In California wine country an annual tradition does much to bring back the old instrument that for too many years, people deemed corny. We’re talking about the accordion and the  Cotati Accordion Festival in Sonoma County, California. Here even millennials have found a love for the squeeze box again. Linda Conner and Scott Goree produce the show each year. Says Linda: “accordion music often does make me smile.”

The festival was started in 1991 — by a legendary accordion player Jim Boogie. His statue is displayed prominently in the park where the festival is held — and is a popular spot for photos. Musicians come from all over the world to play at the festival. And the money raised at the Cotati Accordion Festival, keeps world class musicians coming to the small Sonoma County town north of San Francisco — and funds other charities. So they all are Saving Americana and helping a new generation find this connection to our past.