This tattoo is far more than art. It honors my family, my German and Polish heritage, and the traditions that shaped my childhood. Sunday mornings meant polka music filling our home as my dad played CDs and local radio stations throughout Central Wisconsin. Every Wednesday, my Papa called to remind us that the Molly B Polka Show was on. We spent countless weekends at polka dances, Polish weddings, festivals, and Oktoberfest celebrations. I learned to polka dance, carrying on a tradition passed down through generations. 

The dancers are my parents, wearing the traditional German clothing of my great aunt and uncle, Herb and Helen. They are the best polka dancers any dance floor has ever seen. The scene is inspired by Oktoberfest at a brewery in Plover, Wisconsin, which received part of Herb and Helen’s remarkable beer memorabilia collection, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. That celebration is especially meaningful because my dad won the best-dressed contest in Uncle Herb’s outfit, and my husband won the beer stein holding competition. 

This tattoo also honors my great-great-grandparents, who immigrated from Germany and Poland to Wisconsin, where family members became brewers and established cheese factories. Every detail reminds me that heritage lives through our music, dancing, traditions, and stories, and it is my promise to carry them forward.  

– Ashley Roth

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more