Today was State Senator Merlin Bartz’s 50th birthday. He brought Casey’s donuts for the club, er, senate to celebrate. Senator Joe Seng played “Happy Birthday” for Bartz and — you guessed it based on the headline above — Seng was using an accordion to play the song.
You might have thought the days of accordion music in the statehosue were over when former state Representative Ed Fallon — a State Fair Champion accordionist — exited the Iowa House. Fallon often played his accordion on St. Patrick’s Day, as another former legislator (Dolores Mertz) danced the jig and another representative (John Connors, God rest his soul) roamed up and down the aisles, waving the Irish flag. Fallon once or twice accompanied former State Representative Dan Boddicker (R-Tipton) as Boddicker sang “Oh Danny Boy” on St. Patrick’s Days past.
Sources tell me there’ll be a performance of “Oh Danny Boy” in the Iowa Senate on St. Patrick’s Day 2011 and the two state senators mentioned in paragraph one will be the performers.
About O.Kay Henderson
Kay is a founding member of the Radio Iowa network newsroom. In 1994, she became the network’s news director. She’s a featured reporter and commentator on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” and the 2002 recipient of the Shelley Award.
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