The brothers grew up on a farm near St. George and began playing concertinas in 1962. Their Wendinger Band became a longtime part of the region’s German musical heritage, performing with twin concertinas, brass, rhythm and four-part harmony. 

The band was inducted into the World Concertina Congress in 2005, the Polka Hall of Fame in 2006, the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 2007, and the IPA International Polka Hall of Fame: Paul in 2012 and Peter in 2024.

In 1976, the brothers organized their first group tour, a polka festival in Hawaii. Peter Wendinger said the opportunity came from InterTrav in Chicago, operated by David House and later his son Mark House. Each band was asked to bring 10 paying passengers to cover one musician.

“We got tricked into the travel business,” Peter Wendinger said.

Photo courtesy of the Wendinger family The first Wendinger Travel group tour to Hawaii in 1976, shown in this framed and autographed photo that hangs in the office. Only six people from this original group are still living today. Peter Wendinger pointed to the image while reflecting on the many travelers who have become like family over the past 50 years. 

What began as a single trip tied to their band performances gradually grew into a full business. It started in the lower level of Peter and Dodie Wendinger’s home.

Early trips included Caribbean cruises and Germany, which became an annual destination beginning in 1984. Branson tours in the early 1980s helped expand their domestic offerings. 

The family balanced band performances, farm work, including hog farrowing, and the growing travel operation. 

Dodie Wendinger handled bookkeeping and logistics. Peter and Paul alternated between touring and staying home for playing in the band and farming.

Peter Wendinger recalled an early challenge in Hawaii when two rooms were missing upon arrival. Hotels routinely overbooked in those years, he said. The family learned to adapt and improved with experience. Over time, the business scaled up.

Photo courtesy of the Wendinger family Paul and Joleen Wendinger, shown in several images in this family collage, were integral to the early days of Wendinger Travel.

A trip to Germany, organized in collaboration with another band from Wisconsin, had a combined total of 550 travelers on 11 buses; Wendinger Travel’s group accounted for 200 of those people. Separately, a Wendinger Travel trip to a Daniel O’Donnell concert in Winnipeg also drew 550 people. 

Paul Wendinger died on Nov. 20, 2010, at age 59. Sheila Howk, Peter’s daughter, joined full time in 2009 after working as an elementary educator and charter school administrator. She and her husband, Michael Howk, took ownership in 2021.

Sheila Howk said Paul’s one-liners live on during tours still today. He called the onboard cooler of drinks for sale “the pharmacy,” a name still used today. Drinks from the cooler remain just a buck, the same price as in the beginning. She said every trip carries some of Peter, Dodie, Paul and Joleen’s influence.

Peter pointed at a photo from the first Hawaii trip and said there are only six living people left from that group.

Peter Wendinger said he looks forward to seeing familiar faces at the open house.

Photo by Amy Zents Peter Wendinger at the KNUJ studio, where he has hosted the long-running Sunday afternoon "Wendinger Band ” radio show for many years. The program keeps the family’s musical roots and travel stories alive for listeners across the region.

“Just to see the travelers that have traveled with you. The faces, the faces,” he said. “The most disappointing thing is, you remember the faces that are no longer with us. Seventy percent of those people are no longer with us or not able to go. And you remember them, every one of them.”

Michael Howk said the company’s first trip of 2026 was to Hawaii, the same destination as 50 years earlier. 

He added that some longtime travelers have been on nearly every trip the company has offered. He recalled how strangers on the bus often become fast friends who stay in touch for years and now travel together.

“The back of the bus there is six couples back there, and I would have swore they knew each other since kindergarten; they just met that day.”

Sheila Howk said her favorite trip is the Canadian Rockies. “I just love seeing their reaction to the beauty,” she said.

Peter Wendinger has been with the band for 64 years. Longtime members include Gary Gleisner (55 years), Steve Moran (50 years), Mike Simon (55 years), and Gary Schroeder (over 30 years.) Together, these musicians have contributed approximately 259 years of playing experience.

Peter Wendinger has hosted the long-running “KNUJ Polka Parade” radio show for many years, which continues to connect the public to both the music and travel sides of the family’s story.

The public is invited for food trucks, live music by the Wendinger Band (featuring the longtime members listed above), travel-themed giveaways, special announcements, and a nostalgic look back at five decades of journeys.

The family motto remains “We planned it all, just give us a call.”

The 50th anniversary celebration is set for Saturday, May 30, 2026, from 2-6 p.m. outside the company’s office at 1314 S. Front St.