Button Box Club unites music lovers

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

WEST NEWTON -- The Minnesota Button Box Club united area musicians and concertina music lovers Sunday afternoon at the Harkin Store on Nicollet County Highway 21 along the Minnesota River.

Area musicians that took to the "stage" in front of the store porch playing their button boxes were Rollie Meyer of Gibbon, Karl Valberg of St. Peter, Agnes Zwaschka of Comfrey and Thomas Gagnon of Glencoe.

Club members came from as far away as Elmore, south of Blue Earth, near the Iowa border.

Later in the afternoon, listeners sang while "The Battle Hymn of The Republic" was played on the button boxes.

Jeannie Enabnit organized the Minnesota Button Box Club, headquartered in Glencoe, in 1994. It now has 115 members from Alaska to the East Coast.

She said the button box, the original accordion, is still played in Ireland, England and other european countries and South America.

"Texas-Mexicans have picked up the three-row accordion and gone crazy with it," Enabnit said.

"People can come with their button accordion and learn something or show off what they know," she said. "We are always open for people to show up, listen or play along. Children are fine. It's good to indoctrinate them while they're young."

Enabnit said more and more young people are getting interested in accordions. She would like to see the polka the state dance in Minnesota like it is in Wisconsin.

"Lots of young kids go crazy over polka over there," Enabnit said. "Tell Gov. Ventura I want the polka to become the state dance. It's good, safe, clean fun."

Phyllis Rubey of New Ulm, who grew up near St. George, listened to the music and reminisced with old friends and her husband Vern.

"When I was younger, I used to bring my mother (Rose Brandel) out here and visit Janet Massapust, who was the daughter of the store owner," Phyllis Rubey said. "We also used to love to go walking along Robinson Creek which is nearby. Then we'd walk to the store look around. She showed us the name of my grandfather, Joseph Brandel, who's name was in the ledger for owing the store 25 cents."

Vern Rubey said the music at the store also jogged his memory.

"I can almost see a paddlewheel boat coming up the river," Rubey said.

The Minnesota Button Box Club meets 7-10 p.m. the second Saturday of each month at the Glencoe Community Center, at the intersection of State Highway 22 and Hennepin. Doors open at 6 p.m. All instruments are welcome. Call 320-864-7669.

The Minnesota Concertina Club meets the fourth Saturday of each month at the Glencoe Community Center, April-October. November-March music is 1-5 p.m. the fourth Sunday of the month. The public is invited and admission is free. Call 320-864-4274.