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But not many bands have roots as deep in the area as Henny and the Versa J's.

The White Oak, Allegheny County-based polka band has been a staple at clubs and festivals for 32 years, and while they've been honored over that time by several polka organizations, they feel the Grammy nod needs a special celebration.

So the band is holding what its calling a "Grammy Send-Off/Fan Appreciation/Benefit Dance" from 3-7 p.m. Sunday at the White Oak American Legion.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for the Free Care Fund at Children's Hospital.

The legion hall is located at the corner of Capitol and Pennsylvania avenues and is about 15 minutes from the Pittsburgh exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Band members are Henny Jasiewicz; his sister, Dee-Dee Jasiewicz Ogrodny, and his son, Butch; Dee-Dee's husband, Stas' Ogrodny, and son, Ryan; and Frankie Gibala and Randy Koslosky. Stas' is a Mt. Pleasant native, and both the Ogrodny and Jasiewicz families have kin in Westmoreland County.

Dee-Dee and her brother, like most of the band members grew up around polka music.

She remembers going out with her father and his band to Fiedor's Grove outside Mt. Pleasant and while the site no longer holds weekly polka dances, the Versa J's still go out there often, or to the Yukon Slovenian Club when the weather is bad.

They also play the annual polka festival at Seven Springs. "We've played that since it started. I think it's been 30 years now," Dee-Dee said. "It's always over July 4, and I think last year there were 10,000 people there. They fill the two hall and have bands going constantly in both."

Dee-Dee said the band also enjoys playing a polka Mass there, and at other festivals throughout the year. "It's beautiful," she said. "I love the upbeat music."

The Grammy-nominated "Come on Over" is the band's eighth record.

Dee-Dee says the age ranges and interests of the band members mean the album has a lot of variety. Her brother, Henny, has been playing in bands since she was 18 months old, and her son, Ryan, now 19, has been performing with the Versa J's since he was 21/2. He got his first credit for performing on a record at age 3.

"Ryan's a country fan, so we have a little of that. He's gotten to be friends with a (fiddle) player from Jimmy Sturr's band, who's Cajun, so we have a little of that," Dee-Dee said.

"We do some of the old style, for our longtime fans, because they want to hear it. And we have some things for the younger fans."

And having fans in so many age ranges doesn't surprise Dee-Dee.

"When you're born into it, it becomes a part of you. All our fans are so loyal. You know when you go to a (polka dance), you're going to let your hair down and have a good time."

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