For some, 7¹/₂ hours of nearly nonstop polka music may be a bit much. For others, the annual Button Box Blast featuring nine of the top polka groups and musicians from the Tri-State area is nothing but a short and sweet marathon.

"Each band will perform twice; once upstairs and once downstairs," said Agnes Engel, spokeswoman for the Blast, which will take place from 2 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the SNPJ Lodge in North Strabane. "Some people like to come to hear a particular band or virtuoso musician. Others like to listen to or dance to as many different groups as they can."

At the Blast, there will be more than polkas on the musical horizon, with a smattering of waltzes and even a Mexican and country tune thrown into the mix from time to time. The core of the repertoire, however, will cluster around ethnic music spotlighting songs from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, Poland, Germany and Austria.

"Many of the songs are traditional tunes brought to America by our grandparents," said Mrs. Engel, who admits that, although the Blast has been successful in the past, the audience is dwindling to some degree.

To give the Blast, now in its seventh year, a breath of fresh air, organizers hope to attract a new generation of polka fans by mixing traditional tunes with modern arrangements and featuring cutting edge musicians, accordionists and button box instrumentalists.

For those who may not already know, Pete Cimino, director of the SNPJ International Button Box Club, calls the accordion-like apparatus a diatonic instrument.

"It's a lot like a mouth organ which produces one note when you blow in and another when you draw your breath out," he said. "Similarly, a button box produces one note when you expand the bellows and another when you constrict them."

The SNPJ -- Slovenian National Benefit Society -- International Button Box Club got its start at a planning meeting on March 5, 1990 in Canonsburg at the home of Millie Kifer, who's been a member of the group ever since it was officially formed in May that same year.

Since its founding, the group has performed in the annual Fourth of July Parade in Canonsburg, the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Pittsburgh, at Pirate baseball games and at button box festivals in the Catskill Mountains of New York. The group also plays at many button box events in the Tri-State area.

"The group makes happy sounding music and people respond to it in a positive way, whether they get up and dance or simply listen to it," said Mrs. Engel.

According to Mr. Cimino, favorite tunes played by the 10-musician group include the "Nottingham Tavern Polka" and the "Slovenian Picnic Waltz."

If you miss the Blast, you can hear the SNPJ International Button Box Club perform from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays at the SNPJ Lodge in the village of Strabane. Admission is free.

"A lot of people come to hear the group jam on Monday evenings," said Mrs. Engel. "After they're done, musicians from other bands get together to extend the evening even more."

The SNPJ Button Box Blast is at the SNPJ Lodge 138 Home, 269 Latimer Ave., North Strabane, from 2 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Admission is $5. Phone 724-745-9860.