Communities

MMHF honors 80 inductees with new four-part film

NEW ULM -- The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame is holding Legacy Month throughout October at its facility located at 27 N. Broadway St.

In October the Hall of Fame honors past inductees who have passed away and includes a preview of a new four-part documentary film. 

The film is called Legacy. It runs two hours total and is shown in four distinct half-hour chapters. 

Board member Neal Bond said the Hall is presenting the film in chapters through October to provide a structured overview of regional musical history for visitors and local community members.

“Four half-hour episodes honoring all of the 80 of our inductees who’ve gone on to the great beyond,” Bond said. “We are calling it Legacy Month.”

​The Hall opened in 1988 and inducted its first official class in 1989. 

It honors musicians who contributed significantly to Minnesota music and cultural history. 

The museum houses a permanent collection of photographs, historical memorabilia, vintage instruments, stage costumes, sheet music, and audio-visual archives documenting the careers of past inductees.

​There are more than 216 individuals and organizations honored in the Hall. They include influential artists such as Bob Dylan, Prince, Judy Garland, Bobby Vee, Eddie Cochran, The Andrews Sisters, and foundational polka bandleaders Whoopee John Wilfahrt and Harold Loeffelmacher.

New Ulm embraced its German heritage, eventually earning the designation “Polka Capital of the Nation” in the mid-20th century through its ballrooms, local KNUJ radio broadcasts and regional polka scene.

This week the Hall will hold three themed days to kick off the month. 

Bond said each daily schedule includes a film presentation, storytelling lecture, educational seminar and structured meet-and-greet. 

Visitors are invited to share stories and memories with the featured speakers and other attendees. 

Organizers structured these opening weekend sessions to facilitate detailed discussions about local music history and regional performance traditions.

​On Thursday and Friday the Hall will show Chapter 1 at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Hall will show Chapter 2 at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The remaining portions of the film will be presented in subsequent weeks of October.

The first to be featured this week is Leon Olsen on Thursday.

Leon Olsen led The Leon Olsen Show, a dance band that performed across southern Minnesota for decades. 

The ensemble performed traditional country, polka, and old-time dance music. The band played at regional ballrooms, festivals, and community events while maintaining regular radio broadcasts, including programs heard on KNUJ. 

Olsen’s wife, Ann Olsen, served as the primary host of the broadcast, while Leon Olsen occasionally appeared when his touring schedule permitted, and Ann provided updates regarding his performance schedule. 

Leon Olsen passed away on Oct. 21. His family continues the musical tradition alongside his brother, Larry Olsen, performing regional musical arrangements. Leon Olsen is an official inductee of the Hall.

​Whoopee John Wilfahrt was born in New Ulm in 1893. He played concertina and led a polka band that recorded and toured nationally. His commercial recordings distributed traditional polka music outside Minnesota. He was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame in 1976. 

The Hall designated Oct. 2 to recognize his work and his historical connection to New Ulm.

​James Calvin Johnson is a guitarist and performer with professional ties to southern Minnesota and Nashville. His dedicated day on Oct. 3 is listed as James Calvin Johnson Day. Chapter 2 of Legacy will premiere during the afternoon sessions that day.

​Bond said the Hall selected October for Legacy Month to coincide with its annual induction dinner and New Ulm’s Oktoberfest activities. 

He gathered that visitors who are in town for other seasonal events will stop in.

​”It should be a giant month for the Hall,” Bond said.

​Bond said the format is designed to give visitors time to watch and talk. The Hall invited guest speakers who knew the musicians or studied their professional careers. Bond said the Hall is still confirming final guests for this week and subsequent weeks.

​”Wait til you see what is coming up the week after,” Bond said.

​Bond said the Hall operates entirely with volunteers and a dedicated board of directors. The board includes President Loretta Gerasch and other members from New Ulm, and the surrounding region. 

The museum relies on public donations and memberships to maintain exhibits and preserve regional history. Memberships are available directly at the front desk for an annual fee of $30.

Admission is $7 for the public and free admission for museum members.