The Accordion Club of Natrona Heights might need to change its name.

These guys and gals aren’t just sitting around playing old-timey polkas — they can really jam.

“We like to get together and kind of show off what we can do,” said club founder Gabe Ziccarelli, 77, whose lightning-fast fingers are the result of more than six decades of play.

He welcomes musicians — guitarists, drummers and flutists alike — to join the twice-a-month meeting.

“It’s lively and entertaining. We’re all having a good time,” he said.

The meeting space at 6003 Freeport Road is a raucous mix of chatter, mentorship and booming music that includes contemporary hits and classics.

Members pull up a chair and nestle their accordions, a hefty 25 pounds each, onto their laps. Songs are selected from a thick book of music that includes toe-tapping tunes from the “Beer Barrel Polka” to Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life.”

Ziccarelli of Allegheny Township started playing as a child because it was the “instrument of choice” in his first-generation Italian family. He quit playing in high school and said many of the club’s members share a similar story, having quit playing when life got busy — but never forgetting it altogether.

“I always missed it,” said Ziccarelli, who taught science in Allegheny Valley School District before climbing the administrative ranks to superintendent.

After retiring in 2009, he reconnected with the accordion, through which he met new friends with a shared passion.

“We started talking, then playing as a group,” he said. “Now we go out to community events and decided, ‘Why not start a club?’ ”

The group plays regularly at Mingle on Main in Saxonburg and similar town gatherings.

Joe Coniglio, 66, of Shaler said his dad taught him to play as a youngster and the pair would “stack their accordions in the Chevy Nova and go out and entertain people.”

They played for crowds on the Gateway Clipper and for community outings before Coniglio took a sabbatical.

“I picked it back up in the ’90s,” he said. “I spent 50 bucks on straps, and I said to myself, ‘I better start getting serious about this.’ ”

Coniglio has been playing since.

Martha Oesterling of Saxonburg shared a similar story. She first picked up the accordion at age 10 when her dad bought a used instrument from his barber.

“It wasn’t popular at all with my friends,” she said, laughing. “When I was older, my kids hated it, too. Now they apologize and they like it.”

Oesterling credits Ziccarelli for helping the accordion enjoy a recent resurgence in popularity.

“I thought I was the only one in the whole country who still played,” she said. “I saw his ad for the club, and I’ve been coming here and loving it ever since.”

Ziccarelli said the club has grown in part because of its relaxed atmosphere.

The fledgling group draws about 10 players, with squeeze boxes that range from garage sale finds to a handcrafted Sonola that cost $8,600.

Some of the newer models are programmed electronically to add drums and other background music.

Don’t let modern advancements fool you. This instrument goes way back — to at least 1829, according to Britannica.com.

That’s the year Cyril Demian of Vienna patented an “accordion” that was very similar to the ones existing today. But others say the instrument is a little older, dating to 1822, when German Friedrich L. Buschmann created the “Handäoline,” an instrument historians say was the basis for Demian’s accordion.

Even from its earliest version, the instrument creates sound by passing air over metal reeds. Valves controlled by a keyboard or buttons let the musician determine which reeds get airflow, generated by the baffle in the center of the accordion and its signature characteristic. Some accordions play different notes depending on whether the player is compressing or stretching the baffle.

“It’s nice to be among people who appreciate the music,” Ziccarelli said. “We welcome everyone. If you can read real basic music, you should drop in. You can embellish and show off however you like.”

Among the club’s youngest members is Joelle Ondriezek, 12, of Kittanning, whose grandma picked up an accordion at a yard sale on a whim.

A seventh grader at Mary Queen of Apostles in New Kensington, Joelle said she enjoys the challenge presented by the instrument.

“Everyone makes me feel welcome at the club,” she said.

Richard Pollick, 86, of Cabot has been playing the accordion most of his life. He’s tickled that Ziccarelli got an official club together and says he looks forward to jamming with his new friends every month.

“I just love the sound,” Pollick said. “You can’t get that sound out of anything else.”

Over the years, Pollick taught aspiring musicians in studios in New Kensington and Oakmont. And he plays at home for his Shih Tzus, Herbie and Clifford, whose favorite tune is Elvis’ “Are You Lonely Tonight.”

“I’m so glad Gabe got this going,” Pollick said. “We really have a good time.”

Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.

If you go
Who: Accordion Club of Natrona Heights
What: All musicians welcome, not just accordion players
When: 6 to 8 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of each month
Where: The Vine, 6003 Freeport Road, Harrison
Dues: $5
Details: Call Gabe Ziccarelli at 724-236-0665.