Because they make me happy. They actually have a reputation for doing that. It’s true. Polka dots hearken to the 1950s and suggest simplicity, fun and cheerfulness. But it hasn’t always been so. In ...

The 19th-century European immigrants to Wisconsin arrived with polkas ringing in their ears. The polka, a lively couples dance in 2/4 time, had developed from folk roots and became a European popular ...