Alumni

Peter Danielczuk

"Polka King' vows to be back on air"
Valley radio host celebrates Polish dance, culture
By Rebecca Baker Register Staff
(New Haven Register 9-30-2002)

ANSONIA
Trumpet and accordion music filled the social hall Sunday as dozens of smiling couples spun around the dance floor.
Peter J. Danielczuk was in his glory. "Isn't it a great party? Everyone is having a good time. It's just heartwarming," he said.
Danielczuk, the former host of Saturday night's "Polka Celebration" on WICC-600 AM radio, threw the party to thank his fans for allowing him to spend 10 consecutive years on the air.
"Polka Celebration," along with other local programs, got the ax when WICC's new owners decided to switch to a sports, news and talk format. His last broadcast was Aug. 31.
But nearly 200 fans from across Connecticut packed the Polish Falcon Hall, where Danielczuk is president of the Board of Aldermen, in thanks and appreciation for his show.
"This is like old times," said Helen Ptak of Ansonia, who used to organize polkas at the Warsaw Park dance hall years ago.
Ptak hopes Danielczuk can find a new on-air home, saying the polka show was part of the community fabric, unlike other, generic national programs.
"You would know everyone's birthday. Everyone just looked forward to it," she said.
Danielczuk said a deal is "already in the works" to air the show at another station. He declined any other details, saying only that he was "confident" the show would be back on the air.
"Polka music is not dead, and it's not just for old people. It's still going strong," he said.
Danielczuk is Connecticut's unofficial polka king. The license plate on his Jeep Grand Cherokee redodatki "Polka P." His e-mail address begins with PolkaPetel1. He holds polka festivals, polka cruises and a polka show on cable television.
Danielczuk, 50, is young for the polka crowd, which tends to be in their 70s. But he believes polka is ageless.
"It's happy-go-lucky music," he said.
"Once you hear a few songs, your foot starts tapping. It's just a lot of fun."
Like most polka fans, Danielczuk "grew up with" the music. His parents, both Polish, met at a polka dance at Warsaw Park.
It was there he met a polka teacher named Maryann and married her. Two years later, Maryann Danielczuk died of cancer at age 41, but Peter Danielczuk wrote the words to "Maryann, Heaven's Polka Angel" in her memory. Dennis Polisky and the Maestro's Men debuted the song at the party Sunday.
Members of the dance troupe Connecticut Polka Cousins, wearing their signature red shirts, said they supported Danielczuk’s dedication to the music of their youth.
"I was brought up with it. I learned how to dance polka when I was this high," Josie Vaitekunas of Bridgeport said.
"This is about our ancestry. We appreciate the folk music," Vito Vaitekunas, also of Bridgeport, said.
Polka originated in the Bohemian culture in the 1830s and spread across Europe. Its name comes from the Czech word "pulka," which means "half-step.”
Polish, Czech and Slovenian immigrants brought polka music and polka dancing to the United States.
Helen DellaRocco of Milford fears polka music will fade into history without people like Danielczuk.
"It's our generation doing this. Once our generation is gone ...," she said, her voice trailing off.
But Ray Szymanski, who hosts a polka radio program in New London, said the under-30 crowd is starting to find polka music.
"They're seeing that polka music is fun music," he said. "And what better place is there for guys to meet girls?"