RED LODGE — After a seven-year pause, the streets of Red Lodge were once again filled with music, movement, and multicultural flavor. The town's first Festival of Nations Tribute, a celebration honoring the city’s immigrant roots, is being held this weekend.
Among those keeping the beat is Alte Kameraden, a band that has played the soundtrack of the town for 75 years.
“We like to call our group ‘a band of all nations,’” said trumpet player Kerry Boggio.
Kerry's ties to the band go back to childhood. His uncles were among its earliest members. Today, he plays side by side with his brother Ken Boggio—a tradition that has lasted six decades.
Watch how two brothers have been keeping tradition—and each other—in tune for 60 years:
“I kind of followed in (Ken's) footsteps,” said Kerry. “He started out and he said, ‘don’t make me look bad.’
The trumpet, it seems, has been passed down like a family heirloom.
“I had heard and seen my uncles play trumpet, all three of ‘em,” said Ken. “I thought, ‘well, that’s the only way to go.’"
For the Boggio brothers, music has long served as a kind of second language—one that transcends heritage and hometowns.
“The brain thinks the same,” said Kerry. “We’ll start playing and all of the sudden he’ll say, ‘Jeez, you played that just the way I did,’ and I’ll look at him and say, ‘Well, you taught me, y’know.’”
The Festival of Nations, which officially ended in 2017, first launched in 1956 as a way to celebrate the diverse cultural identities that shaped Red Lodge. This year’s tribute comes after mounting interest from community members and historians.
“This is the 75th anniversary,” said Becky VanHorn, Carbon County’s historical preservation officer. “So, I started to get some phone calls from different universities and people who were involved. I just thought that the stars started to align. So, (I) called the chamber of commerce and got these dates.”
The three-day event, which began Friday, features performances, food vendors, and exhibits that pay tribute to the town’s Finnish, German, Italian and other immigrant histories.
