The Polka Dot Door Story.

In but yet another prior life, I managed hardware stores for Pro Hardware. Pro (D.H. Howdens out of London Ontario)  would take over a store from an owner who couldn't pay his bills and send in a manager to do whatever it took to make the store profitable again. I had that job for about 5 years. Great job, but I never knew how long I would be at any one location. Difficult to buy tickets for the theatre if they send you to the other end of the province the week before! I eventually quit just for that reason.

My dad had always been a handy guy and taught me how to fix stuff around the house, finish a basement and stuff like that so, I started a renovation business. I got a call from a guy who shopped at the last store I'd run. He said he'd heard that I was building stuff. He was the producer of the Polka Dot Door Live show. He was double booked for an upcoming weekend and wanted to know if I knew how to build a theatre set.  "Of course I do" was my usual response to anyone asking me if I knew how to do anything that made money!  "Do you want it exactly the same as your current one?"  Luckily he said yes. I got to took carefully at the original set, so I could see how it was built and just make a copy. easy!  4' x8' 1/4 " panels, framed with 1" x 3", loose pin hinges connect the panels together. No big deal. So off I went and built his set.

It came out well. Just prior to his double billed date, he asked me if I would act as his stage manager for that show.  "Sure" - again, whatever pays the bills! So - Stage Manager - get everything set up on stage. Make sure everyone is there. Set up the sound equipment. No big deal. Not much different than any of the gigs I'd done with the band in the past.

Then he asked if I would be the Polkaroo. “Sure but, what’s a Polkaroo?”  I’m not sure I ever really found out what the Polkaroo was, but it paid well, and there was only ever one word to speak so, no lines to remember.

Over time, he added road manager to the list of jobs. I worked with Gerry Mendicino, Cindy Cook and Kevin Knelman for a few years on the show. We played everywhere across Canada from Massey Hall, Ontario Place, and Hamilton Place. We played every major theatre across Canada. We played schools, shopping malls, school years and even a fort somewhere out in the prairies.

I was sitting in the producers office one day waiting to talk to him. He was big on making people wait. Kept him feeling superior I think. His guitar was sitting on a stand in the corner of the room. Normally, I’d NEVER touch anyone’s guitar without their OK, but I was getting pissed waiting, so I helped myself and strummed a few cords. He got off the phone and rushed over. I figured he was pissed now but, no. He was all happy. He didn’t know I could play guitar. He needed to stretch the 45 minute show out to an hour somehow.

How would I like to go out as myself and do a Raffi kind of routine playing kids songs for 15 minutes to open each show.  I’ll never forget that first show. Scared doesn't cover how I felt. Terrified is more like it, but I did it, and kept doing it until I left the show a couple of years later.

I used to be embarrassed when someone found out I was the Polkaroo. Now I find it funny. It doesn’t matter what challenges I take on, or how I make out with any of them. Nothing is more impressive than “Life as the Polkaroo”!

 
"Polkaroo"