KITCHENER, Ont. – For more than half a century, the sound of Walter Ostanek and his trusty accordion has been as much a part of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest as lederhosen or a freshly tapped keg.
Now 91, the man known as “Canada’s Polka King” is playing the festival he is synonymous with for the last time.
“It’s sad for me because I know it’s over, and I know I’ll probably do a little bit of crying,” Ostanek said. “I’ve been here 50 years. You just don’t go walk away and say, ‘I don’t care,’ because I do care.”
Ostanek will perform his signature polkas and waltzes at Willkommen Platz in downtown Kitchener through Sunday. He plans to essentially retire at the end of the year.
“This weekend is my last hurrah, and I’m not booking no more work. I’m not retiring two or three times. This is it,” he said. “But I’m still going to do a few freebies for charity.”
Ostanek says he feels good, but neuropathy and arthritis below the waist have made it hard to stand. He brought his walker with him this weekend.
“From the waist up, pretty good. From the waist down, not so good,” he said.
He no longer travels with a full band, either.
“I don’t have a band like I did in the past, but I do the best I can.”
A festival farewell
On Friday, Ostanek was celebrated at the festival’s opening ceremonies. The crowd chanted “Walter” as he was named an honorary lifetime member of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest.
For festivalgoers, seeing him play one last time is bittersweet.
“Kinda sad. It’s been a long ride,” said one spectator. Another called him “a legend.”
The festival is the country’s biggest Bavarian-themed celebration, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the region every fall. For many of them, catching Ostanek on stage is a tradition. He has played the festival since it began in 1969.
From Duparquet to the Grammys
Ostanek was born in Duparquet, Que., in 1935. His parents, he says, were poor, and he never saw them smile. But once a year, friends who worked in the gold mines came to visit, bringing an accordion player, and the house filled with dancing and joking.
“I’ve seen how this accordion player made everybody happy,” he said.
His family moved to St. Catharines, Ont., when he was young. At nine, he got his first accordion, a $75-button box, and he moved up to the piano accordion at 12.
Ostanek formed the Walter Ostanek Band in 1957, and its first album, “Gay Continental Dance Party,” followed in 1963.
That turned out to be just the warm-up. Over the decades, Ostanek released more than 100 recordings and won three Grammy Awards, all for Best Polka Album. He played the Grand Ole Opry and appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”
Closer to home, he became a familiar face to a generation of viewers as host of “Polka Time” on CKCO-TV, now CTV Kitchener.
The honours piled up, too. He was named a member of the Order of Canada in 1999 and received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2001.
Now, Canada’s Polka King is getting ready to play his final shows at Oktoberfest.
Reflecting on 57 years of appearances, he said: “It’s been fantastic. Fantastic.”
