PRINTER'S NO. 1858
No. 1495 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY GRUCELA, WOJNAROSKI, DALLY, SHIMKUS, PASHINSKI,
BRENNAN, YUDICHAK, DiGIROLAMO, D. EVANS, FABRIZIO, GALLOWAY,
GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, HARHART, HARKINS,
HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, KOTIK, KULA, MAHONEY, MANN, MARSHALL,
MENSCH, M. O'BRIEN, O'NEILL, RAMALEY, READSHAW, SANTONI,
SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, TANGRETTI, THOMAS, VEREB,
VULAKOVICH, WALKO, WATSON AND YOUNGBLOOD, JUNE 7, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JUNE 7, 2007
AN ACT
1 Designating polka music as the official folk music of the
2 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and designating the American
3 square dance as the official folk dance of the Commonwealth
4 of Pennsylvania.
5 WHEREAS, Polka music originated in Europe, stemming from
6 classical origins, and was brought to this country with many
7 groups of immigrants from Europe; and
8 WHEREAS, Polka music was transformed into a newer form of
9 music in the 1920s and 1930s and is still evolving; and
10 WHEREAS, Modern polka music has been a popular form of music
11 in this Commonwealth during the 20th century; and
12 WHEREAS, The "Pennsylvania Polka" is one of the most famous
13 and respected polkas heard throughout the United States; and
14 WHEREAS, Polka music is a main part of many major festivals
15 in this Commonwealth as demonstrated by the Polka Fireworks
16 Festival held at the Seven Springs Resort in Champion on the
1 July 4th weekend, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa
2 in Doylestown held in September and the most well-attended
3 festival in the United States with over one million people
4 attending in 1997, Musikfest in Bethlehem, all of which are
5 nationally renowned; and
6 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has numerous facilities specifically
7 used for polka music, such as Fiedor's Grove, simply known as
8 "The Grove" throughout the national polka community, located
9 near Mt. Pleasant, and Jolly Joe Timmer's Picnic Grove at Point
10 Phillips in Northampton County where dances are conducted
11 throughout the year; and
12 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is represented in the Polka Hall of
13 Fame by Walt Groller of Whitehall and Jolly Joe Timmer of
14 Bethlehem; and
15 WHEREAS, Some of the leading polka bands in the United States
16 are from Pennsylvania; and
17 WHEREAS, Polka music can be heard on many radio stations
18 throughout this Commonwealth; and
19 WHEREAS, Dancing to, listening to and performing polka music
20 is still and will continue to be a popular form of musical
21 expression with the residents of this Commonwealth; and
22 WHEREAS, Square dance is in itself representative of the
23 melting pot of our nation having been brought to this country by
24 our pioneers; and
25 WHEREAS, The ancestry of American square dance can be traced
26 as far back as 1450, as shown by its genealogical history, and
27 includes a multitude of dance forms from England, Germany,
28 Poland, Ireland, Scotland and Mexico; and
29 WHEREAS, Records in American history from 1651 show American
30 square dance has been danced through the years dating back to
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1 the days of our first settlers; and
2 WHEREAS, Square dance offers fun and fellowship to both young
3 and old as well as persons with disabilities, with no
4 restrictions as to race, color or creed; and
5 WHEREAS, Due to the popularity of American square dance,
6 square dance federations have been formed in every state in the
7 United States and in most foreign countries; and
8 WHEREAS, Square dance is the American folk dance which
9 includes squares, rounds, contra, clogging, country western and
10 line dancing; and
11 WHEREAS, Since 1951 square dance enthusiasts have joined
12 together for a National Square and Round Dance Convention; and
13 WHEREAS, Since 1994 the Pennsylvania Square and Round Dance
14 Federation has sponsored annual State Square and Round Dance
15 Conventions in this Commonwealth.
16 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
17 hereby enacts as follows:
18 Section 1. Designation of official folk music of the
19 Commonwealth.
20 Polka music is hereby selected, designated and adopted as the
21 official folk music of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
22 Section 2. Designation of official folk dance of the
23 Commonwealth.
24 The American square dance is hereby selected, designated and
25 adopted in perpetuity as the official folk dance of the
26 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and added to the array of symbols
27 of our Commonwealth.
28 Section 3. Effective date.
29 This act shall take effect immediately.
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