Nordic Fest favorite hosts "The Mollie B. Polka Party" on RFD-TV

Mollie Busta got star treatment at Nordic Fest over the weekend, which was only appropriate because, well, Mollie IS a star now.

To those who knew her as a kid who played with her father's polka band since the age of 8, that image might feel a little unusual, but Busta now has her own TV show, "The Mollie B. Polka Party," on the RFD-TV network, which is available to 40 million homes on cable and satellite.

The show is a replacement for the "Big Joe Polka Show," which ran for 10 years on RFD-TV.  Mollie tells decorahnews.com that the Jim Busta Band had appeared several times on the program, so RFD-TV network officials were familiar with her.

During four days in Wahoo, Nebraska (near Omaha), RFD-TV taped 28 polka bands for 25 hours of programming.  Tickets to the four days of shows were sold out.  So the "Mollie B. Polka Party will head to Frankenmuth, Michigan August 13th to 16th  and then to Rothschild, Wisconsin in September.  A Christmas special will be taped in Branson, Missouri in November.

"It's been great," says Mollie of the experience.  Busta's fiancé, Ted Lange, is not just a fellow member of their band, "Squeezebox," but also the producer of the "Mollie B. Polka Party" show.  "It's our passion," Mollie says of their work in promoting polka music.  She says the RFD-TV network is interested in getting good ratings for her show—a goal she shares.  But she says she and Ted also have another goal: "We want to keep the polka industry going strong."

At Nordic Fest, the Jim Busta Band was playing polka favorites.  A large crowd showed their appreciation, both during the show and before it, when a number of people who had known Mollie since she was a kid playing in her father's band came up to talk with her and offer their congratulations.

(lower pictures courtesy of RFD-TV)

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