Olbrich Botanical Gardens welcomed the holiday season with vintage Christmas vinyl

On December 1, members of Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin got a sneak peek at Olbrich’s annual Holiday Express, an environment with large-scale model trains chugging through a festive scene overflowing with hundreds of poinsettias and fresh evergreens. It was a warm way to embrace winter and welcome the holiday season.

Even warmer was the lush environment in the conservatory. Visitors meandered among green plants under a canopy of tropical trees while listening to singing birds and vintage Christmas music played by DJ Shotski. No Bublé, no Mariah. Just Frank, Dean, Jo and Bing. Plus a few polkas about skiing, mistletoe and snowplows.

Polka Time on WVMO listeners were there amongst longtime supporters of Olbrich Botanical Gardens. There were priceless moments when parents showed their kids what record players looked like. I was thrilled to show little girls how to queue up a record and nearly fainted when one said “I want to be just like you when I grow up.” Yes, dear. We need more women in vinyl (and luckily there is a website all about that).

Stay tuned! I’ll play some of these wintery polkas on the holiday editions of Polka Time later this month. 

If you’d like vintage Christmas music for your 2024 holiday events, contact djshotski@gmail.com.

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