Last year marked the last Great Bend Polka Days, as most of the members of the Polka Lovers of America Kansas Chapter have reached an age where the preparations and the dancing are too physically taxing. “It’s not an older persons sport,” said LeRoy Degenhardt, one of the original organizers of the event. The long-lasting tradition, 27 years in all, was shaped by a culture that was built around good music, good food, and vigorous dancing.