“The best one yet!” “This was so much fun!” “I learned so much from the workshops.” “The concerts were amazing.” The reviews are in for Mighty Uke Day 13; and people liked it, they really liked it!

Still navigating on our way back from the COVID years, I think we have found the road we’ll keep traveling for the future. Our new facility at the University United Methodist Church, while lacking the ambiance of Old Town and the proximity to Elderly Instruments, kept everything under one air-conditioned roof; with classrooms for workshops, a large hall for public events, and a beautiful sanctuary for our evening concerts. A huge thanks to Bruce Wheaton, facilities manager at the UUMC, for helping everything to run as smoothly as possible. Enjoy your new “Elvis” uke, Bruce and welcome to the ukulele community.

We have so many people who helped make MUD XIII a reality; I know I’ll miss someone, but here we go . . .

Thank you to our sponsors and business associates, including: Dave’s Ukes, Mainland Ukes, Dave’s Extravagant Ukes, Old Town General Store, Lois Mummaw and Shaklee, Jack Nolish and MiCUP, and the Ten Pound Fiddle. A mighty thanks also to the Michigan State University Department of Art for their generous use of the (SCENE) Metrospace for our Sunday afternoon concert.

Thank you to our exceptional crew of volunteers, led by Judi & Marge (our awesome volunteer coordinators): Joy, Rhea, Sara, Alanna, Janet, Julie, Sue, Cyndi, Connie, Mary Ann, Nan, Jim, Jack, Kathy, Rose, Michael, Nancy, Mary, Smitty, and Roger. A special thanks to my buddy Skip (who drove in from Delaware to help out) who always jumped in to lend a hand and witnessed the aloha sprit of the ukulele for the first time. A huge thanks also to Jon Benallack, our logistics manager.

Thank you to our soundperson for the UUMC concerts; “The” Steve Simonson and able assistant John Payne. Steve took a tough room to engineer and mix and made it sound great! Thank you also to Mike Dyer at the Dave’s Ukes Community Stage and to Jon Hermann for generously loaning us professional audio equipment for our main stage.

We had a varied, talented, and engaging lineup of performers and teaching artists this year; including the Michigan debut of Aldrine Guerrero and Aaron Nakamura from Ukulele Underground; who were a huge hit, to say the least! Their lunch-time strum was packed full of folks singing, smiling, and strumming and their Saturday evening concert appearance was punctuated by a standing ovation – in the middle of their set!

This year’s also featured the first appearance of Peter Luongo and the Legacy Ukulele Ensemble at Mighty Uke Day. Their arrangements and performances of a wide variety of songs ranging from “The William Tell Overture” through “Down on the Corner” to “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desire”; demonstrated the versatility of the instrument and the value of listening and finding your place in the music to best serve the song and the group. And, we found out that Peter plays a mean accordion!

Returning to the main stage and our Sunday afternoon show this year were everyone’s favorite ukulele couple, Heidi Swedberg and Daniel Ward. Heidi and Daniel have been MUD regulars and never fail to entertain our audiences with their unique combination of musicality, acting, and humor. (Wait until you see the video of Sunday’s performance of “The Cat and the Chicken”!)

Also returning to MUD were opening acts Marlowe, Megan Dooley, and the Corner Laughers. It’s been a while since any of them have been able to travel to the Lansing Area for our festival; we sure were happy to see and hear them again!

Thank you to the Wilson Family Ukulele Obsession, the Plymouth Ukulele Group (PUGS), the Prime Time Strummers, the Amazing John Payne, and our open mic performers for gracing the Dave’s Ukes Community Stage and a special thanks to Punch Drunk for always being there with a smile and a song hosting an open mic, and strum or entertaining folks while they’re waiting for a concert or other event to begin.

Thank you to Larry Stump for loading up the Guinness Book of World Records Giant Uke on his vintage Chevy pickup and hauling it to the UUMC to serve as the perfect backdrop for our main stage performances.

Above all, thank you for taking the time to attend Mighty Uke Day 13 and support Music is the Foundation programs in Michigan classrooms and communities. It’s no fun throwing a party if no one comes!

We are looking forward to MUD XIII in 2024 (date TBD, but we are looking at moving back to our pre-COVID weekend in May). Many photos and videos are being posted on the Mighty Uke Day Facebook page; check them out and add your own! I will be slowly editing and posting video on our YouTube page and the Legacy Ukulele Ensemble performances are being uploaded one-by-one on their Facebook page.

If you want to keep up to date on future uke events in the Great Uke State of Michigan like Midwest Uke & Harmonica Camp, July 8 – 10; please take a moment to sign up for our newsletter.

As we have said before, we dedicated this year’s Mighty Uke Day to our late friend Linda Hess and her family. We hope you were moved to “sing your way home” when the weekend was all said and done.
“Sing your way home, at the end of the day
Sing your way home, drive the shadows away
Smile every mile, for wherever you roam
It will brighten your road
It will lighten your load
If you sing your way home”

Again, thank you and I hope to see “uke” at Mighty Uke Day 14, if not before!

Ben Hassenger
mightyukeday@gmail.com
www.mightyukeday.com