Published: Aug. 30, 2018
Dance floor at Germanfest dedicated to the memory of a
real polka lover
Rhode Wanta passed away in November
By Nicholas Dettmann
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
WEST BEND — The old dance floor at Germanfest,
hosted by Habitat for Humanity of Washington and Dodge Counties every August in
downtown, had worn out its welcome.
Even the company Habitat rented the floor from
said it was old and was destined to be replaced.
Rhode Wanta was the one who helped get a new
one in its place, which made its debut at this year’s festival.
Wanta died in November after suffering a
stroke. He was 83. Thus, he didn’t get to see the new floor.
However, thanks to a surprise gesture, Rhode
Wanta will never be forgotten when it comes to dancing at Germanfest.
On Saturday at Germanfest, the dance floor at
the annual event was dedicated in the late Wanta’s honor for his love of polka
music and the festival.
Russ said he doesn’t know what his father
would’ve said about the floor, but he knows what would’ve happened.
“I’m convinced he wouldn’t have gotten off of
the dance floor,” Russ said.
A sign near the new dance floor, which was
previously rented and the new one is now owned by Habitat and will be available
for rent, will be visible next to the floor going forward for the festival,
commemorating it as the Rhode Wanta dance floor at Germanfest.
It was a surprise to the Wanta family, minus
Russ’ wife, who helped set up the secret dedication. That in itself was an
impressive task, especially because Russ is the organization’s executive
director.
Habitat has run Germanfest for the last three
years.
“This was kept secret from me by my staff and
the board because it would’ve taken board approval to do something of this
nature,” Russ said with a smile. “I guess they worked it quietly without me
stumbling upon it.”
Russ Wanta, who helped form the organization
in 1995, was hired as Habitat for Humanity of Washington and Dodge Counties’
executive director in 2004 and he was the organization’s first full-time
employee, according to its website. In that time, Russ has helped lead an
organization
expand into Dodge County but also with the
building of retail stores in West Bend and Beaver Dam.
Because of that, it’s likely not farfetched
for Russ to be bestowed this kind of honor someday. However, his late father
had a profound effect on the organization, specifically with Germanfest, which
is why he got the honor.
“When Habitat took over the event, I went to
my father to take on the role of being the band scheduler,” Russ said. “My dad
was a polka junkie. This man would probably skip my wedding to go to a polka festival.
That’s how dedicated he was to polka dancing.
“He not only would travel all over the United
States, but he would also go on polka cruises ... anything you could imagine.
There wasn’t a state far enough that he wouldn’t drive to if he could see a band
and dance.”
Rhode was like that for as long as Russ could
remember. Growing up around the Madison area, every Sunday, the Wantas went to
the Park Ponderosa Ballroom, a dance hall in McFarland, and go polka dancing.
“That’s why I asked him, who would know better
of these bands than my father?” Russ said, adding, “the bands that played this
year were completed scheduled by my father. ... He was so connected in the
industry.”
The day before he died, Russ said his father
danced for seven hours at a polka festival. He also loved dancing with anyone
who knew how to polka, his kids, grandkids, strangers, etc.
Being the executive director, there was a good
chance Russ was going to be at the festival often. The trick was to get the
rest of the family — Rhode’s six children, including Russ — there without
spilling the secret. What happened was the board decided they’d allow the Wanta
family, in honor of the late patriarch, have the VIP area — or the stammstisch,
a German word for VIP — for two hours.
Then, after the two hours were up, the
presentation was made.
“They were clever to utilize a different area
to get my family together,” Russ said. “I had a brother that came in all the
way from Oregon to come to Germanfest.”
Once the presentation was made, Russ said the
emotions took over for himself as well as the rest of his family.
“I saw tears flowing from a number of people
in my family,” Russ said.
While honored for the honor, Russ said the
moment was bittersweet.
“It’s simply incredible,” he said. “I don’t
know if there are words can describe one feels there. There was a feeling of
sadness because we’re still kind of in that mourning period.”
Russ said his dad would’ve been incredibly
proud of the honor if he was around to see it.
No comments:
Post a Comment