- Some things you never forget.
- Let's do the "Alpine Polka."
- For Ruth Marty, it's the first time
she picked up her dad's accordion
as a little girl.
* *
[soft accordion music]
- Ruth: He was the one that had a little schwyzeörgeli,
which is a little button accordion.
And he wanted me to play that.
He had one
and I played my first song I ever learned on that.
- The song was so simple, it didn't even have a name.
But Ruth remembers the melody.
** [accordion polka music]
- Actually my very first song.
[chuckles softly]
- Soon, young Ruth caught the squeezebox bug.
At the time, her family lived in Barron County.
Her dad bought her a more advanced instrument
and scheduled lessons with a woman named Iva Rindlisbacher.
- Ruth: He started giving me lessons in Rice Lake.
That was about 22 miles from our house.
My mother didn't drive.
So I got a lesson maybe once a month.
- When her family moved to southern Wisconsin,
she sought lessons
from legendary accordion teacher Rudy Burkhalter.
- Ruth: I really felt I had some more things I should learn.
And Rudy had me play and then he said, "Well," he said.
"I think you don't need any more lessons.
You can be a teacher for me."
- Soon, Ruth fell in love, married and had children.
Although she still gave lessons to her children
and later, grandchildren,
she didn't play as much.
That changed on a trip to Switzerland
in the early '70s.
* * [soft accordion music]
When she met a group of musicians
from the Swiss enclave of Highland, Illinois.
- Ruth: And they had been coming up
to Puempel's Tavern in New Glarus
and playing, always over Labor Day.
The one lady played the stumpf fiddle,
and her husband said, "We need an accordion player."
- Ruth's been playing with the group ever since.
While other members have passed on or called it quits,
Ruth continues.
- Sarah: Okay, whenever you're ready.
- Oh, we're ready? Okay. - Yup
* * [fast polka accordion music]
- In recent years, she's found another bandmate.
Someone with whom she shares more than a love of accordion:
her granddaughter Sarah Marty.
* * [fast polka accordion music]
- I think I was probably five or six years old.
It was the first instrument
that I started to take lessons with grandma.
So as a little kid,
I think I was attracted to the fact
that there were buttons on this side
and keys over here
and you had to move things back and forth
just to get it to do anything at all.
- As she grew up, Sarah played with Ruth on special occasions.
In the past two years, they've played together even more.
Often playing songs Ruth knows by heart.
As they played, Sarah got an idea.
- So the thought was, would there be a way
that we could work with a professional recording artist
and capture both some of our favorite songs
and also some of her favorite songs.
- So Ruth and Sarah hit the recording studio.
But rather than produce a simple recording,
Sarah spent months turning those songs into a produced album,
complete with cover art and a launch party.
- I put together a Facebook event
and put a call out by email
for the "Swissconsin" CD release party,
which happened to be our normal Labor Day gig
at Puemples in New Glarus.
Didn't let her know.
- And providing the music,
Ruth and Sarah on accordion.
The event was a hit,
with a packed house and plenty of dancing.
- That's when it's the most fun
because you like to see people enjoy themselves.
And especially if you play a song
that they maybe can sing.
And we like to see them get out and dance.
- The party may be over and the CDs may be sold,
but Ruth and Sarah say they now have a fresh set of memories.
Some things you never forget.
** [accordion polka music]