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Early Days

Here's a picture from our very first days together.
clockwise from the top: Erick Cohn, Ian Lucero,
Toby Hanson, Christopher Overstreet.

A shot of Toby from Polkapalooza, held at
Seattle's Center on Contemporary Art in 1996.

    



Our promo photo from Spring, 1999.
left to right: Toby Hanson, Mike Woolf,
Ian Lucero, Jack LaFond, Erick Cohn.

We played for the Bellevue Art Museum Fair at Bellevue Square in July, 2001.
left to right: Erick Cohn, Toby Hanson, Dennis Staskowski, Jack LaFond.

This picture is from the Julfest at Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle. This is one of the rare times we've had a fiddle player with us in the band.
left to right: Mike Woolf, Tim Wetmiller, Erick Cohn, Toby Hanson, Jack LaFond.

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On the Road

In June 2000 we made our first trip to the Inter-
national Polkafest at Ironworld in Chisholm, MN.
left to right: Ian Lucero, Mark Wolford, Toby Hanson, Jack LaFond (partially blocked).

Another pic from Ironworld. Toby Hanson and Mark Wolford. We all bought cowboy hats at the $10,000 Silver Dollar Bar in Montana on our way to Minnesota.

Here Toby prepares for a gig with Mended Heart at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monore, WA.

Three of the great polka banjo players came together at this one gig in Philipsburg, MT in August, 2001. left to right: Carl Nyberg of Sylvia's Fjordsong Band, Scott Adams of the Smilin' Scandinavians and Roger Pulver, formerly with Verne Meisner and Roger Bright.

The band rang in the new year at the Finn Hall in Buckley, Washington.
left to right: Greg Powers, Dennis Staskowski (partially hidden), Toby Hanson, Erick Cohn, Jack LaFond.

Here Toby plays Tico-Tico on stage
at the Oregon Cabaret Theater in Ashland
as a part of their production of The Polish
Diva from Milwaukee, starring Terry Palasz.

Toby Hanson meets legendary polka accordionist Hank Thunander at the Moose Lodge in Chisholm, MN over Memorial Day Weekend 2002.

The band took its first-ever trip to Canada in August 2002 to play at the accordion festival in Chemainus and Crofton on Vancouver Island.
left to right: Toby Hanson, Erick Cohn, Mike Woolf.

This picture shows Terry Palasz, the Polish Diva from Milwaukee, prominent Rochester, NY-area DJ and bandleader Ray Serafin, and Toby Hanson at the studios of radio station WGMC in Greece, NY.

The band stopped off in Bozeman, MT to visit one of the polka world's greatest living banjo players, Roger Pulver and his lovely wife Pat.
left to right: Roger Pulver, Mark Wolford, Toby Hanson,
Mike Woolf.

Once again the boys were off to Bozeman, this time to play at Septoberfest Montana.
left to right: Greg Powers, Mike Woolf, Toby Hanson, Mark Wolford, Roger Pulver.

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Swiss Park

The boys crank it up for the Minnesota-Dakota Club Springfest at the Swiss Park in Bonney Lake, WA in April, 2003.

Roger Pulver and his lovely wife Pat came over from Bozeman for the weekend. We talked Roger into sitting in with us on a few old Verne Meisner tunes.

The band poses with their banjo hero, Roger Pulver.
left to right: Erick Cohn, Greg Powers, Toby Hanson, Roger Pulver, Jack LaFond, Mike Woolf.

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Leavenworth

Dick Spetz of New Prague, MN joined the band for a few numbers at the 2003 Maifest in Leavenworth, WA.

The local German dance group, Edelweiss Tanzgruppe, dances in the town square at Maifest 2003 in Leavenworth.

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Kimberley

The band played for the Saturday Night Dance at the Kimberley International Old-Time Accordion Championships in Kimberley, BC in July, 2003. It was the biggest show we had played to date.

Toby looks intense while he plays!

Toby shows off a little for the other
accordionists in the house.

The band posed after their triumphant
gig at Kimberley.
left to right: Erick Cohn, Rick Hatley, Toby Hanson,
Mike Woolf, Scott Adams.



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Uncle Otto's Oktoberfest

Here's the gang at Uncle Otto's Oktoberfest, located at Portland Brewing Company in Portland, OR. Erick was hidden in this picture.
left to right: Eric Likkel, Mike Woolf, Toby Hanson, Scott Adams.

Fortunately Erick was not hidden in this
picture, taken with his lovely wife Megan.

Eric Likkel looking cool
on stage at Uncle Otto's.

Toby got a rare photo with one of
his polka heroes, Carl Finch, leader
of Grammy Award-winning polka
band Brave Combo.

Toby before the Saturday afternoon show.

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