'Saskatchewan Famous': Bidding farewell to an Ituna polka great

There are many different ways Curtis Panio will remember his father, Vlad, who was a well-known polka musician, orginally from Ituna, Sask.

The Panio Brothers Band began making music in the 1960s, and were inducted into the Ukrainian Music Hall of Fame in 2015, receiving the lifetime achievement award in 2016.

From the days on the road, from concert to concert, wedding to wedding, cabaret to cabaret, Curtis saw it all. He remembers carrying the equipment, pedalling the albums, and seeing the impact his father and his uncle, John, had on the people across Western Canada.

He described both Panio brothers as “Saskatchewan Famous.”

“[Saskatchewan people] just loved his music, and he brought so much joy to them,” he recollected to CTV News Wednesday, just days following the death of Vlad following a battle with cancer.

Vlad, himself, was honoured with the “Legend of Ukrainian Music Award” in 2018, and the band has a page in the Canadian Encyclopedia of Canadian Country Music.

Page 131, to be exact.

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That, from another band member, Bill Lewchyshyn, who had his own memories of the Saskatchewan fame the band had.

“During the summer, we played pretty well every weekend, somewhere. And in fact, sometimes we played Saturday and Sunday,” he said.

Outside and after music, Vlad worked as a school bus driver, a teacher and a principal. According to Curtis, his father went 19 straight years without missing a day of work.

Curtis said he’ll remember his father’s work ethic and his ability to bring so much happiness to people across Western Canada.

Vlad Panio’s funeral will take place Saturday at 10:30 a.m., at Regina’s St. Basil’s Ukrainian Church.