Trustees Honor Roll

Hribar, Fritz

Tavernkeeper and Promoter (1925)
Inducted on November 28, 1992

For more than 50 years, Fred Hribar's Fritz's Tavern has been a popular stop on the polka circuit for many of the Cleveland style's best-known bands. Fritz's Slovenian upbringing included gymnastics with the Sokols' children's group and singing with the Mladinski Pevski Zbor youth chorus. He also studied the violin and saxophone. After learning his trade from his parents at the family's Welcome Tavern in Euclid, Ohio, Fritz opened his own establishment in 1950 on St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland's original Slovenian settlement. He built Fritz's Tavern on East 185th Street in 1954. Fish fries and an all-star roster of entertainers made Fritz's one of the liveliest polka spots in the city. Along with his wife, Ruth, Fritz has been a fervent supporter of Cleveland-style music and Slovenian-American activities throughout his career.