From polka to politics, one man shares his unique hobbies
By: Chelsea Rarrick
Updated: January 6, 2012
A Councilman in a polka band may sound a little out of the ordinary.
But, you can find one right in Oneida County.
Don't let the suit fool you, while he may mean business as a Councilman in Verona, Fritz Scherz also means business in another job, leading his own polka band.
"My dad would come into the barn from milking cows at night, get out his accordion and he'd play, and I took a liking to it. I got my brother-in-law in the band, and literally he got his bass guitar the morning of our first gig, and my dad taught him some chords that afternoon. That night, "Fritz's Polka Band" was born, October, 1978," said Fritz Scherz.
While Fritz's love for music started at an early age, his curiosity to get into politics peaked in the mid 2000's.
"When the opportunity arose, I thought hey, now's a good time to try. If I'm lucky and win, then I'll be able to, and luckily, I won!" he said.
Changing his clothes up from business professional, to just plain casual to jam out on his accordion, makes it that much more fun.
"I throw on the jeans, sometimes even the bedazzled jeans for the younger folks. I might wear a different funky hat," he said.
Some may wonder, how does someone with such different hobbies make sure they give it their all?
Fritz says it's simple, you have to have passion.
"Those are two things I'm really passionate about, you can probably tell. It's stuff that I really enjoy doing. Meeting people, the sense of you helping them, trying to make a positive difference in the community. I think that's a good thing," said Fritz.
To top it all off making Fritz quite the triple threat, he is also an adjunct business professor at Morrisville State College.
But, you can find one right in Oneida County.
Don't let the suit fool you, while he may mean business as a Councilman in Verona, Fritz Scherz also means business in another job, leading his own polka band.
"My dad would come into the barn from milking cows at night, get out his accordion and he'd play, and I took a liking to it. I got my brother-in-law in the band, and literally he got his bass guitar the morning of our first gig, and my dad taught him some chords that afternoon. That night, "Fritz's Polka Band" was born, October, 1978," said Fritz Scherz.
While Fritz's love for music started at an early age, his curiosity to get into politics peaked in the mid 2000's.
"When the opportunity arose, I thought hey, now's a good time to try. If I'm lucky and win, then I'll be able to, and luckily, I won!" he said.
Changing his clothes up from business professional, to just plain casual to jam out on his accordion, makes it that much more fun.
"I throw on the jeans, sometimes even the bedazzled jeans for the younger folks. I might wear a different funky hat," he said.
Some may wonder, how does someone with such different hobbies make sure they give it their all?
Fritz says it's simple, you have to have passion.
"Those are two things I'm really passionate about, you can probably tell. It's stuff that I really enjoy doing. Meeting people, the sense of you helping them, trying to make a positive difference in the community. I think that's a good thing," said Fritz.
To top it all off making Fritz quite the triple threat, he is also an adjunct business professor at Morrisville State College.
