Polka great Florian Chmielewski dead at 97

Pioneer Press

Center

High Factuality

Private Equity: Alden Global Capital

Minnesota polka legend Florian Chmielewski dies at 97

Florian Chmielewski, famed for his polka prowess and longtime service in state government, died Tuesday at age 97. According to an obituary shared by his family, Chmielewski had been experiencing congestive heart failure and “passed away peacefully” at his home in Sturgeon Lake, Minn. As a longtime member of the Chmielewski Funtime Band, the musician helped preserve and celebrate a musical tradition with deep roots in the state’s European settle…