Chainsaw's Polka Madhouse

03/08/2024

Jim Kucharski will be filling in for Paul Romanowski on POLKAS FROM THE SOUTH Saturday morning from 6:00-8:30am Eastern (5:00-7:30am Central) LIVE on the Polka Jammer Network (www.polkajammernetwork.org) and WSKB 89.5FM in Westfield, MA.

The World Leader in Polka Entertainment - 24 hours a day. Seven days a week.

27/07/2024

View Andrew John Dziagwa, Jr's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

26/07/2024

We are deeply saddened to announce that Andy Day (born Andrew John Gziagwa Jr.), original trumpet player with the Ampol-Aires, passed away last night. He was 95 years old.

I had the pleasure of performing with him when I was with the Ampol-Aires during his final season with the band back in 1992. Andy was inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame in 1995.

Visitation will take place on Monday, July 29th from 4-8pm at the Ahlgrim & Sons Funeral Home, 330 W. Golf Rd in Schaumburg, IL.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Tuesday, July 30th at 10:00am at Visitation Catholic Church, 779 S. York St in Elmhurst, IL.

He will be buried at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, IL on Wednesday, July 31st at 12:30pm with full military honors.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family.

Send a message to learn more

25/07/2024

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Mollie B’s Dad: Jim Busta. He passed away last night after a 2 1/2 year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 76 years old.

Our deepest condolences go out to his daughter Mollie, son Chad, & their entire family.

25/07/2024

Here's the obituary for Valerie Oberaitis:

Valerie M. Oberaitis, age 97, of Orlando, Florida passed away on Saturday, July 20, 2024. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 4, 1926.

She is survived by her son, Joseph F. Oberaitis. She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward G. Oberaitis and siblings, Joseph, John and George Kulig.

A funeral mass for Valerie will be held Thursday, July 25, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Sacred Heart Traditional Catholic Church, 1018 36th St, Orlando, FL 32805.

There will also be a viewing at Busch Funeral Home, 5904 Ridge Road, Parma, OH 44129 on Monday, July 29 from 11am to 1pm with burial to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, Brook Park, OH.

Celebrate the life of Valerie Oberaitis, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Woodlawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park.

24/07/2024

It’s with sadness to report to all you that Joe Oberaitis’ mother: Valerie, passed away this past Saturday down in Orlando, FL.

She was 97 years old.

Jim Kucharski will be filling in for Pan Jusef on POLKAS 101 this Saturday from 4-5pm ET (3-4pm CT). We'll be playing many of his Mom's favorite tunes on the program.

Our deepest condolences go out to his entire family.

Send a message to learn more

05/05/2024

We were saddened to learn that Linda Walczynski-Louie’s oldest brother Tom (of Duluth, Minnesota) passed away yesterday……a victim of terminal cancer. He was 69 years old.

Being that Linda is not on Facebook, we wanted to let everyone know. Please keep her family in your prayers during this most difficult time.

03/05/2024

It is with a heavy heart to announce that Major Mel Himes, long time polka DJ from Erie, PA, passed away last night due to sepsis caused by an untreated shoulder infection. He was 66 years old......one month shy of what would have been his 67th birthday. (June 11th)

Our deepest condolences go out to his girlfriend Kristine, and his entire family. In accordance with his final wishes, he will be cremated. Please keep them in your thoughts during this difficult time.

29/04/2024

We would like thank all of our wonderful listeners who tuned into our special JammerThon show yesterday. During our segment, a record $6,175 was raised for the network.

Despite the negative economic climate & ridiculously high inflation this year, our listeners came through & showed their love for a network begun 21 years ago by Polkaman Jack Baciewski and this host. Rest assured, we will continue to play the music you want to hear.

Thank you again for your support of this great network, and may GOD Bless You All! /jk

On behalf of the entire staff of the Polka Jammer Network, we express our heartfelt appreciation for your incredible support and generosity during our recent Jammerthon fundraiser. Your contributions have exceeded our expectations, and we are thrilled to announce that we have raised over $101,900 for the entire weekend.

Your kindness and unwavering support continue to amaze us year after year. We are grateful for your steadfast commitment to the Polka Jammer Network, and we cannot thank you enough for your donations.

Throughout the 36 hours of live programming, we had over 70 volunteers from all over the country answering phones and working with various IJs for all three days of the fundraiser. Their dedication and hard work were invaluable, and we appreciate their contributions to the success of our event.

If you were unable to participate in the fundraiser but would still like to pledge and receive a premium gift, please visit our website at polkajammernetwork.org. We will continue to accept pledges for the next week while we catch up on all the phone pledge paperwork.

Additionally, if you missed any of the programs or would like to listen again, all of the weekend's programs have been archived and are available in our Show Archives.

Once again, thank you for your generosity and support. You are all simply amazing!

Sincerely,

The Polka Jammer Network Staff

22/03/2024

56th Annual IPA Polka Festival and Convention Join us now for the 56th Annual International Polka Association Festival and Convention from August 30th to September 1st, 2024. We also have a special welcome party once again feature IPA Hall of Famer Alex Meixner on Thursday 29, 2024. Hotel Location a...

14/03/2024

Couple of schedule changes this week:

1. Eddie Biegaj airs a rare Thursday edition of the BAD BOY SHOW tonight LIVE from 4-6pm ET.

2. POLKAS IN VOGUE with Ron Raczkowski is pre-recorded tonight from 8-9pm ET.

Due to the funeral taking place on Saturday for the late Kenny Machelski out in Buffalo, NY, the following changes are taking place:

3. Kenny Konopka will be filling in for Jackie Libera on POLKA MORNING IN AMERICA tomorrow morning LIVE from 8am-12pm ET.

4. Jim Kucharski will be filling in for Mark & Cherie Trzepacz on BREAKFAST WITH BB this Saturday LIVE from 8:30am-12:00pm ET.

The World Leader in Polka Entertainment - 24 hours a day. Seven days a week.

06/03/2024

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Buffalo Polka legend Ken Machelski has passed away. His wife Carolyn wrote, "It is with my heartfelt sadness that I share the loss of my beloved husband Ken who passed away this morning after suffering brain damage due to a cardiac arrest. I will miss & love him forever & always." Polkamotion extends our condolences to Carolyn, the entire Machelski Family, his many bandmates both past and present, friends and fans of Kenny. In so many ways, he was the heart and soul of Buffalo's Polka Music Community. A big loss for Western New York Polonia.

Please keep his wife Carolyn, son Ken, daughter Julie, and the rest of his family and many friends in your thoughts and prayers.
Our deepest condolences and sympathies to you all.
Rest in peace Ken.

22/02/2024

Jim Miller, former drummer with Chad Przybylski passed away last Friday after a long illness. He was 66 years old.

He used to come out when I played with the late Stas Golonka up in Wisconsin many years ago. Great guy!

Jimmy was cremated. Please keep his family in your prayers during this difficult time. /jk

View James Miller's obituary, send flowers and find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

16/02/2024

Service alert for this Sunday, February 25th.

Will be doing an upgrade to PJN’s radio automation software as well as scheduled system maintenance. This will take place after Kenny Olowin’s live show.

The Polka Jammer Network will undergo a brief interruption in service starting at 7 PM ET (6 PM CT) on Sunday, February 25, 2024, as we implement a scheduled software update on our music library server.

Rest assured, we are committed to restoring your polka streaming experience promptly. Thank you for your patience and continued support!

16/12/2023

10/12/2023

The founder of the Illinois Polka Fest passed away.

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10/07/2023

Bruno Mikos has died. I had the pleasure of performing with him when I played with Jersey Polka Richie in the mid-1990's. Good trumpet player, great vocalist (with an uncanny resemblance to Marion Lush), and a true gentleman. Bruno was inducted into the IPA Hall Of Fame in 1986. Our deepest condolences go out to his son: John, and their entire family.

He was 76 years old. /jk

We are so very saddened to learn of the passing of Bruno Mikos, a fantastic performer, Polka Hall of Famer, and local polka friend. Our sympathies go out to the entire Mikos family.

30/06/2023

Mike Matousek is retiring to Florida after the upcoming Brews Cruise. Look for Frankie Liszka the rest of the guys to start another band. (we’ve been told NO….it won’t be TBC.)

The Boys, founded in 1980, played their signature style of polka music for over a decade.  By the time the group disbanded in 1990, The Boys had recorded five albums, received regional and national honors including the United States Polka Association's 1989 Favorite Band and 1989 Favorite Album awa...

11/06/2023

A few pics I took at Polish Fest in Milwaukee, WI.

10/06/2023

Not sure if this is from pent up demand due to COVID, but I haven’t seen it this crowded in years.

01/06/2023

We received sad news this afternoon that Steve Meisner, master Cleveland style accordionist, passed away this afternoon…..a victim of lung cancer. He was 62 years old.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family.

27/05/2023

We were saddened to learn that due to job demands, Joni Zychowski Gregg was forced to end production of her show. She was one of the last IJ’s to be appointed by Polkaman Jack Baciewski in May of 2008.

We thank Joni for her 15 years of service to the network, and we wish Joni, her husband David, and their entire family all the best.

After 15 years of broadcasting on the Jammer, Joni will be retiring her program. Please join her for her final Jam, this Wednesday, May 31 from 6-8 PM ET (5-7 CT.)

Thank you Joni for 15 years of entertaining us all.

22/05/2023

This breaks my heart.

04/04/2023

Just received sad news that drummer Dave Raccis (Lenny Gomulka’s brother-in-law) passed away earlier today. He was the first drummer to play with the Chicago Push after Lenny Gomulka relocated to MA in 1991. Prior to that, he performed with the Freddy K Band & the Eddie Forman Orchestra.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family.
He was 62 years old.

28/03/2023

Alvin Styczynski’s Obituary

Alvin J. Styczynski, 87, “Polka Legend,” of Pulaski, passed away peacefully Monday, March 27, 2023, at his home surrounded by loved ones. The son of Joseph and Rose (Stefaniak) Styczynski was born October 23, 1935, in Pulaski and grew up on the family farm in the Town of Maple Grove. Following graduation from Pulaski High School in 1954, Alvin worked at Northern Shoe in Pulaski for 16 years. For several years he operated three farms, located in Krakow and Pulaski, and had also worked as a cattle trucker for Equity Livestock of Bonduel for 48 years.

On July 30, 1988, he married Sharon (Sherry) Linders, who he had met many times over the years at polka dances. She became his rock and was always at his side. Alvin and Sherry belonged to St. Francis Xavier Cathedral Parish in Green Bay. Sherry is going to miss her beloved husband and love of her life, promising him that when she joins him in heaven he should “strike up the band and save the first dance for me!”

He is most well-known for being the band leader and musician for the Alvin Styczynski Polka Band, retiring in 2018 following a joy-filled 70-year career (1948-2018). His childhood dream came true! He was always grateful, blessed, and proud to have worked alongside so many extremely talented musicians. Alvin and Sherry operated Zielinski’s Ballroom in Pulaski for 19 years. An avid Packers fan, Alvin wrote and recorded the Green Bay Packers Polka. Proud of his country, he started all his dance jobs with the National Anthem and finished them with The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Many people will remember that he played on Sunday mornings for 12 years at WBAY-TV on the Alvin Styczynski Polka Show. He also spent 52 years as a polka D.J. for WTCH Radio in Shawano and for 55 years at WTAQ Radio in Green Bay. Alvin and Dick Rodgers were the founders of the original Pulaski Polish Sausage Festival (now Pulaski Polka Days). He made eight European tours, playing in Poland, Holland, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, and Austria, traveled to 18 states, and spent 28 years traveling on the East Coast. In 1985, the Smithsonian Institute selected his band to participate and play in the National 4th of July Celebration in Washington, D.C.

In addition to being an active member of the Wisconsin Orchestra Leaders Association, Alvin was a member of the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame, an organization which honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award and the Senior Achievement Award. He also received numerous trophies, plaques, and other awards over his long musical career.

Survivors include his wife, Sherry; Sherry’s sons: Jamie and Jeremy Gajewske; three step-grandsons: Andrew, Matthew, and Jacob Gajewske; two brothers: Ralph (Sue) Styczynski and LaVern (Dorothy) Styczynski; a brother-in-law, Gary Linders (special friend, Jan Piechota); and sisters-in-law: Linda (Don) Cavanaugh and Sandi Healy. He is further survived by his godchildren: Haley Ferden, Darrell Styczynski, and Jeff Styczynski; numerous nieces and nephews, special relatives and wonderful friends. We especially want to thank Ralph and Sue Styczynski and their son and daughter, David and Lynnelle, Jody Styczynski, Norman Pawelczyk and Colleen Walgurski, and Gary Linders for their loving care and support.

Alvin was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Rose Styczynski and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Spike and Phyllis Linders; a sister and brother-in-law: Phyllis (Henry) Pawelczyk; and special friends: Dick Rodgers, Roger Brzeczkowski, and Sherry’s busia, Sophie (Maternoski) Vaessen.

Friends are invited to gather with the family at Assumption B.V.M. Church, 119 E. Pulaski St., Pulaski, from 3:00-7:00 p.m. Sunday, April 2. The Wake Service will take place at 6:30 p.m. The visitation continues from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Monday at the church. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Monday, Fr. Brian Belongia presiding.

The Funeral Mass will be livestreamed on the parish page, https://www.facebook.com/Assumption-BVM-St-Stanislaus-St-Casimir-Parish-Family-89119956934

Sherry would like to express the family’s gratitude to the entire Unity Hospice Team for their compassionate, professional care.

The family requests “NO FLOWERS, PLEASE.” A memorial fund is being established in Alvin’s name.

27/03/2023

Local polka legend Alvin Styczynski died Monday. He was 87.

19/03/2023

Coming soon!

Look for Jim Kucharski to host his JammerThon show on Sunday, April 30th LIVE from 6-8pm Eastern (5-7pm Central).

17/03/2023

Brand new show coming to the Polka Jammer Network on Monday, April 10th!

The Polka Jammer Network welcomes Tommy Wanderlich and Felicia DeKarski with their program "Hear We Go" coming this April 2023.

The premier Jammer edition will air at a special time on Monday, April 10th 8-10 ET (7-9 CT), and weekly shows will follow from 7-9 ET (6-8 CT).

17/03/2023

It’s with great sadness to report of the passing of our friend Lenny Kapka. He was the original bass player with Lenny Gomulka & the Chicago Push and also performed with the Windy City Brass, Chi-Town Express, Dennis Motyka & the Good Times, and most recently the D Street Band.

Prior to that, Lenny played with Stas Golonka in the late 1970’s. He was one of the first influences on Jim Kucharski’s bass playing when he started in polka music in the late 1980’s.

Our deepest condolences go out to his beloved wife: Diane, his son Brian, and their entire family. In accordance with his final wishes, there will be NO wake or funeral. Please keep them in your prayers during this difficult time.

Lenny was 73 years old.