Music & Dance Music-Dance News Sept-Oct '19 | Page 17

Music & Dance News
music for Minnesota
Day at the Kennedy
Center. It’s probably
the most nervous any
of us has ever been; go-
ing on that stage, where
so many famous people
have performed. That
first song settled us in,
and we even got a stand-
ing ovation and had to
do an encore,” he added
with a smile.
In 1978, the Polka
Dots were one of five
bands from Minnesota
to be selected to play at
the International Polka
Fest in Kitzbuhel, Aus-
tria. More than 150 fans
joined them on that trip.
In 1982, they made a
return trip to Europe,
including Norway, Swe-
den, and Denmark.
When Al Quie, who
Ray knew well, was
Minnesota’s governor,
the group played twice
at the governor’s man-
sion in St. Paul.
One event honored
Minnesota golfer Patty
Berg, and the other was
a sit-down dinner for a
large crowd.
Ray recalls that as the
evening went on, people
dispersed and Governor
Quie told Ray that he
and his wife were going
upstairs to bed, but the
band could stay as long
as they wanted to.
“We had the entire
main floor to ourselves,
September/October 2019
Ray Sands continued
and about this time, Sue,
Rick, and Dave decided
to order pizza,” Ray
laughed. “We’re prob-
ably the only band to
have a pizza party at the
governor’s mansion until
2 in the morning.”
Honors
On the band’s 50th
anniversary, Ray was
elected to the Minnesota
Music Hall of Fame.
On the 60th anniver-
sary in 2009, the Polka
Dots played at the Zum-
brota Theatre, where, 60
years earlier, they had
performed on the same
stage.
For this event, radio
host Garrison Keillor
was the master of cer-
Southwest Dance Party
Page 17
emonies, telling how the
band had played decades
earlier on radio station
KAAA in Red Wing.
A scratchy track of
the “Blue Skirt Waltz”
played in the back-
ground, and halfway
through the song, Keillor
asked for the stage lights
and the Polka Dots fin-
ished playing the song
live.
Ray said, “It was like
the band came out of
the mist; really remark-
able.”
Reminiscing,
retirement
Ray enjoys reminisc-
ing about his 70 years
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