Biography
SQUEEZE PLAY
By Mary Lou Downs & Charlie Tomecek
Chatham, Ontario, Canada.
We go to many music festivals and dances in Canada and the United States, and we thought it might be nice to let others know of the fun times we have, the wonderful musicians we get to hear, and the great friends we have made through our common love of this wonderful happy music. First though, we will tell you a little bit about ourselves.
My name is Mary Lou Downs and I’m a sixth generation Canadian, born to parents of
English and Irish descent. Although I inherited my love of music from my mother
who played the violin, I was never exposed to accordion music, so the ethnic music
I enjoy today is relatively new to me. My husband Charlie Tomecek, was born in Canada
to parents who emigrated from the Moravian region of Czechoslovakia in the early
1920’s. Accordion music and Czech folk-
We have always loved to dance. In 2002, Charlie and I attended a dinner-
Watching the Melvindale Button Box Club entertain the crowd inspired Charlie and
I to start a monthly polka jam in Chatham as a means to learn to play and to gain
exposure to the music. Charlie has always had great organizational and promotional
skills, so he put these skills to use. He called everyone he knew who played accordion
or polka music, found a drummer, arranged for a venue – and in November of 2002 the
monthly polka jams were born. They have continued ever since. Once a month (except
during the winter) we have from fifteen to twenty musicians come out to play together
at the Kent Belgium Dutch Hall (KBD Hall) and we usually entertain anywhere from
60 to 100 people. Polkas and waltzes are the basic music with some two-
Another event that we organize is the annual “Polkas in the Park” in Chatham that
evolved from a music party we had at our home. It was such a success that we formed
a committee to assist with the preparations and the next year we moved the venue
to a municipal park. Originally started as a Czech and Slovak musicfest because
of Charlie’s heritage, it continued to grow each year with attendees and musicians
from all other ethnic nationalities. Soon it was realized that in order for the
event to continue to flourish, the music would have to reflect the diverse ethnic
backgrounds of many European immigrants. Today the festival includes among others,
the music of Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, Germany, and of course the
“Cleveland-
Charlie and I have been instrumental in putting together bus trips to some of our favorite polka festivals – including the Memorial Day Polka festival in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, and the Thanksgiving Polka Party in Cleveland in November. Together with Dan Coppens, radio and internet polka DJ from Detroit, we have expanded this so that now there are two busloads and a waiting list each year. We also write a column entitled “Squeeze Play” in the Polka Times monthly newspaper.
Although it has come later in our lives, Charlie and I are avid promoters of the
polka and waltz music that we enjoy so much. We are awed and amazed at the many
talented musicians who are in this music business and we would like to see these
people achieve the recognition and stature that they deserve. We hear so many stories
about the old days when the dance halls were packed and the musicians were treated
like rock stars. Things have changed since then, but we believe that we can all
do our part to keep this music alive. Because the internet has a world-
Mary Lou & Charlie.
Squeeze Play
Charlie Tomecek & Mary Lou Downs
A little bit of Biography
