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IPA Hall of Fame Biography
Edward Chester Kutas Sr. was a well-known and important promoter of polka music in Buffalo and Western New York. He was the owner and operator of the historic Warsaw Inn on Broadway in the heart of the Polish East Side. For many years, Ed had a vision for a polka convention to be conducted in Buffalo and urged his friend Johnny Hyzny of Chicago to bring his International Polka Convention to the Nickel City. His dream was realized when in 1965, the largest polka organization of its time, conducted an unbelievably successful convention in Buffalo with over 8,000 people attending. Ed was instrumental in proving a polka event and organization of national scale was possible. His efforts help lay the groundwork for the formation of the International Polka Association in 1968. Ed’s legacy is demonstrated by his family’s continued support of polka music through their promotions and management of the Polish Villa, Buffalo’s well-known centerpiece of Polish heritage.
For his many accomplishments in the polka industry, Edward Chester Kutas Sr. has been deemed deserving by the electorate of the International Polka Association for induction into the Polka Music Hall of Fame.