June is already a flurry of fun happenings. I also took a very long bike ride instead of recording a video for this week’s Shotski Lodge. Summer at the Lodge is like that sometimes.
On Sunday’s show, we’re keeping the summertime theme going with very good tunes to inspire us to hike, bird watch, and make notes in our field guides that spruces are stiff and sharp, firs are flexible and friendly.
The show will be perfect to listen to during a Sunday night campfire and a Hoop Dee Doo sing-a-long.
If you’re in the Madison area, please come to Prost! on June 22 for their Sommerfest block party. Seeing Shotski Lodge subscribers will help keep my stamina up for playing polka music in a four-hour (!) set from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Polka Time: Where and when to listen
LIVE - June 9
Sunday, 7 p.m. - WVMO-FM 98.7 Monona
Streaming - last week’s episode’s rebroadcast
Saturday, 8 a.m. - WHYS-FM 96.3 Eau Claire - support WHYS
Saturday, 3 p.m. - WRJQ Goodtime Radio - support WRJQ
Saturday, 6 p.m. - WPCA-FM 93.1 Amery - support WPCA
Saturday, 7 p.m. - WVMO-FM 98.7 Monona - support WVMO
Sunday, 7 a.m. - WOJB-FM 88.9 Hayward - support WOJB
Sunday, 8 a.m. - WILW-FM 96.3 Waupaca
Sunday, 9 a.m. - WOCT-FM 101.9 Oshkosh
Sunday, 4 p.m. - WLSP-FM 103.5 Sun Prairie - support SPMC
Thanks to these community and volunteer-powered stations for keeping vintage polka on the air waves.
Sing-A-Long: Six Fat Dutchmen’s Hoop Dee Doo
Hoop-Dee-Doo is a song that was composed by Frank Loesser and Milton De Lugg in 1950. It was made famous by Perry Como, but there are good versions by Frankie Yankovic, Jimmy Sturr and Doris Day.
Kay Starr’s version is my favorite and I’d love to get a 45 copy of the recording you can find on YouTube.
I learned that the lyrics “hand me down my soup and fish” isn’t about food. It’s about a man’s suit. It’s a funny quirk that adds to a song that’s all about getting dressed up to go to a dance!
Study up on the lyrics and we’ll do a sing-a-long on the Sunday LIVE edition of Polka Time.
Hoop dee doo, hoop dee doo
I hear a polka and my troubles are through.
Hoop dee doo, hoop dee dee
This kind of music is like heaven to me.
Hoop dee doo, hoop dee doo
It's got me higher than a kite
Hand me down my soup an' fish
I am gonna get my wish, hoop dee doin' it tonight.
When there's a trombone playin' “rah tah tah tah tah”
I get a thrill, I always will.
When there's a concertina, stretched about a mile
I always smile, 'cause that's my style.
When there's a fiddle in the middle
Oh! it really is a riddle, how he plays a tune so sweet.
Plays a tune so sweet that I could die
Lead me to the floor an' hear me yell for more
'cause I'm a hoop dee doin' kind of guy!
The Kay Starr version has this bonus chorus at the end:
Hoop dee doo, hoop dee doo
It's got me higher than a kite
I’m in clover, I’m in bloom
When I’m dancin' give me room
Hoop dee doin' it with all of our might
Rain may fall, snow may come
Nothin's gonna stop us from
Hoop dee doin' it, ballyhooin’ it
Hoop dee doin' it . . . tonight!
Events: Save these dates
Sunday, June 16 — WVMO vinyl takeover: McFarland House Cafe, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., McFarland
DJs from WVMO-FM bring Americana vinyl to spin for 20-minute sets. From bluegrass to vintage country to polka, enjoy the ever-changing vibe. If you like the bluegrass/string band sound, check out what’s happening at the McFarland House Cafe’s plans for live music all summer. Spread the word on Facebook.
Saturday, June 22 — Prost! Sömerfest, Madison
It’s a Prost! Block Party! Madison’s best Munich-style bierhall is hosting a free party on Hancock Street to welcome summer with music and German food and drinks. DJ Shotski plays polka tunes from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. before DB Polka Express takes over at 4 p.m. Free party, tip your servers.
September 19-22 — Green County Cheese Days, Monroe
Cheese Days is set to break the world record in the number of people dancing the polka at this year’s festival. And DJ Shotski is providing the polka tunes! Can you be a part of this exciting event? Mark your calendar and register with Cheese Days for details.
Readers like you keep the Shotski Lodge open
The Shotski Lodge is a reader-supported publication. Support from subscribers like you gives me the confidence to pursue my mission to get more people to listen to vintage polka and vinyl records, including through this free e-newsletter.
Become a Shotski Lodge member - Substack offers paid subscriptions for people who want to be patrons of the Lodge’s mission.
DJ Shotski’s Venmo - skip the subscription and give via Venmo where transaction fees are lower.
Hire me for a gig! - your community needs a polka party. Email me at djshotski@gmail.com if you have a venue or an event that needs a vinyl DJ.
Donate records - the answer to free records is always “yes.” I’ll give your records a good home (or I’ll distribute them to my vinyl buddies). Email me at djshotski@gmail.com if grandpa’s records need to get out of the basement.