ROSSFORD—A Polka Mass at Rossford All Saints this weekend features the debut of a group of novice and accomplished accordionists who recently began practicing the instrument as a group with their pastor.

Renewed interest in the “squeezebox” began when Father Kent Kaufman, pastor of All Saints,  began taking lessons on the instrument with one of his parishioners, Carol Koury, who served as his “helper and co-learner.”

Fr. Kaufman, who also plays the piano, organ and tuba, says he has owned two accordions for a few years but never had a chance to learn to play them until now. He had received the accordions as a gift from a woman in Sylvania who had read in an interview that he gave to the Catholic Chronicle that he might one day like to learn to play the instrument.

“I’ve always played piano, but what’s nice about the accordion is it’s so portable,” says Fr. Kaufman, who relates he has even taken it to play it for homebound parishioners. “Every time someone hears an accordion, they just start smiling.”

Fr. Kaufman invited novice and skilled accordionists to join him at practice sessions for a performance at the Polka Mass. The group has seven accordionists ranging in age from college students to senior citizens.

“There’s more accordionists out there than you sometimes realize,” says Fr. Kaufman.

Accompanied by other parishioners on the clarinet, drums and piano, the accordionists will perform Polish and Slovak songs as well as traditional church songs with Polka melodies during the Polka Mass July 25 at 4 p.m. at All Saints, 628 Lime City Rd., Rossford.

In addition to the Polka Mass, the parish festival at All Saints this weekend features more than 10,000 homemade pierogies, 3,500 pigs in the blanket, 3,500 kolaczki (fruit-filled cookies) and hundreds of pounds of kielbasa. Entertainment includes Touch of Brass and Bonkers July 24 and Randy Krajewski/Bandinov and Sundelay July 25. The festival also includes bingo, children’s games, raffles, a teen game tent and barbeque chicken dinners Saturday.

Festival hours are 5 to 11:30 p.m. both days.