Oklahoma Squeezins

“Our squeezin'...is pleasin'”

The Oklahoma Accordion Club Newsletter

Join us to listen and play at the

Annual pizza party

You're invited to listen, play, and eat at the best pizza par-tay the Oklahoma Accordion Club ever had — Sunday, April 12 at 3:30 PM. Pizza served; snacks welcome. Bring your accordion or come as you are.

Meetup Info for Sunday, April 12, 2026 - 3:30 PM

If you can't attend the 3:30 PM meetup in person, you can experience some of it via Zoom - using the same codes (see red type below) you may have used in previous years. I'm told Zoom's musical sound quality has recently improved! So feel free to tune us in!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5236709799Zoom

April 2026Page 1

Prez sez

Maggie Abel & Ron Shearon

Well, this Sunday's meeting (April 12 @ 3:30) will bring nourishment galore with several kinds of pizza, and NO reservations required this year. Just show up, bring a guest, set down your accordion, and browse the selection! While you're munching, Vice Prez Ron Shearon and I are eager to tell you about the convention we just returned from — aka the National Accordion Association Conference in Forney, Texas. We have plenty of "celeb snapshots" and fascinating videos to play for you — of performances from people whose fingers move faster than your eyeballs! Also news about Dick's successful Fun Band performance and its new practice plans for the coming year. — Maggie & Ron

Board of Directors

Vice-President
Ron Shearon
Acting Secretary
Lois Roth
Proofer/Snacks/Birthdays
Karen West
Webmaster/Photographer
Diana Richard
Secretary
Lois Roth
President
Maggie Abel

Open positions: PRESIDENT, SECRETARY, TREASURER, LIVESTREAM TECH, HISTORIAN, LIBRARIAN, NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Past presidents: Barbara Duer †, Dick Albreski

Website: okaccordion.club

Membership: $20 individual, +$10 family add-on. Visitors welcome.

Lifetime members

Maggie Abel
Jim Butricks †
June Butricks †
William "Rusty" Dolton
Frank Gesinski †
Janet Haskin
Roland Lohmann
Frankie Martinez
Bob Mansfield
Tom Phillips
Phil Scibelli
Ophelia Woody

April 2026Page 2

Mark those calendars! — Dick Albreski

Accordion music

Check out the following sites for new and free accordion music:

Don Quattrocchi — https://donquattrocchi.com/
8notes — accordion — https://www.8notes.com/accordion/

Try em! You'll like em!

Great Ideas Symposium 5 for Digital accordions will be held on June 21-24, 2026, at the Grand Resort in Warren, OH. This will be a live symposium event on the Korg Supreme, Roland 4X and 8X, plus the Bugari Evo accordions. Paid members cost will be $650, non-members $695 and spouse or plus 1 $395. There'll be workshops, concerts, and jams. To register to attend both the event and lodgings, go to the website gr8ideas.org.

https://gr8ideas.org

The ATG (Accordion Teachers Guild) will hold its 84th annual Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Salt Lake City Marriott University Park Hotel from July 8th to the 12th, 2026. This event will host many terrific accordionists plus concerts, competitions, jamming, and all-around accordion fun. Joey Miskulin, Radu Ratol, and Stas Venglevski are the headliners with JoAnn Sommers conducting the ATG orchestra. Joey Miskulin is also known as the CowPolka King. He started playing at the age of 13 with the Frankie Yankovic polka band. The ATG will also introduce ClubATG — an open mic back at the hotel with a cash bar. For more information go to atgaccordions.com.

https://atgaccordions.com

The American Accordion Association (AAA) holds its annual festival August 13th to the 16th, 2026, at the Marriott Philadelphia West in Conshohocken, PA. This event includes various educational and entertaining events plus foster camaraderie among accordion enthusiasts. Guests and artists include Cody McSherry, Don Gerundo, Emmanuel Trifilio Trio, Frank Busso Jr. Trio, Frank Busso Sr., Guenadly Lazarov, Joe Natoli, Nathan Chaperton, Peter Peluso, Peter Stan, Ray Oreggia, and the Accordion Pops Orchestra under direction of Al Terzo. For updates and registration, visit www.ameraccord.com.

https://www.ameraccord.com

April 2026Page 3

Meeting minutes

Saint Patrick's Day party · Sunday, March 8, 2026

Eighteen members and three guests attended.

The Oklahoma Accordion Club held a meeting on Sunday, March 8, 2026, starting at 3:30 pm. Early arrivals were treated to some lively Irish tunes. President Maggie Abel called the meeting to order. She welcomed everyone to The Saint Patrick's Day party. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang "America the Beautiful." Sadly, we received word that recent member Shirley Irene Hammack has passed on. Featured in a previous newsletter, Shirley won a prize for her accordion skill at age 10. A computer programmer at Duncan Regional Hospital, she and three of her musically-inclined family drove to OKC so she could take up accordion again after an absence. Her playing of Blue Tango impressed several teachers in attendance. Shirley and Wilber were married 57 years. Her service took place the second Sunday in March. Tom said he is recovering from a stroke and his accordion is a challenge. Milo Shedeck played his clarinet with Dick and Barbara, including an old German song once played by his grandfather. We enjoyed a sing-along — "You Are My Sunshine," "My Wild Irish Rose," "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," and "When The Saints Go Marching In." Ron Shearon demonstrated various reeds on his Giuletti accordion, on which he has done some complicated repair work. He told us that every accordion has a serial number. The meeting was adjourned. There was jamming afterward. Karen West was in charge of a delightful snack table. We'll meet next on Sunday, April 12. Themes are Spring, Easter, and whatever you want to play for us. See you then!

Performers: Anne Lopez, Lois Roth, Maggie Abel, Shayla Chavis-Smith, Tom Phillips, Dick Albreski, Barbara Yuill, John Warren, Ron Shearon, Milo Shedeck

— Lois Roth, OAC Secretary

Birthdays