Heat sends music event inside at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall

Nancy Cunningham had never picked up a ukulele before joining Aloha Ukulele. 

Less than two years later, she was singing and strumming her heart out at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall for Play Music on the Porch Day.  

“It’s a lot of fun, even if you make a mistake,” Cunningham said, “But I’ve gotten a lot better.” 

Aloha Ukulele is one of several clubs offered by Lakewood Ranch Community Activities. The group meets at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall on the last Friday of each month and at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall North on the first and third Thursday of each month. 

“We also play around Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota and the Bradenton area. We play assisted living facilities, downtown, on Main Street and at the mall,” Club President Alice Baumann said. “We’ll play wherever they’ll have us.” 

Aloha Ukulele has between 25 to 40 members, depending on the time of the year. 

On Saturday, the club offered an open invitation to the public to join their jam session for Play Music on the Porch Day, except it was far too hot to strum outside. 

Baumaan pointed to the window and said, “We can see the porch.” 

With the air conditioning and rhythm flowing inside, the group sang singalong favorites from the grade school classic, “This Land is Your Land,” to the Hawaiian staple, “Tiny Bubbles,” by Don Ho.  

About 35 people attended. The musicians were a mix of club members and local ukulele groups, including “The Hawaiian Shirts,” “Sarasota Uke” and the “Sarasota Buskers.” 

Play Music on the Porch Day has been celebrated annually on Aug. 26 since 2004. The movement is global. Over 70 countries participate, and participants post videos to social media. 

According to its website, the day started out as an idea: “What if, for one day, everything stopped, and we all just listened to the music?”