It was 8pm on a Wednesday evening in New York City—March 9, 1938—when 12 men united by a singular passion convened behind closed doors to discuss a weighty matter. Their last names looked like a sepia-toned snapshot of the Great American melting pot: Frosini, Goldman, Dawson, Galla-Rini, Magnante, Deiro, Nunzio, Von Hallberg, Biviano, Gart, Roland and Streep. Roland spoke first. He read a lengthy report covering the topic of the meeting. In just under two hours the American Accordionists’ Association (AAA) was born—with Pietro Deiro (pictured), the “Daddy of the Accordion,” elected as the organization’s first President. The rest is history. This year, Buffalo hosts the 2006 American Accordionists’ Association Festival and Competition at Adam’s Mark Hotel, transforming our city into the “Accordion Capital of the World” for five consecutive days. An instrument whose popularity has gone in and out over the years, it is nonetheless a staple sound in many musical settings. Buffalo will be finely represented by Tony Lovell, the “Liberace of the Accordion,” performing everything from jazz to pop to polka to rock and more. At 11am on Friday, July 14, an over-the-top massed accordion band will simultaneously bellow the “Beer Barrel Polka” at the brink of Niagara Falls. There will also be workshops, performances, and the three day long Vivian Stolaruk International Entertainment Competition for Accordionists featuring top contenders from the US, Norway, Poland and Canada, all vying for a $10,000 grand prize.

Wednesday, July 12-Sunday, July 16 at Adam’s Mark Hotel, 120 Church Street.

Visit www.ameraccord.com for more information and a full schedule of events.