Tag Archives: PBS

Oct1

Polka Premiere

Posted on by
Standard
Polka Premiere

Hello! My Johnny and I absolutely LOVE Polka music and are lucky enough to be dear friends with the singer and accordionist from the Chardon Polka Band, Jake. For those of you who are not hip, the Chardon Polka Band is one of the best touring Polka parties all across America. Johnny used to play shows with them way back in the day and I have known them through work for the past decade. It is so exciting to watch them live out their Polka dreams and we just adore them!

The Chardon Polka Band has a phenomenal show that airs nationally on PBS called The World According To Polka and its third season premiere was this past Friday. Over one year ago, Jake contacted us asking if Johnny might play some tunes on their very first episode that revolves around trains. We were thrilled and took a drive to a historic village in Burton, Ohio to record his part of the episode. Take a look and be sure to peep my TikTok for some snippets:

As it has been a phat minute since then we honestly kind of forgot about it lol. Until we received an email inviting us to the season premiere party at the PBS station in Kent, Ohio. The festivities were this past Thursday and it was a blast!! Johnny and I went out for a celebratory dinner at a super cool restaurant down the road from the station called Mike’s Place. We enjoyed every bite of our meals and rolled into the shindig both stuffed with food AND feelings!

At the party, we got to mingle with all of our friends from the Chardon Polka Band, PBS employees, musicians, and diehard Polka enthusiasts. There were pretzels and pierogies, dancers, and Dyngus Day Festival character actors and the station was radiating with pure joy. After we got settled into the auditorium, it was time for the show to begin. It started with some clips of all of the great work that PBS does in our local community and then Jake took the stage to speak about what the Chardon Polka Band has been up to and presented a larger than life trailer of The World According To Polka. We were then treated to a viewing of the first episode of their new music education show on PBS and the season premiere of The World According To Polka with my Johnny.

The Polka Train episode was so wonderful from start to finish. The Chardon Polka Band visited several train related locations in Northeast Ohio. This included a model train museum, a one eighth scale train ride in a Metro Park, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, and the last stop in Burton where we filmed. Seeing Johnny on screen was simply amazing and I was so incredibly proud of him. He gave extensive knowledge to the two songs they were performing together and why the train motif was so popular in music upon its invention. Johnny played guitar and sang in both songs and when each of them were over the whole audience went wild. Everyone sitting by us acted like they were sitting by a celebrity and it was just so freaking cool! ❤

Being able to take part in this season premiere party was such a gift. The Chardon Polka Band does so much good everywhere they go and we are so thankful that Johnny got to share in that. Be sure to tune into The World According To Polka every Friday on PBS and give the Chardon Polka Band a listen. You will love them as much as we do!

Has something exciting happened to you recently? What is your favorite show on PBS? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct14

Chilly Day OOTD

Posted on by
Standard
Chilly Day OOTD

Hello! This past Monday was a really exciting day because Johnny was a featured musician on an episode of The World According To Polka on PBS. We took a day trip to Burton, Ohio to film with the Chardon Polka Band and it was an excellent, albeit chilly, time. Unfortunately, the OOTD you are about to see wasn’t quite warm enough for an afternoon of outdoor filming. Fear not, because I dethawed in the car afterwards lol. Check it out:

IMG_9840IMG_9795IMG_9927IMG_9830IMG_9942IMG_9790

Who? What? Wear?

Poncho: Modena New York, TJMaxx

Elbow Patch Sleeve Sweater: Blu Pepper, Dry Goods

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Heeled Combat Boots: BCBG, TJMaxx

The stud earrings were purchased forever ago at PacSun!

Other than being at the location and proudly supporting my husband, I had absolutely nothing to do with the PBS filming process. It honestly felt like a mini vacation because I am so used to being the one behind the camera filming content! As all I had to do was literally just stand there for several hours, I wanted to wear something that was comfy, cute, and would keep me some semblance of warm. With that in mind, I knew what needed to be done and began to browse the poncho department of my boutique.

I freaking LOVE a poncho for fall. They are so low key yet still manage to look chic and it’s nice to feel like you’re wrapped in a blanket! I chose a taupe plaid poncho by Modena New York. It is my favorite one because of the clasp on the front and adorable hood. The dusty colors are so autumn and it is a perfect piece to wear while strolling through crunchy fallen leaves. This poncho gives me Disney Princess in the woods vibes and I am so there for it!

For underneath the poncho, I selected a thin sweater by Blu Pepper with darling elbow patched sleeves. I am a sucker for anything with an elbow patch and this sweater is one of my go tos for fall. The color was just right for pairing seamlessly with the muted palette of the poncho. They were made to be worn together! Next, I put on a pair of black skinny jeans by 1822 Denim and it was onto shoes and accessories.

I opted for a no muss no fuss pair of army green heeled combat boots by BCBG (One of my favorite brands!). These boots are old as dirt but are still holding strong and remain a much beloved staple in my fall wardrobe arsenal. Like the Blu Pepper sweater, the boots enhanced my established palette and provided the extra height that I always require. Finally, I popped on a pair of huge stud earrings with giant roses in the middle and I was ready to watch my husband make music magic!

Although this Chilly Day OOTD would have been better if the temps were the slightest bit warmer, I still love how it turned out. Johnny and I had the best day! ❤

What are your favorite fall colors? Have you updated your fall wardrobe this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct12

Johnny On The Big Screen

Posted on by
Standard
Johnny On The Big Screen

Hello!!! My Johnny is an exceptionally talented musician and this past Monday was fabulous because I got to see him in action for something really cool. Johnny’s first band was called Johnny and The Apple Stompers and they played bluegrass music. One of the bands that they would play with over a decade ago was the Chardon Polka Band. The CPB absolutely rules and they have become a cult phenomenon – not just in Ohio but all over the country. One of their most recent ventures is a show on PBS called The World According To Polka and Johnny got to play for one of their future episodes that revolves around trains. It was the best, most fun experience and I was so happy I was able to share in it with my main squeeze. Check it out:

IMG_9364IMG_9370IMG_9367IMG_9384IMG_9406IMG_9405IMG_9356IMG_9404IMG_9377IMG_9397IMG_9402IMG_9401(1)

After I finished working on Monday morning, Johnny and I made the hour drive to Burton, Ohio to film in one of their historic villages. We met up with Jake, the lead singer and accordion player for Chardon Polka Band, Bob on washboard, and Jeff on fiddle and banjo, as well as a team from PBS. Of course, we were so excited for the opportunity but the best of all was seeing Jake. It had been literal years since either of us have seen him and he is pure joy incarnate. After catching up, the musicians began their practice sessions for Johnny’s song selections of “Freight Train” and “Waiting For A Train”. I was most surprised because I had no idea that Johnny was going to sing them along with playing his guitar!!

It wasn’t long before all of the players made adjustments and got in their groove together. Then, it was time for the cameras to roll! Within three takes of each song, they were golden and I was legit glowing with pride. I am so used to shooting content at events like this and being able to sit back and enjoy the magic in front of me was such a welcome change of pace. Once each song was shot to their liking, we took a brief break to explore the grounds around Burton. It was so scenic and beautiful, as you can see, and we made friends with a really nice cow. 🙂 Afterwards, Johnny did some interviews for the show to showcase his vast musical knowledge as well as his sharp as a tack wit. He did beyond amazing and I can’t wait to see the end result.

Unfortunately, Johnny’s feature on The World According To Polka will not be aired until the fall of 2025. Until then, we will look back on the day fondly because it was an excellent one. I am the proudest wife!!! ❤

What is your favorite local band? What is your favorite genre of music? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah