Music & Dance News
January/February 2016
Page 6
Craig Ebel celebrates his career
WJSW) in Maplewood,
Craig Ebel, the host of
MN. The station was
the “It’s Polka Time!”
only on from sunrise to
radio shows, has been
sunset, but its format ininvolved in polka music
cluded 80 percent polka
all his life, and he will
music.
be celebrating 35 years
Then, Craig worked
of broadcasting and 25
as an announcer for
years of his radio show
AM 1400 and FM 107
Saturday, March 19 from
WHLB,
“Someplace
4 to 10 p.m. at Withrow
Special,” in Virginia,
Ballroom in Hugo, MN.
MN. During his employCraig grew up in a
ment on the Iron Range,
musical family, with his
he worked with anmother, LaVay, singing
nouncer John Snidarich
and playing guitar in
to produce the popular
country western bands;
“Polkas International.”
and his father, Elhart,
Upon John’s retirebuilding and operating
ment after 20 years on
the Bel-Rae Ballroom
the air, Craig took over
from 1964 to 1971.
the program, which was
The Bel-Rae became
re-titled “Polka Lover’s
one of the most popular
Time!” This Sloveniandance spots in the Upper
style show aired Sunday
Midwest and a great inCraig
Ebel
received
an
RCA-type
77-DX
ribbon
mornings over AM 1340
fluence on Craig’s musimicrophone
from
his
wife,
Lori,
in
April
2001,
KBRT in Eveleth, MN
cal career.
Ever since Craig was during their 10th anniversary dance at Medina for 31 years, until April
2012, when the station
a little boy, in addition Entertainment Center in Medina, MN.
to being a musician, he announcer on the air- boards. He would take was sold and changed its
wanted to be a polka waves by turning card- tubes and dials from format to sports talk.
Craig teamed up with
disc jockey. He used board boxes into control old televisions he found
Robert
“Butch” Jamto pretend he was an
at the dump and affix
them to the cardboard bor from the Bel-Rae
boxes. He would spend Ballroom after moving
Celebrate with Craig Ebel
hours introducing songs back to the Twin Cities
Saturday, March 19; 4-10 pm
and telling his audience to produce a two-hour
Saturday morning show
about the bands.
35 years of broadcasting
A graduate of Brown entitled “Polka Jamboand 25 years of “It’s Polka Time!
Institute
School
of ree!” heard over AM 730
Broadcasting, Craig has WRPX in Hudson, WI.
Withrow Ballroom
The show only lasted
been in all facets of ra12169 Keystone Ave. N. in Hugo, MN
dio broadcasting includ- for nine months, but it
Music by “The Boys” from Baltimore, MD ing announcer, reporter, became the steppingand
board operator, and pro- stone for bringing back
polka music to the air“The David Austin Band” from Austin, WI ducer.
In 1981, while attend- waves of the Twin CitFood, door prizes, and
ing classes at Brown, ies.
“It’s Polka Time!” dea parade of musicians
Craig landed his first rabuted
Feb. 2, 1991 on
dio job as an announcer
Admission is $12,
on “Polka Polka” AM a Brooklyn Park radio
kids age 16 and under are free
1010 WMIN (formally Continued on page 7