An Interview with Werner Wolf and Family of St. Lawrence, Wisconsin
A Look at Werner Wolf
Written by Krischen Woehrer. Edited by Jeff Wolf
When one thinks of the history of Slinger, one of the last thing one thinks of is polka music . Despite this, polka is more relevant than people tend to think. By taking a closer look and analyzing this genre we can peer into our community's history. The best way to do so is through someone who has experienced, created, and participated in the local polka scene for the majority of their life. Werner Wolf falls right into this category.
From a young age Werner Wolf had been exposed to polka. Whether it be from the music his sister was playing, or the polka band playing at the local community picnics, Werner Wolf has always been around polka music. Eventually he experienced a life changing event in 1958, when his brother, Gilbert and him decided to form a band with three other men, Bernie Fechter, Myles Steber, and Lyle Hader. All five of these men were at a music hall where a polka band was playing. While the band was at intermission, Bernie decided to go up and play the accordion, and Werner and his brother promptly followed him up on the stage. Eventually Myles and Lyle would join the band to form the polka group "Bernie and his Jolly Lads".
“Bernie and his Jolly Lads” continued to play polka up to the 1980's. They traveled all around Wisconsin, with their favorite venue being Kilroy's Ballroom located in Cedarburg. Like all good things, the bands time eventually ended and they split up. Yet the bands discontinuance wasn't the end for Werner Wolf's involvement in the local Polka scene. Instead, in 1974 he decided to turn his hobby and love for polka into something his whole family could participate in.
All of Werner Wolf's children started playing musical instruments at a young age. Soon Werner and three of his older children , Perry, Karen, and Bill formed Perry and His Polk Pals, Featuring The Wolf Gang. Through this band Werner was able to spend more time with his children and develop very close bonds with them.
Eventually Werner's family band split up in 1985 at which point he retired from the polka scene.
Although he has retired from participating in local polka scene, Werner continues to listen to polka on an almost daily basis. Not only does Werner Wolf continue his appreciation and love for polka, but today he also has taken up the new hobby of creating model lighthouses for those in the local community. Even as he retires from the polka scene, Werner Wolf still serves as an excellent example of someone who can let us see into a part of the Slinger community, and parts of its past, which many of us never knew existed.