Sure, there are upstart contenders, but in the Slavic redoubts of Strawberry Hill (and beyond), Don Lipovac reigns supreme, and for good reason. At church halls, social clubs and ethnic festivals (Croatian, Slovenian, Polish, German, Yugoslavian, Serbian), the Don Lipovac Orchestra, snazzy in shiny matching costumes, effortlessly guides dancers from folk ballade to rousing polka to swanning waltz. Best of all, the dapper, genial maestro himself — a 1958 American Accordion Association National Champion, a Lawrence Welk Show and Kansas City Philharmonic guest, and Polka Hall of Fame inductee — always seems to be having a marvelous time. If Lipovac's band were in Brooklyn, he'd have to dodge hordes of fedora-wearing, ukulele-strumming, retro-loving hipsters, but here in sensible Kansas City, this local treasure remains undiscovered by the under-70 crowd. Let the Don Lipovac polka resurgence begin.
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