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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Keeping time: Tradition of big band and polka dances surviving, but smaller
Jun. 23, 2018 3:00 pm, Updated: Jun. 17, 2019 3:58 pm
A hundred years ago, Bill Ackerman's ancestors farmed the land surrounding his present-day home, which they also built.
The foursquare colonial, painted a sunny yellow with blue and white trim, now sits amid student housing, the University of Iowa medical campus and the Veterans Affairs hospital in Iowa City. What was once a dirt driveway leading up to the house and barn is now a parking lot with numbered spaces the Ackermans rent out to nurses and hospital staff who work nearby.
During the summer, Ackerman and his wife, Karen, invite musician friends to perform on their wraparound front porch — a pastime they and others in their community fear is dying out in Iowa.
The dancing community consists predominantly of older Eastern Iowans who grew up listening to big bands and polka music in small rural venues. The few remaining dance bands continue to draw crowds that get smaller every year.
They play in former dance halls that since have taken on new lives as wedding venues or community centers.
On a given evening, the dancers fluidly transition from a waltz to a two-step on the dance floor. Partners find each other anew after each set by a band — two songs followed by a break — and a woman or man may dance with every person in the room before the night is through.
Bill Ackerman's wife doesn't care for dancing, so he picks up his partner, who lives in What Cheer and has been dancing with Bill for two years, for their twice-weekly promenades. If a new couple turns up, others are quick to invite them to the floor for a lesson, if needed.
Despite what has changed through the years — attendees joked that both musicians and dancers are dying with few in the younger crowd to take their places — those who love dancing will keep coming back for the chance to be moved by music from the past.
Care to dance? Upcoming events:
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June 24 — Dale Thomas (Iowa City Eagles)
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June 26 — Dale Thomas (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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June 27 — Dale Thomas on dobro with BSBB (The Mill)
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July 10 — Lyle Beaver (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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July 11 — Dale Thomas on dobro with BSBB (The Mill)
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July 17 — Buck Hollow (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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July 22 — Lyle Beaver (Polishville)
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July 24 — Barefoot Becky (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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July 25 — Dale Thomas on dobro (The Mill)
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July 27 — Dale Thomas (Walcott Coliseum Ballroom)
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July 31 — Dale Thomas (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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August — Dale Thomas (Iowa City Eagles)
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August 7 — Buck Hollow (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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August 12 — Larry Goodman (Polishville Community Center)
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August 14 — Lyle Beaver (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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August 21 — Dale Thomas (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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August 26 — Jerry Beauchamp (Polishville: Free Dance!)
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August 28 — Barefoot Becky (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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September 4 — Lyle Beaver (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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September 9 — Ned Francis (Polishville)
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September 11 — Larry Goodman (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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September 18 — Barefoot Becky (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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September 23 — Larry Goodman (Polishville)
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September 25 — Dale Thomas (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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October 2 — Lyle Beaver (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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October 7 — Jerry Beauchamp (Polishville)
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October 9 — Larry Goodman (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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October 16 — Barefoot Becky (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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October 21 — Ned Francis (Polishville)
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October 23 — Jerry Beauchamp (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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October 30 — Dale Thomas (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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November 6 — Lyle Beaver (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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November 11 — Lyle Beaver (Polishville)
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November 13 — Barefoot Becky (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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November 20 — Dale Thomas (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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November 25 — Larry Goodman (Polishville)
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November 27 — Larry Goodman (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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December 4 — Lyle Beaver (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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December 11 — Dale Thomas (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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December 18 — Barefoot Becky (Ponderosa Ballroom)
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Also check for periodic updates from the Walcott Coliseum Ballroom, Oxford Junction Legionnaire Ballroom, Iowa City Eagles, Ponderosa Ballroom, and Bill Peck at the Polishville Community Center. Dale Thomas' summer schedule: http://dalethomasband.com/schedule.php
Did I miss one? Email me at rebecca.miller@thegazette.com and I'll add it to the list.
l Comments: rebecca.miller@thegazette.com
Lyle Beaver (from left), Al Hunzinger (on drums), Larry Fountain and Dale Thomas perform an impromptu concert in front of the Ackermans' home. The performers, who rarely get to play together, are revered among musicians and dancers in the area. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
People spread out lawn chairs to listen to members of the Iowa Accordion Club perform at the home of Bill Ackerman in Iowa City on Monday, May 21, 2018. The Ackermans host the potluck and porch music sessions throughout the summer at their old farmhouse in the middle of Iowa City. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
Bill Ackerman of Iowa City and Bonnie Conrad of Crawfordsville dance at a lawn party hosted by Ackerman and his wife at their home on Monday, May 21, 2018. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
Attendees sing the national anthem before listening to a recording of the Polish national anthem at a dance at the Polishville Community Center on Sunday, May 20, 2018. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
Lyle Beaver of Iowa City performs on the accordion at a dance at the Polishville Community Center in Polishville on Sunday, May 20, 2018. The long-running dance is run by 89-year-old Bill Beck and an efficient crew of kitchen staff similar in age to him. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
People dance as Lyle Beaver (not pictured) plays the accordion at a dance at the Polishville Community Center on Sunday, May 20, 2018. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
Bill Peck of Brighton straightens slices of pie in the concession area at a dance at the Polishville Community Center on Sunday, May 20, 2018. Beck, who is 89 years old, says that without interest in dancing from younger generations, the pastime will die out. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
Couples dance as the Larry Goodman band plays at the Ponderosa Ballroom in Walford on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
