2023 Bandstand series
June 17, 2023
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MOLLIE B. WITH TED LANGE & SQUEEZEBOX
Mollie B. with Ted Lange and Squeezebox Draw Over 500 to Table Rock
By
By Sharla Sitzman
Friday night, August 5, saw one of the biggest crowds in the Table Rock Square in many a year. Some recalled the years of the Chicken Barbecues and the three-day Free Fair, events now part of the good old days. The event was a concert by the nationally reknown band Mollie B. with Ted Lange and Squeezebox.
Mollie B. is host of a popular RFD channel television show, and is on tour with her band for around 250 days of the year. “This is our only appearance in Nebraska this year,” she told the audience. “You can now say that in the year 2023 you went to 100% of the Mollie B. concerts in Nebraska!”
The concert was part of the 2023 Bandstand Series which the Table Rock Community Club hosts. Mollie B. was the biggest draw yet, with over 500 people counted.
Kim Vrtiska managed the project and I helped, mostly by worrying about the rainy weather, and arranging a meet and greet at the Argus Museum with Mollie and her husband Ted and the sponsors of the band with their families. John Ticnor, the “town man,” was inadvertently drawn into the melee by fielding phone calls that came into the Village Hall telephone from people asking about the concert. I had gotten maybe 12 or 15, asking things like, “How do I get to the town Square?” but John reports that he had around 50 such calls!
The meeting with the sponsors brought in Edward Tomek, Joe Stehlik, the family of Rudy & Dorothy Fritch, and the family of Floyd & Doris Vrtiska to meet with Mollie and Ted, who gave the sponsors over half an hour of time to talk and laugh together. After that, all got photographs with them.
People came from near and far, driving from all over Nebraska and from Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa. I talked with a couple who had been in town to visit old friends from when they lived in the Dawson and Sabetha areas. “We watch her every Saturday night in Brownsville, Texas,” said DeAnn Vonderschmit. “Well, I do,” joked her husband. “She usually falls asleep, but I watch to the end.”
Jerry and DeLauris Fankhauser drove only a few miles, coming from Humboldt to celebrate DeLauris’s 90th birthday and the couple’s 72nd wedding anniversary.
Ken and Carolyn Dolezal came from Lincoln. Carolyn grew up in Burchard; she was a Dorn. Ken spun her around the dance floor as if they’ve been dancing together all the years they’ve been married, all 47 of them.
The band was amazing, creative, and full of variety. Most of the night they played songs on request, then threw in a few special ones of their own.
The Tennessee Waltz ended with a special verse at the end. The song, made famous by Patti Page, begins, “I was dancing with my darling to the Tennessee Waltz, When an old friend I happened to see, I introduced her to my loved one, And while they were dancing, My friend stole my sweetheart from me.” It goes on, “I remember the night and the Tennessee Waltz,” and so on. The added verse by Homer & Jethro came next, that it was the annual Fireman’s Ball, and all the people was staring because his girl was wearing, “A newspaper dress – that was all.” Ted Lange wailed the last words deadpan, “Oh! she had comic strips, From her knees to her hips, Where her want ads were - I can't recall.” It ends with a satisfied twist: “Then her dress - it caught on fire, And it burned her entire Front Page, Sports Section and all.” The crowd roared and tears of laughter flowed. And then watched the dance floor fill for a polka – two songs mashed together, “Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie” and “Beer Barrel Polka.” The song worked and the dancers danced.
Mollie B. made various shout outs to people there. One was to Bob Blecha, who started Bob Blecha and the Bouncing Czechs in 1963. When Mollie called out her hello to Bob, Ted jumped in. “Where is he? Bob, stand up!” And then Ted said, “When I was a DJ in Ohio many many years ago, I played your songs! I did! How many albums did you have? 7?” Yep.
Trey Blecha of Table Rock came up to play two songs with the band, and he did great, of course! We love our Trey! One was a song called, “Under One Roof,” and dedicated to Floyd and Doris Vrtiska. Of the many perhaps thousands of songs that Mollie and Ted know, this was one that hadn’t passed their way yet. Mollie told Trey to lead off. And the band jumped in, and had the song in hand immediately. They are consummate musicians.
One surprise was their guitar and mandolin man, Rory Hoffman. Toward the end, they featured a couple of songs by him. Rory fired up a steel guitar on his lap. He said that a couple of months ago he had been included in a movie starring Matt McConaughey. With that, Rory belted out, “They’re gonna put me in the movies” and it made you want to go home and put on a Buck Owens record or two. And then he sang the Hank Williams song, “I’m So Lonesome I could Cry,” and you hankered to go home and put on a whole stack of Hank Williams records. Afterward, I heard people saying they’d like to hear more of that guy. Me, too! Along with drummer Daniel Ferreira, Mollie and Ted have assembled a magical band.
My favorite song of the evening was the “Laughing Polka.” Mollie’s brother Chad took the stage for that one, which I had never heard. It is fast fast fast, and one couple actually managed to spin in adroit tight circles to its beat. The chorus is simply a maniacal but musical Ha ha ha ha ha, following a melody line. The Tennessee Waltz verse about the two-timing girlfriend in a newspaper dress was hilarious but this song was done with such jolly infectiousness laughter that you just had to join in.
Toward the end of the evening – after the band had played well past the contracted two hours – Mollie asked if we wanted the Butterfly Polka. Ummmm? Turns out that we know it as the Flying Dutchman! She said that in Texas it is called the Garden Waltz and in Missouri it is the Grandpa Waltz. Well, of course one simply must dance the Flying Dutchman if one is in Table Rock. The dance floor packed with threesomes.
When the night finally ended with a medley that closed with God Bless America, a pretty satisfied crowd made their way out of the Square. It had been a golden sunset when they arrived to sit amongst the shade trees. Now the Square was lit by the head lights of cars as they started up. As a mark of how many people there were, there were cars parked on all four sides of the Square and off into the side streets.
Dare we hope that Mollie B. with Ted Lange and Squeezebox will return to Table Rock? Perhaps. Kim Vrtiska says that he has asked for dates. The Community Club has a good start, with the original “Crowd Funding.” Kids took buckets around to collection donations toward the 2024 concert series, and came back with over $1,900 in donations! The Community Club was inundated with people expressing appreciation for the evening, and wants to say thank you many times over in return.
By
By Sharla Sitzman
Friday night, August 5, saw one of the biggest crowds in the Table Rock Square in many a year. Some recalled the years of the Chicken Barbecues and the three-day Free Fair, events now part of the good old days. The event was a concert by the nationally reknown band Mollie B. with Ted Lange and Squeezebox.
Mollie B. is host of a popular RFD channel television show, and is on tour with her band for around 250 days of the year. “This is our only appearance in Nebraska this year,” she told the audience. “You can now say that in the year 2023 you went to 100% of the Mollie B. concerts in Nebraska!”
The concert was part of the 2023 Bandstand Series which the Table Rock Community Club hosts. Mollie B. was the biggest draw yet, with over 500 people counted.
Kim Vrtiska managed the project and I helped, mostly by worrying about the rainy weather, and arranging a meet and greet at the Argus Museum with Mollie and her husband Ted and the sponsors of the band with their families. John Ticnor, the “town man,” was inadvertently drawn into the melee by fielding phone calls that came into the Village Hall telephone from people asking about the concert. I had gotten maybe 12 or 15, asking things like, “How do I get to the town Square?” but John reports that he had around 50 such calls!
The meeting with the sponsors brought in Edward Tomek, Joe Stehlik, the family of Rudy & Dorothy Fritch, and the family of Floyd & Doris Vrtiska to meet with Mollie and Ted, who gave the sponsors over half an hour of time to talk and laugh together. After that, all got photographs with them.
People came from near and far, driving from all over Nebraska and from Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa. I talked with a couple who had been in town to visit old friends from when they lived in the Dawson and Sabetha areas. “We watch her every Saturday night in Brownsville, Texas,” said DeAnn Vonderschmit. “Well, I do,” joked her husband. “She usually falls asleep, but I watch to the end.”
Jerry and DeLauris Fankhauser drove only a few miles, coming from Humboldt to celebrate DeLauris’s 90th birthday and the couple’s 72nd wedding anniversary.
Ken and Carolyn Dolezal came from Lincoln. Carolyn grew up in Burchard; she was a Dorn. Ken spun her around the dance floor as if they’ve been dancing together all the years they’ve been married, all 47 of them.
The band was amazing, creative, and full of variety. Most of the night they played songs on request, then threw in a few special ones of their own.
The Tennessee Waltz ended with a special verse at the end. The song, made famous by Patti Page, begins, “I was dancing with my darling to the Tennessee Waltz, When an old friend I happened to see, I introduced her to my loved one, And while they were dancing, My friend stole my sweetheart from me.” It goes on, “I remember the night and the Tennessee Waltz,” and so on. The added verse by Homer & Jethro came next, that it was the annual Fireman’s Ball, and all the people was staring because his girl was wearing, “A newspaper dress – that was all.” Ted Lange wailed the last words deadpan, “Oh! she had comic strips, From her knees to her hips, Where her want ads were - I can't recall.” It ends with a satisfied twist: “Then her dress - it caught on fire, And it burned her entire Front Page, Sports Section and all.” The crowd roared and tears of laughter flowed. And then watched the dance floor fill for a polka – two songs mashed together, “Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie” and “Beer Barrel Polka.” The song worked and the dancers danced.
Mollie B. made various shout outs to people there. One was to Bob Blecha, who started Bob Blecha and the Bouncing Czechs in 1963. When Mollie called out her hello to Bob, Ted jumped in. “Where is he? Bob, stand up!” And then Ted said, “When I was a DJ in Ohio many many years ago, I played your songs! I did! How many albums did you have? 7?” Yep.
Trey Blecha of Table Rock came up to play two songs with the band, and he did great, of course! We love our Trey! One was a song called, “Under One Roof,” and dedicated to Floyd and Doris Vrtiska. Of the many perhaps thousands of songs that Mollie and Ted know, this was one that hadn’t passed their way yet. Mollie told Trey to lead off. And the band jumped in, and had the song in hand immediately. They are consummate musicians.
One surprise was their guitar and mandolin man, Rory Hoffman. Toward the end, they featured a couple of songs by him. Rory fired up a steel guitar on his lap. He said that a couple of months ago he had been included in a movie starring Matt McConaughey. With that, Rory belted out, “They’re gonna put me in the movies” and it made you want to go home and put on a Buck Owens record or two. And then he sang the Hank Williams song, “I’m So Lonesome I could Cry,” and you hankered to go home and put on a whole stack of Hank Williams records. Afterward, I heard people saying they’d like to hear more of that guy. Me, too! Along with drummer Daniel Ferreira, Mollie and Ted have assembled a magical band.
My favorite song of the evening was the “Laughing Polka.” Mollie’s brother Chad took the stage for that one, which I had never heard. It is fast fast fast, and one couple actually managed to spin in adroit tight circles to its beat. The chorus is simply a maniacal but musical Ha ha ha ha ha, following a melody line. The Tennessee Waltz verse about the two-timing girlfriend in a newspaper dress was hilarious but this song was done with such jolly infectiousness laughter that you just had to join in.
Toward the end of the evening – after the band had played well past the contracted two hours – Mollie asked if we wanted the Butterfly Polka. Ummmm? Turns out that we know it as the Flying Dutchman! She said that in Texas it is called the Garden Waltz and in Missouri it is the Grandpa Waltz. Well, of course one simply must dance the Flying Dutchman if one is in Table Rock. The dance floor packed with threesomes.
When the night finally ended with a medley that closed with God Bless America, a pretty satisfied crowd made their way out of the Square. It had been a golden sunset when they arrived to sit amongst the shade trees. Now the Square was lit by the head lights of cars as they started up. As a mark of how many people there were, there were cars parked on all four sides of the Square and off into the side streets.
Dare we hope that Mollie B. with Ted Lange and Squeezebox will return to Table Rock? Perhaps. Kim Vrtiska says that he has asked for dates. The Community Club has a good start, with the original “Crowd Funding.” Kids took buckets around to collection donations toward the 2024 concert series, and came back with over $1,900 in donations! The Community Club was inundated with people expressing appreciation for the evening, and wants to say thank you many times over in return.
The crowd grows
trey blecha joins in for a couple of songs
THE MOLLIE B. CONCERT WAS FREE THANKS TO generous sponsors
Mollie & Ted meet with the sponsors, at the Argus Museum
Edward Tomek
