ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Those looking for some good family entertainment need look no further than Liberal Memorial Library later this week.

As part of the summer reading program fun, musician Mike Schneider will be bringing his Pint Size Polka show to the library Thursday with everything starting at 1 p.m.

As Schneider tells it, his polka roots run pretty deep.

“I started playing when I was about 6 years old – my dad was an accordion player as well, and I remember there were multiple times here and there when he would pull his out of the closet and play a few songs,” Schneider said. “When I was 5, my parents took me to see Frank Yankovic, America’s Polka king, play in Milwaukee, and that’s when I realized I wanted to play the accordion, so I started when I was 6 and I’ve been playing since. I started playing professionally in 1996, and this year marks 30 years of playing professionally, and it’s been a lot of fun.”

Ultimately, that led to Schneider performing at summer reading program events.

“I started playing at summer reading concerts and all of that back in 2006. At that time, my wife and I were dating, and she came up with the idea to do a children’s polka CD. I tend to be rather close-minded on a lot of things, but when she suggested that, I thought ‘I should do this,’” Schneider said. “It got put on the back burner for a bit, but my wife and I discovered we were expecting our first child, so I recorded that CD and I got on TV in Pittsburgh and Chicago and a few other cities. I thought the CD would sell a lot, but things didn’t quite pan out that way, and then in 2009, a librarian in Pittsburgh got in touch with me and asked if I would be interested in performing for their summer reading program. We got some more libraries on board for a small tour, and that’s what got my summer reading program performances started.”

And those performances have been fantastic, Schneider said.

“I love seeing the faces of the children in the audience and their reaction to polka music – I can’t tell you how many times parents have told me my show was their children’s first interaction with polka music and how much they loved it,” Schneider said. “I have children volunteer with different parts of the show as it goes on, and there are a lot of funny conversations that happen. The different audiences really keep me on my toes, and I love seeing their reactions to the songs I play. The travel is also great, and I’ve been able to take polka music to places one might not necessarily associate with it, and that’s also been a lot of fun, and I’m excited to be on the road this summer and visit all the communities on my schedule.”

Schneider added he is excited to be returning to Liberal for the show.

“I’m really excited about the show, this is my third year working with the Liberal Memorial Library staff, and they’re always fantastic to work with,” Schneider said. “I’ve played for a lot of libraries, and I’ve done more than 2,000 shows by now, and Liberal Memorial Library has always had fantastic audiences and numbers, which is great. It’ll be great seeing everyone again this time around, I can’t wait to see the library staff and some other familiar faces in the audience. The theme this year is ‘Unearth A Story,’ and that’s been really fun to set a show up around.”

Overall, Schneider said, the show should be a good time for everyone who comes out.

“It should be just an overall great time for everyone, and if you’re not familiar with polka music, my show is a great way to get started, so just come on out and hear the music. And the show is more than just music – there will be jokes and audience participation and lots of other fun, so I hope as many people as possible come out for a fun time,” Schneider said. “I hope my show mot only encourages the children in the audience to maybe do a deeper dive into polka music, if they’re interested, but also to check out some good books and do some good reading throughout the summer. Libraries provide so many great services and opportunities, and I really hope the children in the audience, and their parents, find some ways to take advantage of that. If I can get my audience to laugh and ultimately have a good time, I consider that mission accomplished. I’m ready to be back in Liberal again this year and perform at the library, it’ll be a great show for everyone who comes out. I hope to see everyone possible at the show and I’m excited to entertain everyone.”