Polka lover will play as long as he can
Staff writer
One thing is sure: Alex Stuchlik of rural Lost Springs loves polka music. He loves to listen to it and he loves to play it on his accordion.
Customers often hear polka music wafting through the air when they visit him at the welding and repair shop on his farm.
The leader of the Alex Stuchlik Polka Band has played the accordion since he was 15 years old. That’s almost 65 years of experience.
His band — including son Gary on the tuba, daughter Rita on the drums, and grandson Derek on the trumpet — has performed in almost every community in Marion County and in many towns and cities across the state including Newton, Wichita, and Salina. They play at alumni banquets, weddings, dances, and other special events.
Stuchlik played with the choir on Christmas Eve at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church – Holy Family Parish in Pilsen. His band will provide the music for the New Year’s Eve dance in the Pilsen Activity Center.
The band has a repertoire of almost 100 pieces. They have recorded two cassette tapes and two CDs, and have sold more than 700.
“We don’t have any left,” Stuchlik said.
Stuchlik has always owned button box accordions. He paid $1 for his first instrument, a used one that was in bad shape. The bellows were split. He used wallpaper and a paste of flour and water to repair it.
At age 18, the self-taught musician earned the money to buy a new $50 accordion from the Sears-Roebuck catalog. His father gave him 11 acres of clover to windrow and harvest for seed. He sold the seed at Canada Grain Company for $60.
For many years, Stuchlik performed in various community programs. The only time he played in a group was at the Lost Springs Oddfellows Hall, where he was joined by Bill Stika on the accordion, Sara Stika on the piano, and Frank Evans on the violin.
Stuchlik married his wife, Jean, when he was 31 years old. They have five children.
He formed his own band about 25 years ago and named it Alexander’s Polka Band. His daughter Diann played the drums and son Gary played the tuba. When Stuchlik realized that people mistakenly thought Alexander was his last name, he changed the name of the band to Alex Stuchlik Polka Band.
The band experienced a few changes as time went along. Gary remains with the band and lives near Pilsen. Daughter Rita took Diann’s place and now lives in Wichita. Gary’s son, Derek, more recently joined the band as a trumpet player. Jerry Vinduska of Marion occasionally joins them on the trumpet.
Stuchlik now owns two accordions. He paid $1,500 for the newest one and more than $800 for the other.
He sometimes is invited to play with other polka bands. He has played with bands from Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Iowa.
He plans to continue to play the accordion as long as he can — hopefully, as long as he lives. His walk has gotten slower but his fingers remain nimble and are as fast as they have ever been.
Stuchlik lives in the same house in which he was born at 2045 320th St., Lost Springs. He has a few beef cattle, puts up hay, and custom hires the farming on his 160-acre spread.
“I love the polka music,” he said. “It’s happy music for happy people.”