Two polka and old-time programs on Pioneer 90.1 radio will join forces this Saturday (12/7) to ring in the Christmas season at Northland Community & Technical College.

Ron and Elsie Shereck, hosts of the Saturday Morning Barndance, welcome the Cathy Erickson Band to their live broadcast and Christmas party, held at the Gunderson Commons at Northland’s Thief River Falls campus, Saturday, December 7 from 8AM to noon.

Erickson is the host of “Cathy’s Variety Show,” Monday nights on 90.1 FM, the college’s listener-supported public radio station.

Dancers at 2012 Saturday Morning Barndance Christmas Party

This is the fifth year that the Barndance Christmas Party has been broadcast from the commons area. Prior to 2009, it was a smaller event, with a live band playing to a few audience members gathered in Northland’s Broadcasting department.

 Station manager Mark Johnson said that the December tradition attracts one of the largest audiences of the year for Pioneer 90.1. He said in-person attendance usually averages around 200 people. Many more listen online, over the air, and watch a live video feed at the station’s website, www.radionorthland.org.

This year’s Christmas party will also be the official launch of the Pioneer Polkacast, a new online radio station that streams Minnesota-made polka and old-time music continuously at www.radionorthland.org/polkacast.

The music featured on the 24-7 PolkaCast stream is from the collections of the Sherecks and Erickson. “They have hundreds of CDs by Minnesota musicians that they have collected over the years. We’re very fortunate that they wanted to share this music with us, “ Johnson said.

The station plans to replay the Saturday Morning Barndance and Cathy’s Variety Show later in the week on the Polkacast.

Saturday’s Christmas Party is open to the public. A freewill donation will be accepted at the door to help Pioneer 90.1 continue its Old Time and Polka programming.