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!

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