Over 300 musicians, holding ukuleles of all shapes, materials and shades, sit row after row in folding chairs.
It’s an unexpected sight — and sound — in the middle of the Lake County Fairgrounds in Two Harbors.
They fill the fairgrounds’ largest metal building, temporarily transformed into a performance hall. Music spills from the high, open garage doors, played by “ukesters” of all ages and skill levels.
It’s humid, with thunderstorms scattered across the weekend’s forecast. The uke players tune their instruments every few songs, but the weather doesn't dampen spirits.
The musicians come from far and wide, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Colorado, Florida, Canada and even England, all for the 14th annual Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival (SCIUC).
What began in the Silver Creek Town Hall has grown into a festival drawing hundreds of musicians. This year’s attendance tallied just shy of 400.
“The ukulele community is a big, big family,” Two Harbors Ukulele Group member Dale Moe says. “People are coming up and giving hugs, saying, ‘I haven't seen you in a year, I am so happy to be back.’”
The Two Harbors Ukulele Group, or THUG, is the carnival’s host.
The musicians and community members chip in to do everything. They are the smiling faces in THUG-branded T-shirts that run registration and welcome newcomers.
It’s become a true family affair. Moe’s daughter helps behind the scenes and his grandson runs audio. THUG members have families that join in the fun as they prepare group meals and act as runners between carnival events.
THUG member Dave Rossetter and his wife Johanne Rossetter have been involved for years. Dave says the community at the carnival can't be matched.
"You couldn’t feel safer any place in the world than in a ukulele gathering," he says.
That camaraderie is contagious. Friends return to the carnival each year, even after moving to different states.
Katie Thomas has come to the carnival for the first time from Gloucester, England, after hearing about it from friends in Michigan.
“I just love all the people — my cheeks hurt from smiling with everybody,” Thomas says.
A weekend of music, gear, fun and thugs
Each morning kicked off with a strum session. Moe guides the group through music on Friday, where he has the crowd laughing as much as they are strumming.
“When your kids or neighbors ask what you did all weekend, you can say you have been hanging out with a bunch of thugs," Moe says as attendees flip their pages to the next song.
The event is free for attendees. It includes workshops with professional ukulele performers, chances to mingle with friends old and new, jam sessions, concerts and open mic performances.
The first of two open mic nights has 16 signups. Bill Devita of Stevens Point, Wis., is first to take the stage. He’s been a SCIUC regular for almost a decade and has been playing uke for 15 years.
Devita’s first chance to try out a cover on his own was at the carnival years ago, which was a perfect spot to put himself out there, he says.
“Always good to step out to the edge. Life begins on the edge of your comfort zone,” Devita says.
That courage to get up there is echoed by Zina Balbo of Bloomington, who performs in the open mic portion with her quartet for the first time. She’s been playing the ukulele for 4 or 5 years.
"I’m a little nervous, but ah heck, I'm ready to try it, you gotta start sometime," she says.
You’re never too young for a new hobby
The 2025 carnival also sees the first Ukulele Garage sale. Organized by ukester Brown, they sell instruments and gear throughout the weekend.
THUG member Roger Fransene picks up a broken antique that was once a round ukulele and, now, is just the bones. It is marked as $3, but they give it to him for free. As a 40-year veteran of the woodworking industry, he looks forward to coming up with something to make it into.
“I guess nobody wanted it,” Fransene says.
Fransene’s love of the ukulele is relatively recent. It came to him in his late 70s. Now, some six or seven years later, it has become a major part of his day-to-day life.
“Well, I try to play every day,” Fransene says. “Mainly just to keep my fingers, you know. I am 83 and a half, so I got to keep my fingers going.”
He owns five ukuleles, one he made himself at the age of 81. He can often be spotted wearing ukulele socks.
But it’s also given him more than just a joyful pastime. Fransene looks forward to performing with THUG, because it allows him to give back when they perform at veteran homes, senior centers and memory care facilities.
“Well, it's really kind of like a purpose, I guess. More than anything,” Fransene says. “I think everyone should play something, and that's why I thought before I go, I want to play something so this is where I'm at."
St. Paul ukulele player Terry Stahl has been a part of the Twin Cities Ukulele Club off and on for decades, a group that meets throughout the metro almost every day of the week.
She loves the ukulele’s cheerful sound — when they perform, it’s almost guaranteed to make people smile.
Grins spread as musicians settle in, making music one strum at a time.
"To have 300 people show up to a little town in Northern Minnesota to play music together and just have a meaningful time together and learn, it's just — it was never on my bucket list, but I am certainly happy it showed up," Dave Rossetter says.
