The San Joaquin Valley Swiss Echoes, a singing and yodeling club in Ripon since 1947, is having its annual spring concert and dance on Saturday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Swiss Hall in Ripon, on the corner of Manley and East Main streets.

Attendees will hear a variety of folk songs and yodels from the 35-member group, with special guest, Art Brogli, to entertain you with his one-of-a-kind voice and beloved accordion. He is the eldest of ten from Oberfrick, Aargau, Switzerland. Growing up his whole family sang and yodeled around the house and Brogli started playing his dad’s accordion at age 12. In 1948 his dad sold the family farm and they moved to a farm in Imperial Valley. The family sang for many community clubs and Swiss clubs, even on the radio in the 1950s.

In 1965 he went to work for the Olympic Village and Tramway in Squaw Valley as a tram operator, singing and yodeling summers and winters. In 1971 he moved to the all-new ski and summer resort at Snowbird, Utah. Soon his yodeling echoed in the Wasatch Mountains, on the tramway, for conventions at Snowbird, and in the Salt Lake Valley. He was influential in starting the biggest Oktoberfest in Utah.

He made his first recording, “Spectacular Yodeling” on CD. Brogli has performed on top of the Palm Springs Tramway, played at the Old World Bavarian Restaurant and Entertainment Center in Huntington Beach, and sang and yodeled for Switzerland’s 700 year Independence Celebration in South San Francisco – and he just keeps on singing.

There will also be a raffle with fun prizes, followed by dancing to the tunes of the Richard Denier Ernie Gudel Orchestra. Admission to the concert and dance is $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Children under 16 are free.

Dinner is available as well for those who buy tickets by Saturday, April 14. The Rippli dinner has limited seating. It features a smoked pork chop and is served from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. prior to the concert. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under.

For information or tickets call Heidi Betschart at 209-531-2577 or Barbara Masterson at 209-667-1087.