Dale Bucar, Host of Polka Radio, Sundays at 10:00am
Dale Bucar has been an on-air personality at 1330 AM since 1968, cutting his broadcasting teeth working with his father, Eddie Bucar, who hosted the long-running “Suppertime Polka Hour” on the old WELW. Now he is the host of “Bucar’s International Polkas & Croatian Program” heard Sunday mornings from 10:00 a.m. till noon.
He is an accomplished musician and vocalist and was recognized as Vocalist of The Year for the National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame in 2012 & 2013. He has recorded with many of the region’s most popular polka bands but his musical versatility spans all genres from polkas to standards to pop to jazz as can be heard while performing classic hits and songs from the Great American Songbook with his group Bucar & Turek.
Dale was born in the Collinwood area but grew up in Willowick along with brother Denny, also a former WELW/WINT radio personality Denny Bucar. Dale is the proud father of daughter Nicole and son Nathan and resides in Windsor, Ohio with his girlfriend Kathy Hornung.
Ellen Foley Kessler, Friday host of “Up Close and Personal”, 8am
Having grown up in Willowick where her father once served as Mayor, Ellen went to Notre Dame High School in Chardon and attended Duquesne University, Notre Dame College and studied abroad at Oxford University.
With a knack for politics, Ellen has attended presidential debates, interviewed political frontrunners, members of Congress, senators and national newsmakers.
Ellen has also been active in the community, serving on numerous boards and foundations throughout Northeast Ohio, including United Way, Lake Health Women’s Advisory Board, the Salvation Army, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Gilmour Academy and The Philips Osborne School (Andrews-Osborne.) Ellen has an active role in Lake County’s Begin the Conversation movement that commenced in the autumn of 2015. She was also a co-founder of Get Smart, a reading program for young children in public school systems. Together with her husband Richard, Ellen has worked tirelessly to generate funds for the Society for Rehabilitation, a non-profit agency that works with adults who have developmental and physical disabilities.
For more than two decades, Ellen was a Commissioner for Lake MetroParks, where she spearheaded her passion for park preservation. Her time at Lake MetroParks sent her to Washington D.C. and Columbus where she became a lobbyist for park protection.
Ellen has been selected as Leader of the Year, an award given by Leadership Lake County and has also been the recipient of the Liberty Bell Award by the Bar Association. Lakeland Community College awarded Ellen with its Women of Achievement Award and her commitment to the preservation of park systems became nationally known when Ellen was recognized with The Golden Rule Award, given to her by JC Penney. Ellen has also been given Citizen of the Year by the NAACP and received the Martin Luther King Jr. award. She and her husband, Richard live in Concord and enjoy travelling.