to Germany, we'll spend one night in a brewery near Munich, then spend 6 nights in southern Bavaria with day trips to Innsbruck, Mittenwald, Linderhof Castle, a mountain top in Austria, Garmisch Partenkirchen, and more. We'll return from Munich on Sunday June 23. This trip is just a year away! Make sure to check the dates on your passport, in case you need to get it renewed. Passport processing is taking several months at this time, so plan ahead and make sure that's not on your to-do list. Details are still coming, but we hope to have a full brochure ready by the beginning of July. Planning is *taking more time than it did before all the Covid shutdowns. Stay tuned for more information!

Website: You can always find out what's happening with us at http://www.prostyall.com. We update our calendar as information becomes available, and always keep the upcoming gigs and last minute changes on the home page. The shop page https://www.prostyall.com/shop has all sorts of fun things available, including the brand new design "It's All About The Ponytail" t-shirt.

Social Media: You can find us on Facebook, and Youtube. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/valinapolka , friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valinapolka "like" us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prostyall/ We have an instagram, but don't know how to use it.

Behind the scenes: Valina and Ross celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary with a lunch date to the Sauer Kraut Grill, followed by a road trip to Brenham to gorge themselves on Bluebell Ice Cream. They had their first date 16 years ago in July at the Bluebell 100th anniversary, so Bluebell is a tradition! Valina has been writing music again, and these original songs need a place where the duo can feel them out with a live audience, and what better place than The Sauer Kraut Grill: their favorite Imbiss (German quick service restaurant) in Richmond, Texas? The two newest songs are different from all the others she's written. One of them is quite the challenge to figure out instrumentation, because it has such a pop music feel. The second song that she wrote just last night has an Americana vibe to it. Possibly a good two stepper. We'll see how they evolve as the band works on arranging them. Ross has been doing odd jobs for people, making repairs here and there. Right now, he's aging some wood for an antique style German sleigh bed frame. With all the new arrangements and original songs, there is a lot of rehearsing and hashing going on in the studio. Valina spends a lot of time working on the band promotions, graphics for new merchandise (Do you need a new t-shirt? They're hot off the press, and pictured below), handling Oktoberfest paperwork, managing the band's travel logistics, and building the 2024 trip to Europe. *One of the biggest hurdles now that things are open for travel again, is getting pricing. Communication with the hotels began in January, but they are just now getting back with price ranges. Nailing the right hotel down in each region is important before the actual itinerary and pricing can be finalized. Logistics for the bus, the driver's (required by German law) days off, having a place to play live music, and maximizing the time to visit each region with free time for exploring on your own all effect the planning. Every tour is planned to allow time to have a drink, relax and take in the flavors and culture of the places we visit.

Valina's Mom was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in early January. She's been taking her treatments like a champ, even though they are causing discomfort, and have totally robbed her of her love for chocolate, cheese, and many other foods. On March 22, she got great news that the tumor is getting smaller, and the cancer is responding to the treatments. The last treatment she received in late April was especially brutal, and she was down for about 2 weeks, zero appetite and strange reactions to even such basics as water. She started feeling much better a couple of days after Mother's Day, and has been back out partying as much as she can since. She even hung out at the Sauer Kraut Grill on May 27 for 6 hours! She's in a much better mood, but is becoming wary of the next step in treatment with a lumpectomy coming in June. She's looking forward to later this summer when the surgery should remove the remaining offending bits, and getting to heal. We're all continuing to pray for her, and for Wim as he navigates all the chaos around his wife of 59 years. Thank you for keeping them in your prayers! Some of you have been such wonderful support to her, and we're all very thankful!

We hope we get to see you very soon! Stay healthy, be happy, travel safe this summer, share a smile with a stranger, and Polka On. Prost Y'all!

Lustige Leute Newsletter April 2023

Howdy Friends! And welcome to our new Friends!

Spring has sprung, the clocks are ahead, the Tomball German Heritage Festival is already behind us, and my favorite day of the year, April Fool's Day, is upon us! What a whirlwind March was! How was your spring break? Are you ready for Easter and the guaranteed warmer weather?

The music season picked up for us in the middle of March, with private parties, a concert at Momma's at Sengelmann, lots of rehearsals to learn new music for the Saint Patrick's Day party we were asked to play for at Saint Arnold, followed by the Tomball German Heritage Festival, which I was also doing all the last minute prep for. But this week is very quiet. Probably a good thing, since we're rehearsing a song to sing in church on Maundy Thursday, and I'm getting over Covid. More in the "behind the scenes" below.

April public performances:

Faust Brewing Company; 499 S Castell, New Braunfels, TX
Friday April 14; 6pm - 9pm; The Trio with Robert on fiddle

Grapevine On Main; 5120 Main ST in Chappell Hill, TX
Friday April 21; 7pm - 10pm; The Duo

Muenster Germanfest; Heritage Park, 301 N Ash Street, Muenster, Texas 76252, Friday - Sunday April 28 - 30; The 4 piece band; Friday 12pm - 1:25 and 3:10 - 4:30. Saturday 11:40am - 1:10pm and 10:20pm - 11:50pm. Sunday 2:30 - 4pm.

Looking ahead:

May

Brenham Maifest; Fireman's Park, Brenham, TX
Saturday, May 6; 11:30am - 2:30pm; The 4 piece band plus dancers

Faust Brewing Company; 499 S Castell, New Braunfels, TX
Saturday May 20; 6pm - 9pm; The Trio with Kelsey on horns

The Sauer Kraut Grill Maifest Celebration; 734 Crabb River Rd in Richmond, TX
Saturday May 27; 1pm - 7pm; The Trio with Kelsey, Ross and Valina - party all day!

Shiner Picnic; SS. Cyril and Methodius church in Shiner, TX

Sunday May 28; 10am - 1pm; The Trio with Kelsey, Ross, Valina and dancers!

June
Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe; 205 East 1st Street, Sanford FL
Friday June 9 7pm - 10pm
Saturday June 10 1pm - 4pm & 7pm - 10pm
Sunday June 11, 12pm - 3pm & 6pm - 9pm

Faust Brewing Company; 499 S Castell, New Braunfels, TX

Friday June 23; 6pm - 9pm; The Trio with Kelsey on horns

There is a new album out with one of our original songs on it! The Round Top Brass Band from Round Top Texas recorded the Tomball Y'all song, composed by me, translated from Valina to readable music and put on paper by Ross, then arranged for the brass band by George De Rocher. It's the first song I ever wrote, and it's out there in hard copy with a whole brass band playing it! ...and I'm the vocalist. Song #20! Exciting times! We have a few copies available for sale, so let us know if you'd like to purchase one! $25 including shipping in the 48 states.

Have something to celebrate? Call us for pricing and availability if you have something to celebrate in April, May, June. How 'bout a Backyard Bierfest for Father's Day? We can play for you as a duo unplugged, or we can bring the sound equipment and specialty folk instruments. We tailor our set up and repertoire to your needs! In addition to our German / Austrian / Dutch / Czech repertoire, old country, and original songs, we now offer some Irish too! Let us know if we can provide the entertainment for your event.

Hosting our trips: The itinerary for the June 2024 trip is beginning to really take shape, with a 3 week trip to Germany and The Czech Republic. The basics are: Depart Monday June 3, arriving in Munich on June 4, spend 2 nights in the eastern part of Franconia, Then head north for 4 nights in Wittenberg with day trips to Halle, Leipzig, and Berlin, 3 nights in Bautzen with a day trip to Dresden, and a day trip touring the region - we might even pop in to Poland! Then we head to the Czech Republic for 3 nights on the outskirts of Prague with a day trip to Prague, a day trip to Kutna Hora, and a day trip to Cesky Krumlov. Heading back to Germany, we'll spend one night near Munich, then spend 5 - 6 nights in southern Bavaria with day trips to Mittenwald, Linderhof Castle, Garmisch Partenkirchen and more. We'll depart on Saturday or Sunday June 22 or 23 from the Munich airport (details still coming) There will be an option to do just the first two weeks with us, or to stay for the entire 3 weeks. Stay tuned for more information!

Website: You can always find out what's happening with us at http://www.prostyall.com. We update our calendar as information becomes available, and always keep the upcoming gigs and last minute changes on the home page. The shop page https://www.prostyall.com/shop has all sorts of fun things available.

Social Media: You can find us on Facebook, and Youtube. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/valinapolka , friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valinapolka "like" us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prostyall/ We have an instagram, but don't know how to use it.

Behind the scenes: We've stayed bbbuuusssyy! March felt like Oktoberfest season with all of the rehearsing that was going on. We got the invitation to play St Paddy's at Saint Arnolds, literally the day the last newsletter out. We had 3 weeks to learn enough Irish repertoire to fill 2.5 stage hours. Somehow, we pulled it off. We knew the material well enough to cover each others mistakes, and the audiences seemed happy. We've been invited back for next year's St Paddy's Day! It was exhilarating to learn and perform new material that is a bit different from most of the music we've been playing for the past 16 years. We had a private party on March 10, a concert on the 15th, St Paddy's on Friday March 17, a private on Tuesday March 21, which Valina had to bow out of (tested positive for Covid) but Ross was negative and well, and Robert was able to take her place, so off they went. Then Thursday March 23, Valina had to be in Tomball to set up the stage areas. Thankfully all the work in Tomball is outdoors. When checked in to the hotel, the manager had a case of water, a huge bunch of bananas and a bag of mandarins put in our room to supplement breakfast, and brought the room key out to the car for me. Was able to avoid all indoor contact with people, and kept good distance. Even Ross never caught it - Valina moved to another room in the house and opened the windows so there would be fresh air in the house at all times. A negative test finally on Saturday morning, just in the nick of time for our performances at the festival. Was saving my voice for the shows, because laryngitis was an issue. But Ross is still fine, and everyone else who Valina worked with last week is covid free. What timing huh? This empty week (with just paperwork, followup and taxes) has been good for resting the voice. Next week is Easter, so we'll be at church several nights, then spending time with both sides of the family on Easter weekend. Performances start up again the next weekend with a new venue for us in New Braunfels. All the details are above, and can be found on the website.

Valina's Mom was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in early January. She asked it be kept quiet for a while until she had time to process it and know the full diagnosis. She's been taking her treatments like a champ, even though they are causing discomfort, and have totally robbed her of her love for chocolate. On March 22, she got great news that the tumor is getting smaller, and the cancer is responding to the treatments. She's in a much better mood. She and Dad came to Tomball for just the Saturday of the Germanfest. She wanted to see the opening ceremonies, the high school German clubs folk dance, and of course, her favorite German band. It was a family affair with Gerrit, Christina and Jane, and several other friends who also joined them at the table. Thank you for keeping her and Daddy in your prayers! It's working!

We hope we get to see you very soon! Stay healthy, be happy, share a smile with a stranger, and Polka On!

Lustige Leute Newsletter Feb Mar 2023

Happy New Year! Happy National Polka Month, Happy Valentines, Happy late winter! My goodness, it's been a while. Last newsletter, we were getting those last Christmas errands run, gifts (and water pipes) wrapped, food prepared, and now we find ourselves already at Fat Tuesday! Time flies indeed, and we hope you've had a wonderful winter season. It was fun hearing from some of you last Christmas.

We've only had one performance so far since Jan 1, and it was a semi-private event. Houstonfest on Feb 4, the German contest in the Houston area, is one of our very favorite shows to play. Robert joined us, and the auditorium was filled with energetic teenagers dancing polka, waltz, schuhplattling, and yodeling along. There are a few pictures from the Houstonfest Pre Award Ceremony Polka Party attached below. Performance season is slowly picking up again with the end of Feb and getting in to March. We hope we get to see you in person soon!

February and March public performances:

The Sauer Kraut Gill 3rd Anniversary Celebration; 734 Crabb River Rd in Richmond, TX
Saturday Feb 25; 12pm - 7pm; The Trio with Robert, Ross and Valina - party all day!

Nathan's BBQ; Corner of Prairie Lee and HWY 290 in Brenham, TX
Sunday Feb 26; 3pm - 6pm; The Duo

Momma's At Sengelmann; 531 N Main ST in Schulenburg, TX
Wednesday March 15; 6:30 - 9pm; The Duo celebrates "Halfway to Oktoberfest AND St Patrick's Day!

St Patrick's Day at Saint Arnold Brewery; 2000 Lyons Ave in Houston, TX Friday March 17, 6pm - 9pm; The Four Piece AKA Das ist Sláinte (special dub of the day by Saint Arnold's themselves!) Yes, there will be a few Irish selections in our repertoire for the evening! Free Admission!

Tomball German Heritage Festival; Market Street between Elm and Pine, In Tomball, TX
Saturday March 25; 2:30 - 6pm, Sunday March 26; 12pm - 2:30; The 4 piece band Free Admission!

Have something to celebrate? Call us for pricing and availability if you have something to celebrate in March, April, May. We can play for you as a duo unplugged, or we can bring the sound equipment and specialty folk instruments. We tailor our set up and repertoire to your needs! Maybe a halfway to Oktoberfest or an April Fool's party is in the cards? Let us know if we can provide the entertainment for your event.

Hosting our trips: The itinerary for the June 2024 trip is beginning to really take shape, with a 3 week trip to Germany and The Czech Republic. The basics are: Depart Monday June 3, arriving in Munich on June 4, spend 2 nights in the eastern part of Franconia, Then head north for 4 nights in Wittenberg with day trips to Halle, Leipzig, and Berlin, 3 nights in Bautzen with a day trip to Dresden, and a day trip touring the region. Then we head to the Czech Republic for 3 nights on the outskirts of Prague with a day trip to Prague, a day trip to Kutna Hora, and Cesky Krumlov. Heading back to Germany, we'll spend one night near Munich, then spend 4 or 5 nights in southern Bavaria with day trips to Mittenwald, Linderhof Castle, and Garmisch Partenkirchen. We'll depart on Saturday or Sunday June 22 or 23 from the Munich airport (details still coming) There will be an option to do the first two weeks with us, or to stay for the entire 3 weeks. Stay tuned for more information!

Website: You can always find out what's happening with us at http://www.prostyall.com. We update our calendar as information becomes available, and always keep the upcoming gigs and last minute changes on the home page. The shop page https://www.prostyall.com/shop has all sorts of fun things still available.

Social Media: You can find us on Facebook, and Youtube. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/valinapolka , friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valinapolka "like" us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prostyall/ We have an instagram, but don't know how to use it.

Behind the scenes: We've been bbbbbbuuuuussssyyyy! Usually, except for the Tomball Christmas Market, December is a more laid back time for us with private party performances, gift baking, watching our favorite Christmas movies, enjoying the decorations, connecting with friends who have holiday, and relaxing. Not so much this year. Things around the house kept breaking. First the lawnmower just died. No reason or rhyme, it just died. Ross took it apart, figured out what might be wrong with it, bought the parts he thought he'd need, and got it up and running again. Then the fridge stopped freezing. Freezer items were beginning to melt. We took everything out of the freezer and fridge, relegating them to the drink fridges (thank God we have those!) and he began trial and error. Finding that it most likely was low on coolant, he got the parts necessary to make that repair. We have ice cubes again, and our drink fridges are drink fridges again! He also made a few trips out to his parents to help them with some repairs, did an oil change on the work van, and then bam, a big freeze was coming just before Christmas. We spent 2 days prepping the yard for the worst. We also had a few small repairs to do at our house where our Pastor lives. I tried to keep the gift baking on time. Christmas cooking prep was a bit of a challenge with not enough room to store refrigerated items. But we made it through. The day after Christmas, we finally got to sit around to watch the movies and look at the pretty decorations. The next day, we decided it was safe to move most of the rest of our refrigerated stuff back to the repaired fridge, and put the drinks back in the drink fridges. Whenever we have family or friends over for a holiday celebration, all of our music stuff goes from the rehearsal space in our living room into our bedroom. So, while the house looks nice and clean, and too big for two people, we barely can get around in our bedroom for all the equipment. New Year's Eve and day came and went with lots of time together with friends and music. Jan 2, Valina hit the ground running with all the paperwork for the 4th quarter taxes, Texas sales tax paperwork, 1099's, and post office runs. Lots of time spent on the schedule for the Tomball festival coming in March and lots of time spent on beginning the planning for the 2024 tour. Then around Jan 10, Ross and Valina both began going to their respective parents' houses to do repairs and chores. Ross was finished with the repairs they needed after about a week, so he began a culling job in his office and the garage. Valina has spent 6 weeks culling through 3 closets at her parents' house. She and her mom are designating things for family, things for sale, things for donations, and throwing out items that are no longer of use to anyone. It's been nice to spend the time going through all the old memories together. The other news is, Valina's Mom was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in early January. She asked it be kept quiet for a while until she had time to process it and know the full diagnosis. If you thought she was a bit distant at the Christmas market in Tomball, that's why. She was getting tested in December and it was a scary unknown. Now, she's in pretty decent spirits, taking the whole thing in stride for the most part. She's not a happy camper with the way the treatments make her feel, and how they make things taste funny, but hopefully the treatments are doing what they're designed to do. She gets tired easily some days, which is frustrating for her, because she's typically pretty hyper. Would you keep her, her Dr's and my Dad in your prayers?

All that culling at Mom and Dad's called for some culling around here too, to make room and better organize. 4 car loads of donations, and one ready to go now. 6 really large bags of trash. 2 bags of shredding. 5 large storage boxes emptied and ready for future storage. Two months with just 4 days off has been time well spent. Averaging about 6 hours of sleep a night, Valina's office, the guest bedroom, and storage area all dusted and vacuumed. Finally, ready for normal use again! There's quite a bit of progress at Mom and Dad's too. Ross is still busy in the garage. He dismantled and rebuilt the very corroded shelving over the utility sink, and added a cabinet for paint storage. He rebuilt a small generator, including fashioning a filter for it. It runs smooth now! His office is still quite messy, but it's still a work in progress. Hopefully he can stand putting that on hold for a while. Rehearsals to be ready for this weekend and the upcoming gigs in March start in earnest this week. It has indeed been a very long stretch of controlled off stage chaos for us! We're so excited to get back out there, see you, and play music!

We hope we get to see you very soon! Stay healthy, be happy, share a smile with a stranger, and Polka On!

Lustige Leute Frohe Weihnachten 2022

Christmas is almost here! All 4 Advent candles are lit, and we're ready to celebrate the anniversary of our Savior's birth! No matter how crazy the world gets, we have that firm foundation where we can find rest.

'Tis also the season for warm cozies by the fireplace, or in the kitchen. Time with family and friends, Gluehwein, Dutch Pea Soup, stark dark Bier, cookies, roasted nuts, refreshing citrus, egg nog, piping hot cinnamon rolls, s'mores over a backyard bonfire...

What are your plans for Christmas and New Year? We'd love to hear from you!

There's one last public show this year -- Krause's Cafe, 148 S. Castell Street, New Braunfels, TX;

Wednesday December 28, 6pm - 9pm; Four Calling Birds, and some Christmas favorites with The Duo

Have something to celebrate? Call us for pricing and availability if you have something to celebrate this winter. We can play for you as a duo unplugged, or we can bring the sound equipment and specialty folk instruments. We tailor our set up and repertoire to your needs! Maybe a Karneval Party is in your near future? Let us know if we can provide the entertainment for your favorite fools for deep winter's biggest party in Europe.

Hosting our trips: We are planning to go to Germany, The Czech Republic and Switzerland in June of 2024. We are working on a big 3 week extravaganza for you in 2024! I will begin building the new itinerary in January. Stay tuned!

Website: You can always find out what's happening with us at http://www.prostyall.com. We update our calendar as information becomes available, and always keep the upcoming gigs and last minute changes on the home page. The shop page https://www.prostyall.com/shop has all sorts of fun things still available.

Social Media: You can find us on Facebook, and Youtube. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/valinapolka , friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valinapolka "like" us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prostyall/ We have an instagram, but don't know how to use it.

Behind the scenes: We'll tell all about Ross' endless repair list, and holiday chaos in the next newsletter. We want to keep this one short, so you can get on to more important things.

We wish you a Frohe Weihnachten, vrolijk Kerstfeest, Feliz Navidad, Merry Christmas, and happy New Year! Stay healthy, be happy, share a smile with a stranger, Polka On, and "God bless us, every one"!

Lustige Leute Newsletter October 2022 Oktoberfest edition continued

TIME IS FLYING!!! I guess it does when you have fun. It's great to see and meet so many of you at Oktoberfest! The world around us is wacky and unpredictable, but Oktoberfest seems to be a nice place to escape to, and that escape has been wunderbar with you! The weather is getting nicer, the Biers a little darker and the food! Ahhhhhhh.

October / Oktoberfest performances:

-- KC Oktoberfest, by KC Bier Co, Kansas City, MO
Friday and Saturday Oct 7 & 8; The 4 piece band; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, and Valina Polka.
Friday; 5p - 7:30 at the Main Stage; Opening ceremonies during our break
Saturday; 2p - 6:30 at the Polka Stage; Folk dancers during our break

-- Clyde Oktoberfest, Clyde (near Abilene), TX
Saturday and Sunday Oct 15 & 16; The 4 piece band; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, and Valina Polka.
Saturday festival open 10am - 8pm Performance times TBD
Sunday festival open 12pm - 6pm Performance times TBD

-- Tulsa Oktoberfest, Tulsa, OK
Tuesday - Sunday Oct 18 - 23; The 4 piece band and dancers; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, Valina Polka and dancers from Tanzenfest
Tuesday is an Oktoberfest dinner in the Lufthansa Biergarten See website for details
Wednesday is Corporate night See website for details

Thursday 5p - 7p at the Warsteiner EssZelt
Friday 11:30a - 2:45 at the Warsteiner EssZelt
Saturday 3p - 7p at the Warsteiner EssZelt
Sunday 11a - 2p at the Bierstube by Paulaner

The homepage of our website reflects every performance that is open to the public. Often when we're on the road, we don't have access to update our facebook pages, but will always (as long as my cell phone works) update the home page on our website if there is a last minute change. You're always welcome to give us a call or send a text if you want to make sure we're going to be where our calendar shows we're going to be.

Pumpkin Spice in the air means Christmas is coming. Need some live music for your Christmas party? Call us for pricing and availability if you have something to celebrate this winter! We can play for you as a duo unplugged, or we can bring the sound equipment and specialty folk instruments. We have a repertoire of about 30 Austrian, German and American Christmas favorites, even a couple of Christmas songs on the Alphorn and cowbells!

Looking ahead:

-- Wurstfest, New Braunfels, TX

Friday - Sunday Nov 4 - 13;
Saturday Nov 5, The Little Tent, The 4 piece band and dancers; 4p - 5p, 7p - 8:10, 9:50 -10:50
Sunday Nov 6, The Little Tent, The 4 piece band and dancers; 2:40 - 3:40, 5:30 - 6:30, 8:10 - 9p
Tuesday Nov 8, Stelzenplatz, The 4 piece band and dancers; 6:40 - 7:30, 9p - 9:45
Wednesday Nov 9, Stelzenplatz, The 4 piece band and dancers; 6:40 - 7:30, 9p - 9:45
Friday Nov 11, Stelzenplatz, The 4 piece band and dancers; 5:30 - 6:35, 8:15 - 9:15
Saturday Nov 12, Stelzenplatz, The 4 piece band and dancers; 2:10 - 3:10, 4:50 - 5:45, 7:15 - 8:15, 9:40 - 10:35
Sunday Nov 13, Stelzenplatz, The 4 piece band and dancers; 6:10 - 7:10, 8:50 - 9:45

We like to gather together for breakfast with friends who come in town for Wurstfest. We're returning to the Golden Corral this year because unlike most of the breakfast places in New Braunfels, they allow reservations, and I've made one for our group. A friendly buffet is truly the best way to relax together for a leisurely meal together - we can schnibble to our heart's content and go to the festival with a good foundation on which to drink a few Biers! Would you like to meet us there at 9am on Saturday Nov 5? Please Let me know by October 27 so I can give them a firm number for our group.

Hosting our trips: We are planning to go to Germany, The Czech Republic and Switzerland in June of 2024. Availability for the services we need to travel in 2023 were already booked up, so we're making a big 3 week extravaganza for you in 2024! I will begin building the new itinerary in January. Stay tuned!
If you'd like to join us for travel in the future, we'd love to hear from you! There have been requests to return to Austria, The Netherlands, requests to do a Christmas Market tour, and interest in expanding our travel to more places around the US. We tailor these trips to your wishes! You can even ask us to organize and host a private trip for you and your guests!

Website: You can always find out what's happening with us at http://www.prostyall.com. We update our calendar as information becomes available, and always keep the upcoming gigs and last minute changes on the home page. The shop page https://www.prostyall.com/shop has koozies! (they fit party cups, pint glasses and Wurstfest cups!) The famous "Prost Y'all" sign is in stock and available for sale too! Won't that look awesome on the wall of your favorite relaxation spot! We also have shirts; including the brand new "Das ist Ross" shirts! Hat pins, and CD's that can make lunch at the office a little more like a Biergarten! Who doesn't love a 45 minute escape mid-day?

Social Media: You can find us on Facebook, and Youtube. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/valinapolka , friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valinapolka "like" us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prostyall/ We have an instagram, but don't know how to use it.

Behind the scenes: It's been gloriously busy! But among the glory, there is also heart break. We now know why our drummer Jeff retired from playing last year after Wurstfest. He was diagnosed with cancer already well into stage 4. It has taken over in glands and bones. He told us he was going to be doing a lot of traveling and camping with his wife Kat, as she was about to retire. Jeff loves travel, so it was an easy cover to believe. He did spend a lot of time in other countries and camping around the US up until about the end of August this year. He is resting, being kept comfortable with hospice care, and in the arms of his wife Kat. Jeff is way more than just our drummer. He's become family over the years. As we hung out with him and Kat on a few days off this year, we had no idea anything was wrong. He never indicated. He and Ross went bike riding while I worked on Tomball paperwork, we all cooked and ate together, and he gave me run of the shop's Cajon selection so I could pick the right one for our band. It's so hard knowing that he's not going to be here much longer. I can only pray that some of his kindness, humor, knowledge, and experience has rubbed off on the thousands of people who call him friend and fellow musician. He taught me a lot about performance and stage presence, and encouraged all of my percussion forays. We miss him terribly, and even more now that we know why he left. Our band will never be the same, but hopefully we are all better for having Jeff Ryder in our lives.

We've had 3 days not on stage or the road since September 12. Today is one of those 3 days. We just got a last minute booking for tomorrow, so we'll be on stage or driving for work for the next 6 days. Back On Sunday Sept 25, Ross' favorite workhorse, the Beltuna, (with the awesome Alpine tuning and the rumbly tuba sounds in the left hand) threw a key rod (at least I think that's what it's called). Normal wear and tear coupled with the extreme heat situations in Texas' summers (temperatures above 90 and direct sun is never good for an accordion) are to blame. Ross has it taken apart in the dining room as I'm writing this. He only has a few more hours today that he can spend working on it to assess the repair situation. Then he'll check the tire pressure on the work van, and water the parched plants. When I finish writing to you, I will be heading out to run some errands, then do a few loads of Tracht to be washed, ironed and re-packed, gather cold weather gear for the Kansas City run, inventory and re-pack merch, fix dinner, and spend a little time playing with my little pet bird. We're back on stage already again tomorrow.

That's all for this newsletter. Your support and friendship means a lot to us, and it is wonderful to get to see so many of you at the Oktoberfests! We hope your Autumn season is going well. Stay healthy, stay safe, share a smile with a stranger, and love those around you. You never know when they won't be there any more. We hope we get to "prost y'all" sometime soon!

Lustige Leute Newsletter Sept 2022 Oktoberfest issue

Howdy Friends! And welcome to our new Friends!

Somehow we've made it through August here in Texas without a storm in the gulf, got some much needed rain, and more moderate temperatures than we're used to for August, at least here in the Houston area... I wonder if that trend will hold for September? Football starts up this weekend, and so does Oktoberfest! We hope everyone has stocked up on their Dot's pretzels and Altstadt Biers!

We've been rehearsing a lot this past couple of weeks, and I've been playing catch up in the office. 18 hour days are stacked high, and I need some sleep before hitting the road Thursday. Maybe Ross will drive?

September / Oktoberfest performances:

-- Walburg Fest, Walburg German Restaurant, TX; free admission
Friday - Sunday Sept 2 - 4; The 4 piece with Ross, Robert, Rick and Valina.
Friday 7pm, Saturday 6pm and 9pm, Sunday 12pm and 3pm. All sets 45 minutes.

-- Krause's Cafe, 148 S. Castell Street, New Braunfels, TX;
Wednesday Sept 7, 6pm - 9pm; The Duo plus Kelsey on horns

-- Sauer Kraut Grill; 734 Crabb River Rd, Richmond, TX;
Thursday September 8; 6pm - 8pm; The Duo plays Stubenmusi

-- Grapevine on Main , 5120 Main St, Chappell Hill, TX;
Friday September 9, 7:30 - 10:30; The Duo plays Wein, Alphorn and Song

-- Addison Oktoberfest, Addison, TX;
Thursday - Sunday Sept 15 - 18;
Valina also serves as MC at the Musikzelt
All shows are at the Musikzelt with the 4 piece band: Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Michael Bahan and Valina Polka.
Thursday; 7:45 - 9:15 (Thursday Free admission)
Friday; 7:15 - 8:15 tickets required
Saturday; 2:00 - 3:45 & 7:15 - 8:15 tickets required
Sunday; 2:00 - 3:45 (Sunday Free admission)

-- Oktoberfest at Fresh By Brookshire's, Fate (near Dallas) TX;
Wednesday Sept 21, 5pm - 8pm; The Duo

-- Oktoberfest Ft Worth, Fort Worth, TX; tickets required
Friday and Saturday Sept 22 - 24;
Valina also serves as MC Thursday - Saturday
All shows are in the Spaten Halle with the 4 piece band: Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Eric Miculka and Valina Polka
Friday; 6:30 - 7:45, 9:45 - 11:00
Saturday, 3:00 - 4:00, 5:00 - 6:30, 8:00 - 8:30

-- Oktoberfest at Das Manor Haus, The Houstonian 111 N. Post Oak, Houston, TX All inclusive package, reservations required
Sunday Sept 25; 3pm - 7pm with the 4 piece band; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, and Valina Polka. See the website for ticket information.

Valina also serves as MC

-- Oktoberfest at Union Kitchen, Houston, TX; All inclusive packages, reservations required
Tuesday Sept 27; 6:30 - 9:30; The Duo; Kingwood Location: 23918 US-59 North, Houston, TX
Wednesday Sept 28; 6:30 - 9:30; The Duo; Memorial Location: 12538 Memorial Dr #10, Houston, TX
Thursday Sept 29; 6:30 - 9:30; The Duo; Katy Location: 9920 Gaston Rd #100, Katy, TX

-- Saint Arnold Brewery Oktoberfest, Saint Arnold Brewery, Houston, TX
Friday - Sunday Sept 30 - Oct 2; The 4 piece band and dancers; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, Valina Polka and dancers from Tanzenfest
Friday & Saturday from 6pm - 9:30pm in the Biergarten. Free Admission
Sunday 1pm - 4:30pm in the Bierhalle. Ticketed event

The homepage of our website reflects every performance except the private ones. Often when we're on the road, we don't have access to update our facebook pages, but will always (as long as my cell phone works) update the home page on our website if there is a last minute change. You're always welcome to give us a call or send a text if you want to make sure we're going to be where our calendar shows we're going to be.

It's never too early to think about hosting that Christmas party! Call us for pricing and availability if you have something to celebrate this winter! We can play for you as a duo unplugged, or we can bring the sound equipment and specialty folk instruments. We have a repertoire of about 30 Austrian, German and American Christmas favorites, even a couple of Christmas songs on the Alphorn and cowbells!

Looking ahead:

-- Saint Arnold Brewery Oktoberfest, Saint Arnold Brewery, Houston, TX
Friday - Sunday Sept 30 - Oct 2; The 4 piece band and dancers; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, Valina Polka and dancers from Tanzenfest
Friday and Saturday 6pm - 9:30pm in the Bier Garten - Free Admission
Sunday 1pm - 4:30pm in the upstairs Bier Hall - Tickets Available

-- KC Oktoberfest, by KC Bier Co, Kansas City, MO
Friday and Saturday Oct 7 & 8; The 4 piece band; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, and Valina Polka. Times TBD

-- Oktoberfest at Union Kitchen, Houston, TX; See the website for ticket information.
Wednesday Oct 12; 6:00 - 7:30; The Duo; Ella Blvd Location, Houston, TX

-- Clyde Oktoberfest, Clyde (near Abilene), TX
Saturday and Sunday Oct 15 & 16; The 4 piece band; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, and Valina Polka. Times TBD

-- Linde Oktoberfest, Tulsa, OK
Wednesday - Sunday Oct 19 - 23; The 4 piece band and dancers; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, Valina Polka and dancers from Tanzenfest
Times TBD

-- Wurstfest, New Braunfels, TX
Friday - Sunday Nov 4 - 13;
Saturday Nov 5, The Little Tent, The 4 piece band and dancers;
Sunday Nov 6, The Little Tent, The 4 piece band and dancers;
Tuesday Nov 8, Stelzenplatz, The 4 piece band and dancers;
Wednesday Nov 9, Stelzenplatz, The 4 piece band and dancers;
Friday Nov 11, Stelzenplatz, The 4 piece band and dancers;
Saturday Nov 12, Stelzenplatz, The 4 piece band and dancers;
Sunday Nov 13, Stelzenplatz, The 4 piece band and dancers;

Hosting our trips: We are planning to go to Germany and the Czech Republic in June of 2023 if health restrictions on travel stabilize and are dependable. The trip is going to be about 15 days on the ground in Europe from June 6 - June 22 (dates still approximate) Stay tuned!
If you'd like to join us for travel in the future, we'd love to hear from you! There have been requests to return to Austria, The Netherlands, requests to do a Christmas Market tour, and interest in expanding our travel to more places around the US. We tailor these trips to your wishes! You can even ask us to organize and host a private trip for you and your guests!

Website: You can always find out what's happening with us at http://www.prostyall.com. We update our calendar as information becomes available, and always keep the upcoming gigs and last minute changes on the home page. The shop page https://www.prostyall.com/shop has koozies! (they fit party cups, pint glasses and Wurstfest cups!) The famous "Prost Y'all" sign is in stock and available for sale too! Won't that look awesome on the wall of your favorite relaxation spot! We also have shirts; including the brand new "Das ist Ross" shirts! Hat pins, and CD's that can make lunch at the office a little more like a Biergarten! Who doesn't love a 45 minute escape mid-day?

Social Media: You can find us on Facebook, and Youtube. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/valinapolka , friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valinapolka "like" us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prostyall/ We have an instagram, but don't know how to use it.

Behind the scenes: I turned 50 back on the 16th of August. We partied for days with some of y'all who came Friday the 12th to the Grapevine in Chappell Hill, then recorded the vocal track for our original song Tomball Y'all with the Round Top Brass Band on the 13th, then listened to some friends play live music, and drank a paloma, performed and partied at Krause's on Sunday with cake and more of you, drank margaritas after the show, had a nice breakfast on Monday and leisurely walk with friends who came all the way from OK, floated the Comal for a couple of hours, ate hamburgers with friends, got home Tuesday and had steak with the family, continued the party at the various rehearsals we've had, It's been a pretty awesome birthday month. Except for gaining a little weight from all the celebratory foods and drinks, I don't really feel any different than I did when I was 49! Inside though, I'm still about 5.

That's all for this newsletter. Your support and friendship means a lot to us, and it was wonderful to see so many of you on my birthday weekend! We hope your Labor Day weekend will be blessed and restful, or exciting depending on your wishes. Stay healthy, stay safe, share a smile with a stranger. We hope we get to "prost y'all" sometime soon!

Lustige Leute Newsletter August 2022

Howdy Friends! And welcome to our new Friends!

Where has the summer gone? Here in Houston, the temperature has dropped from 103 to 78 (first big rainstorm for the whole area in months is happening right now!), and the kids are going back to school already!! Oh my, it's been a while since we visited. We didn't have much time to spend on the computer while in Europe, or on the Road Trip in the US, and I've been very busy playing catch-up. We apologize for not being in touch for so long!

After being gone for a while, we now have a couple of weeks worth of rehearsals and a few performances scheduled, all ramping up for Oktoberfest.

August performances:

-- Sauer Kraut Grill; 734 Crabb River Rd, Richmond, TX;
Thursdays August 11 & 25; 6pm - 8pm; The Duo plays Stubenmusi

-- Grapevine on Main, 5120 Main St, Chappell Hill, TX; - come check out this brand new venue!
Friday August 12, 7:30 - 10:30; Wein, Alphorn und Song

-- Krause's Cafe, 148 S. Castell Street, New Braunfels, TX;
Sunday August 14, 2pm - 5pm; Valina is celebrating her 50th birthday! The Trio with Ross, Kelsey and Valina.

The homepage of our website reflects every performance except the private ones. Often when we're on the road, we don't have access to update our facebook pages, but will always (as long as my cell phone works) update the home page on our website if there is a last minute change. You're always welcome to give us a call or send a text if you want to make sure we're going to be where our calendar shows we're going to be.

It's never too early to think about hosting that Christmas party! Call us for pricing and availability if you have something to celebrate this winter! We can play for you as a duo unplugged, or we can bring the sound equipment and specialty folk instruments. We have a repertoire of about 30 Austrian, German and American Christmas favorites, even a couple of Christmas songs on the Alphorn and cowbells!

Looking ahead:

-- Walburg Fest, Walburg German Restaurant, TX; free admission
Friday - Sunday Sept 2 - 4; The 4 piece with Ross, Robert, Rick and Valina. Schedule TBD

-- Krause's Cafe, 148 S. Castell Street, New Braunfels, TX;
Wednesday Sept 7, 6pm - 9pm; The Duo

-- Sauer Kraut Grill; 734 Crabb River Rd, Richmond, TX;
Thursday September 8; 6pm - 8pm; The Duo plays Stubenmusi

-- Grapevine on Main , 5120 Main St, Chappell Hill, TX;
Friday September 9, 7:30 - 10:30; Wein, Alphorn and Song

-- Addison Oktoberfest, Addison, TX;
Thursday - Sunday Sept 15 - 18;
     Valina also serves as MC at the Musikzelt
All shows are at the Musikzelt with the 4 piece band: Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Michael Bahan and Valina Polka.
Thursday; 7:45 - 9:15 (Thursday Free admission)
Friday; 7:15 - 8:15 tickets required
Saturday; 2:00 - 3:45 & 7:15 - 8:15 tickets required
Sunday; 2:00 - 3:45 (Sunday Free admission)

-- Oktoberfest Ft Worth, Fort Worth, TX; tickets required
Friday and Saturday Sept 23 & 24;
Valina also serves as MC Thursday - Saturday
All shows are in the Spaten Halle with the 4 piece band: Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Eric Miculka and Valina Polka
Friday; 6:30 - 7:45, 9:45 - 11:00
Saturday, 3:00 - 4:00, 5:00 - 6:30, 8:00 - 8:30

-- Oktoberfest at Das Manor Haus, The Houstonian 111 N. Post Oak, Houston, TX All inclusive package, reservations required
Sunday Sept 25; 3pm - 7pm with the 4 piece band; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, and Valina Polka. See the website for ticket information.

Valina also serves as MC

-- Oktoberfest at Union Kitchen, Houston, TX; All inclusive packages, reservations required
Tuesday Sept 27; 6:30 - 9:30; The Duo; Kingwood Location: 23918 US-59 North, Houston, TX
Wednesday Sept 28; 6:30 - 9:30; The Duo; Memorial Location: 12538 Memorial Dr #10, Houston, TX
Thursday Sept 29; 6:30 - 9:30; The Duo; Katy Location: 9920 Gaston Rd #100, Katy, TX

-- Saint Arnold Brewery Oktoberfest, Saint Arnold Brewery, Houston, TX
Friday - Sunday Sept 30 - Oct 2; The 4 piece band and dancers; Das ist Ross, Robert Herridge, Rick Weiss, Valina Polka and dancers from Tanzenfest
Times and admission information TBD

Hosting our trips: We just returned from Wisconsin and the Germanfest! We had a lot of fun (with Ross and Valina in the driver's seat) of a luxury 15 passenger Mercedes Sprinter! We ate at 3 amazing German restaurants, 2 Dutch restaurants, lots of regional fast food places, a few classic Route 66 diners, and had some good festival food too. We saw a one of kind Bone museum and met the curator who started it all when he was very young. We toured the history in the Steamboat Arabia museum in Kansas City, Popped around Pella checking out all of the Dutch heritage that has been preserved there, had a pizza party surrounded by pipe organ music, relaxed and learned about Hermann, MO, had an adventurous ride to the top of the Gateway Arch, Drank pure German craft brews made right here in the US, flash mobbed the KC Bier Co, and saw the Schurzenjager up close and in person at the Milwaukee Germanfest! The Alex Meixner Band was also there, and rocked the house. It was fun to see his northern fans and make some new festival friends. Even though we were there for 3 days, we barely got to see everything. We even had some fun stopping along old Route 66 to check out the tourist traps. There are a few photos attached below. We are planning to go to Germany and the Czech Republic in June of 2023 if health restrictions on travel stabilize and are dependable. The trip is going to be about 15 days on the ground in Europe. Stay tuned!

If you'd like to join us for travel in the future, we'd love to hear from you! There have been requests to return to Austria, The Netherlands, requests to do a Christmas Market tour, and interest in expanding our travel to different places around the US. We tailor these trips to your wishes! You can even ask us to organize and host a private trip for you and 15 - 20 guests!

Website: You can always find out what's happening with us at http://www.prostyall.com. We update our calendar as information becomes available, and always keep the upcoming gigs and last minute changes on the home page. The shop page https://www.prostyall.com/shop has koozies! (they fit party cups, pint glasses and Wurstfest cups!) The famous "Prost Y'all" sign is in stock and available for sale too! Won't that look awesome on the wall of your favorite relaxation spot! We also have shirts; including the brand new "Das ist Ross" shirts! Hat pins, and CD's that can make lunch at the office a little more like a Biergarten! Who doesn't love a 45 minute escape mid-day?

Social Media: You can find us on Facebook, and Youtube. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/valinapolka , friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valinapolka "like" us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prostyall/ We have an instagram, but don't know how to use it.

Behind the scenes: Ross and I are finally beginning to catch up on the piles of paperwork that have built up over the summer while we were gone. Our trip to Europe was a fact finding trip, but also a family reunion. There was a lot of time spent unplugged just being with cousins and making fun memories together with people we hadn't seen in far too long. The stories of all the adventures are just too much to try to share here, so I will direct you to drop in on our social media where we have already shared a few stories and photos. When I have a day to spend gathering a lot of the information to put in a blog on the website, I will, but it could take a while. I am attaching a few photos below though! Rehearsals with various drummers who will be working with us this fall start next Wednesday. Some rehearsals will be at our home, and others will be in San Antonio and Austin. Also next week, I'm turning 50! Since my birthday falls on Tuesday the 16th, we're celebrating on Sunday the 14th at Krause's Cafe in New Braunfels. We're playing from 2 - 5. Kelsey is joining us on horns. We got a hotel room so I can drink a few after the show, then maybe float the river on Monday. We hope you can come join us for the party!

That's all for this newsletter. Your support and friendship means a lot to us! We hope you had a good summer with loved ones and some leisure time to rejuvenate for the festival season. Stay healthy, stay safe, share a smile with a stranger. We hope we get to "prost y'all" sometime soon!

Lustige Leute Newsletter June 2022

Howdy Friends! And welcome to our new Friends!

June is almost here, graduations and proms are happening all around us, and it's finally raining a little in Texas! Are you ready for summer? I saw a joke on the social media this morning that "Texas weather is still in pre-heating mode".

We're sending the newsletter out a little early this time, because we have a lot going on at the beginning of the month, and want to make sure you have time to plan if you're able to come join in for some of the fun. We'll be in Florida Father's Day weekend for performances, then in the Netherlands for a family reunion and some future tour researching from June 23 - July 12. Subsequent newsletters this summer may be a little off of our usual beginning of the month schedule. We might even send one from Europe! You're hopefully going to be out and about this summer as well, seeing friends and family you haven't been able to see in a couple of years!

Late May / June performances:

-- Krause's Cafe, 148 S. Castell Street, New Braunfels, TX;
Wednesday May 25, 6pm - 9pm; Polka Wednesdays with The Duo

--The Sauer Kraut Grill,734 Crabb River Rd, Richmond, TX; Stubenmusi (pub music) with the Duo

Thursdays May 26, June 2 and 9; 6 - 8pm

-- Rudi Lechner's Restaurant, 2503 Gessner, Houston, TX;
Saturdays May 28 and June 11; 6pm - 9pm; Das ist Ross, solo

-- Shiner Spring Picnic, KC Park, 102 South Ave G, Shiner, TX;

Sunday May 29; 10:30am - 1pm - Outside; Wake up with the Das ist Lustig Duo and Audience Participation Specialists, then stay all day and enjoy the polka party with many of your favorite Texas polka bands! Free Admission!

-- Boerne Village Band Abendkonzerte, Gazebo, Boerne, TX;

Tuesday June 7; 7:30 - 9pm; Das ist Lustig Duo specialties show complete with Tanzenfest AND concert by Boerne Village Band!

-- Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe, 205 East 1st Street, Sanford, FL;
Friday June 17; 7 - 10pm, Saturday June 18; 1 - 4pm & 7 - 10pm, Sunday June 19; 1 - 4pm & 6 - 9pm;
Dinner and a Show with Das ist Lustig Duo! Bring Dad for Father's Day and make sure he gets a Boot of Bier!

The homepage of our website reflects every performance except the private ones. Often when we're on the road, we don't have access to update our facebook pages, but will always (as long as my cell phone works) update the home page on our website if there is a last minute change. You're always welcome to give us a call or send a text if you want to make sure we're going to be where our calendar shows we're going to be.

It's never too early to think about hosting that Christmas party! Call us for pricing and availability if you have something to celebrate next winter! We can play for you as a duo unplugged, or we can bring the sound equipment and specialty folk instruments. We have a repertoire of about 30 Austrian, German and American Christmas favorites, even a couple of Christmas songs on the Alphorn!

Looking ahead:

--The Sauer Kraut Grill ,734 Crabb River Rd, Richmond, TX; Stubenmusi (pub music) with the Duo

Thursdays July 14, 21;

-- Schulenburg Public Library, 310 Simpson St, Schulenburg, TX
Wednesday July 20, 10:30am; Hop on the virtual carousel for a musical ride around the German speaking countries of Europe!

-- Momma's at Sengelmann, Main Street, Schulenburg, TX;
Wednesday, July 20, 6:30 - 8:30; Dinner and a Show;

-- Road Trip 2022! Stops in Oklahoma, Missouri and Iowa, and featuring 3 days at the Milwaukee German Fest in Wisconsin!

Monday July 25 - Friday August 5; Details HERE; Lots of live music, lots of German and even Dutch restaurants to visit, wine tasting, and parties!

Hosting our trips: We're going to Wisconsin for the Germanfest! Won't you join us for this fun Road Trip? We have FOUR spots left! This classic American pass-time takes us across 7 states in 11 days! There's lots of fun planned for your exclusive group of 10 or less travelers (with Ross and Valina in the driver's seat) of a luxury 15 passenger Mercedes Sprinter! Most importantly, we'll get to visit several German, and even Dutch restaurants along the way, see some amazing history in the Steamboat Arabia museum in Kansas City, taste some great wines in America's original wine valley, Hermann, MO, have some German pure craft brews made right here in the US, and experience one of the best German festivals the USA has to offer, the Milwaukee Germanfest! They're celebrating their 40 year anniversary, and have invited the Zillertaler Schurzenjager to headline the event! The Alex Meixner Band will be there as well! We'll spend 3 days visiting the festival, and you'll need all that time to experience everything this event has to offer. See the attached brochure for details, itinerary, and pricing. There are a few other photos attached as well to show you a little bit more of what we'll get to see and do together! Contact Valina for a registration form!

If you'd like to join us for travel in the future, we'd love to hear from you! There have been requests to return to Austria, The Netherlands, requests to do a Christmas Market tour, and interest in expanding our travel to different places around the US. We tailor these trips to your wishes! You can even ask us to organize and host a private trip for you and 15 - 20 guests! We will be returning to Germany and Prague in the summer of 2024 if things stabilize. Stay tuned!

Website: You can always find out what's happening with us at http://www.prostyall.com. We update our calendar as information becomes available, and always keep the upcoming gigs and last minute changes on the home page. The shop page https://www.prostyall.com/shop has koozies! (they fit party cups, pint glasses and Wurstfest cups!) The famous "Prost Y'all" sign is in stock and available for sale too! Won't that look awesome on the wall of your favorite relaxation spot! We also have shirts; including the brand new "Das ist Ross" shirts! Hat pins, and CD's that can make lunch at the office a little more like a Biergarten! Who doesn't love a 45 minute escape mid-day?

Social Media: You can find us on Facebook, and Youtube. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/valinapolka , friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valinapolka "like" us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prostyall/ We have an instagram, but don't know how to use it.

Behind the scenes: Ross and I just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary, and our band is celebrating 15 years together! Yes, we met because of the music. I wanted to start a band, Ross had the right style and attitude, we got along like a song, then after several months of working together, I went on a vacation with my parents. 3 weeks in Europe, and all I could think about was Ross and how I wished he could be there too. Ran up quite the phone bill on my dad's cell phone too... We started dating in July 2007, got engaged in November 2007, and married in May 2008. It's been a fun ride! Otherwise, we've been battling the usual home owner battles - critters getting in the attic uninvited, and having to deal with that, cooking, cleaning, yard work, etc. Working on the Tomball Christmas festival already - nearly ready to get the bands on contract. Then, will start on next March's schedule. Ross has been planting some more baby trees. Tiny little sprouts right now! I don't know how something so big and strong can start out so tiny and vulnerable! He's a green thumb for sure. I stay far away from his little plants, because I don't do well with them. I almost killed a century old Aloe Vera... Ross saved it, and it's now flourishing!

That's all for this newsletter. Your support and friendship means a lot to us! Have a blessed Memorial Day weekend with a little time to reflect on those who gave all for our amazing country. We're excited to have some of you along with us on our road trip this summer! Stay healthy, stay safe, share a smile with a stranger. We hope we get to "prost y'all" sometime soon!

Lustige Leute Newsletter May 2022

Howdy Friends!

May is here and it's already hot in Texas! How has the spring been treating you? Did you get some bluebonnet photos this year? They sure were pretty!

Ross and I are a few days behind with our paperwork. I've been in overdrive, organizing a road trip for this summer (more on that below), and we didn't have internet access for several days while working out of town last week in New Braunfels, Muenster and Schulenburg. Then we took a couple of days off this weekend to spend with family, and go out social with friends. Our Niece was baptized on Saturday morning, which was a very happy occasion. After that, we went to the Polish Festival to eat as much as we could, and to listen to the amazing musical stylings of Tekla Klebetnico. Oh my, what fabulous music! It was so good, we needed more, so we returned on Sunday after church. Seeing friends, making new friends, eating Polish food and having a little time off put both of us in wonderful moods, and has us ready to take on the stack of work to be done!

May performances:

--The Sauer Kraut Grill,734 Crabb River Rd, Richmond, TX; Stubenmusi (pub music) with the Duo

Thursdays May 12, 26; 6 - 8pm

-- Rudi Lechner's Restaurant, 2503 Gessner, Houston, TX;
Saturdays May 14, 28; 6pm - 9pm; Das ist Ross, solo

-- White Horse Tavern , 400 N Main, Burton, TX;

Sunday May 15; 6 - 9pm; Dinner and a Show; $25 admission includes Allison's home cooking. She will serve a pork steak meal with German potatoes, red cabbage and dessert. Call / text ahead to make reservations: 979-277-5768. The shopping will be done a couple of days ahead of time - make sure she has enough on hand to serve you.

-- Krause's Cafe, 148 S. Castell Street, New Braunfels, TX;
Wednesday May 25, 6pm - 9pm; Polka Wednesdays with The Duo

-- Shiner Spring Picnic, KC Park, 102 South Ave G, Shiner, TX;
Sunday May 29; 10:30am - 1pm - Outside; Wake up with the Das ist Lustig Duo, then stay all day and enjoy the polka party with many of your favorite Texas polka bands!
Free Admission!

The homepage of our website reflects every performance except the private ones. Often when we're on the road, we don't have access to update our facebook pages, but will always (as long as my cell phone works) update the home page on our website if there is a last minute change. You're always welcome to give us a call or send a text if you want to make sure we're going to be where our calendar shows we're going to be.

Host your own Backyard party! Call us for pricing and availability if you have something to celebrate this summer! There are a couple of Saturdays left in June and August, and they could be yours. We can play for you as a duo unplugged, or we can bring the sound equipment and specialty folk instruments. It's always a great time to celebrate good times together accompanied by a little Bier and happy German folk music! ...of course, in August, you might want to party in air-conditioned comfort. We do house parties too - we're even housebroken!

Looking ahead:

-- Sauer Kraut Grill, Thursdays June 2, 9, July 14, 21

-- Boerne Village Band Abendkonzerte, Gazebo, Boerne, TX;
Tuesday June 7; 7:30 - 9pm; Das ist Lustig Duo specialties show complete with Tanzenfest AND Boerne Village Band!

-- Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe, 205 East 1st Street, Sanford, FL;
Friday June 17; 7 - 10pm, Saturday June 18; 1 - 4pm & 7 - 109pm, Sunday June 19; 1 - 4pm & 6 - 9pm;
Dinner and a Show with Das ist Lustig Duo

-- Road Trip 2022, 11 days Dallas to Milwaukee with stops in Oklahoma, Missouri and Iowa; Highlight of the trip is Germanfest in Milwaukee!
Monday July 25 - Friday August 5; Lots of live music, lots of German and even Dutch restaurants to visit, wine tasting, and parties!

Hosting our trips: We had to postpone Germany again, so we're going to Wisconsin for the Germanfest instead! Won't you join us for a fun Road Trip? This classic American pass-time takes us across 7 states in 11 days! There's lots of fun planned for an exclusive group of 10 travelers (with Ross and Valina in the driver's seat) of a luxury 15 passenger Mercedes Sprinter! Most importantly, we'll get to visit several German, and even Dutch restaurants along the way, see some amazing history in the Steamboat Arabia museum in Kansas City, taste some great wines in America's original wine valley, Hermann, MO, and experience one of the best German festivals the USA has to offer, the Milwaukee Germanfest! They're celebrating their 40 year anniversary, and have invited the Zillertaler Schurzenjager to headline the event! We'll spend 3 days visiting the festival, and you'll need all that time to experience everything this event has to offer. See the attached brochure for details, itinerary, and pricing. There are a few other photos attached as well to show you a little bit more of what we'll get to see and do together! Four spots are already sold, so contact Valina for a registration form!

If you'd like to join us for travel in the future, we'd love to hear from you! There have been requests to return to Austria, The Netherlands, requests to do a Christmas Market tour, and interest in expanding our travel to different places around the US. We tailor these trips to your wishes! You can even ask us to organize and host a private trip for you and 15 - 20 guests! We will be attempting our visit to Germany and Prague in the summer of 2024 if things stabilize. Stay tuned!

Website: You can always find out what's happening with us at http://www.prostyall.com. We update our calendar as information becomes available, and always keep the upcoming gigs and last minute changes on the home page. The shop page https://www.prostyall.com/shop has koozies! (they fit party cups, pint glasses and Wurstfest cups!) The famous "Prost Y'all" sign is in stock and available for sale too! Won't that look awesome on the wall of your favorite relaxation spot! We also have shirts; including the brand new "Das ist Ross" shirts! Hat pins, and CD's that can make lunch at the office a little more like a Biergarten! Who doesn't love a 45 minute escape mid-day?

Social Media: You can find us on Facebook, and Youtube. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/valinapolka , friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valinapolka "like" us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prostyall/ We have an instagram, but don't know how to use it.

Behind the scenes: Like I said above, we just had the most wonderful weekend visiting the Polish Festival in Houston and listening to Tekla Klebetnica. That is one heck of a world class duo. It was also a wonderful treat to see so many of you at the Muenster Germanfest last weekend! We had a crazy split shift style schedule, but it provided us a nice long day on Saturday to visit with everyone. Something we both have been craving for a long time. Ross' shoulder is no longer in constant pain, and he's gained most of his strength back. I'm glad to see him able to relax, and able to lift heavy stuff again. I'm strong, but not as strong as he is, and our equipment is heavy! As many of you know, Jeff retired from drumming, so we've been searching for a new drummer, or two, or three. Lynn had to back out of the performance with us in Muenster, so we asked Paul from the Alpenmusikanten to sit in with us, and what a treat that was! I think Paul has a sixth sense for what's going to happen in songs. It was like we'd been playing together all along. We've continued our drummer search, and will be welcoming Eric Miculka back in the band for Fort Worth Oktoberfest, and hopefully Wurstfest. Rick Weiss will join us for some of the Houston shows, and long road tours to Clyde, TX, Tulsa OK and possibly Kansas City, MO (all of these tours are currently in negotiations), and Michael Bahan will be with us in Addison, Tx. We'll have our first rehearsal with Rick this Saturday, and we're excited. He's worked with Robert Herridge, who will be in almost all of our Oktoberfest shows this fall. The fall season is shaping up to be great!

That's all for this newsletter. Your support and friendship means a lot to us! We hope some of you will be able to travel with us this summer. Stay healthy, stay safe, share a smile with a stranger. We hope we get to "prost y'all" sometime soon!