The most legendary venue in Minnesota history? It’s not First Avenue, nor is it anywhere near the Twin Cities.
Deep in the middle of the corn and soybean fields of rural Sibley County, behind a chain link fence topped with barbed-wire, sits a massive building complex that was once considered by some to be the polka capital of the world: The Gibbon Ballroom.
“Stay Young, Go Dancing” presents the colorful history of this now infamous Midwest venue, as told through the voices of the musicians, dancers, and local residents who loved it.
Listen here:
“Stay Young, Go Dancing” was produced by James Napoli. Edited by Melissa Olson. It is a production of KFAI’s MinneCulture In-Depth.
Photo Credit: Polka dancing during Polka Days at the Gibbon Ballroom in Gibbon, Minnesota, circa 1975. (Flip Schulke / U.S. National Archives)
Funding for MinneCulture is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Special thanks to Steve Seeboth, Greg Muellerleile, Jim Bartels, Joan Bullemer, Lori Nissel Lachner, Christine Drury, Dan Groebner, Rommie Petersen, Cory Becker, Dr. Edgar Taggatz, Jeff Gatton, Sue Scott, Darwin Buerkle, David Wiethoff, Lisa Blackstone, Greg Ecklund, Melissa Olson, Ryan Dawes, Jan Lundgren, Bernice Hanson, and Britta Greene.
