Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival
The 2026 Carnival is scheduled for August 13-16, 2026
Lake Country Fairgrounds
(Still inside the Silver Creek Township)
Registration for the 2026 Carnival is now open!
1381 Fairgrounds Road, Two Harbors, MN
The Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival (SCIUC) was founded in 2011 as a way to bring together ukulele players for fun and education. The Two Harbors Ukulele Group hosts this annual Carnival. It really is a labor of love from a whole lot of volunteers (who put in a lot of hours), most of whom are ukulele players. This is a weekend designed to give you plenty of opportunity to spend time playing your ukulele and develop friendships with people from all over the world.
Admission to the Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival is free!
As always, admission for the Carnival is free. The only costs involved may be for SCIUC T-shirts, caps, the Saturday evening catered dinner, or camping or lodging expenses.
We have never charged an admission price to the Carnival since it was started in 2011. The Carnival is funded by the money donated to the Two Harbors Ukulele Group when they perform, from sponsors and grants, and from donations made by people who freely contribute to help make this annual event continue year after year.
2026 Carnival Information
Ukulele Gear For Sale Again at This Year’s Carnival!
This year Ukester Brown and his support staff are organizing the second annual Ukulele Garage sale. It’s a great way to sell your ukulele-related gear – ukuleles, accessories, music books, ukulele books, etc. Part of the sale raises money to help support the Carnival!
We offer workshops, open mic sessions, beginner and intermediate lessons, mini concerts, and practices for our Mass Ukulele Group (M.U.G.) music, which will be featured in the free Saturday afternoon concert that is open to the general public.
The Carnival provided opportunities to build friendships with fellow ukulele players from all over the world. There is something about singing and playing together that opens the heart.
The Carnival brings together some of the friendliest folks who come back year after year. There is something magic about 300 folks playing and singing together! Be inspired by others who play at a higher skill level. Exposing yourself to different playing styles is really a lot of fun!
Ukulele educator Chris Russell will again teach a series of progressive beginner classes (for the fourth year in a row) so players can get a jump start and get immersed in the ukulele. Chris will also teach two intermediate classes to help take players to the next level, and get specific questions answered. Chris does such an outstanding job of teaching and gets rave reviews from his students!
I heard one of Chris’ Carnival students remark that he was the best teacher they have ever seen! If you want to get started playing the ukulele or take your beginner level playing to the next level, I would highly encourage you to take some classes with Chris at one of our Carnivals or on his YouTube channel!
In 2022, we outgrew the Silver Creek Music Pavilion facility and in 2023 we moved the Carnival to the Lake County Fairgrounds, which is still located in the Silver Creek township (so we didn’t have to change the name!).
The 2026 Carnival Features:
Lil Rev
Lil Rev grew up in Milwaukee, WI, graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee in 1993 with a B.S. Degree in Community Education. His musical inspiration started when he was just a kid listening to his dad’s record collection.
In the early 1990’s he was given an old beat up ukulele by a fan. He didn’t know it at the time, but this act of kindness, would alter his life in ways he could never have imagined. With each passing year, he began to become more and more enamored with the ukulele, researching, collecting ephemera, connecting with other players around the country and eventually recording ukulele records and writing books.
From 1993 until 2000, He toured the Midwest as a troubadour, performing at coffee shops, nursing homes, street corners, house concerts and community festivals, both solo, and later on with the Milwaukee Super group Frogwater. During this time, He played at so many nursing homes, assisted living centers and veterans homes that his friends jokingly called him “The King of The Nursing Home Circuit!” He still is proud of that title because he loves being with our elders! Milwaukee, WI was a great town with lots of bars, coffee shops and the lower east side street corners to busk on summer nights.
To this day, my work largely revolves around teaching, performing, writing and recording ukulele themed projects. He is particularly interested in the ukulele’s role in old time music and blues styles, but he also enjoys writing his own songs. He tours North America, teaching at music camps, festivals, and concert series, as well as presenting his one man musical history shows. He performs about 125-150 shows a year.
Locally, he runs a ukulele club and annual ukulele festival and he can often be found teaching music at Mead Library in Sheboygan, as well as Brass Bell Music Store in Milwaukee. In addition to his solo endeavors, he occasionally work with John Nicholson of the Celtic duo Frogwater, as well as with Milwaukee Guitar & Amp Maven Jawbone Jimmy Eannelli as a duo. In Sheboygan, he can often be found performing with local favorites Mike Ammons and The Water Street Hot Shots as well as with local Fiddler Tim Dekker.
Lil Rev will be performing in our Thursday evening concert, teach a intermediate/advance ukulele workshop on Friday and Saturday, teach a M.U.G. song, and will perform in a fabulous concert on Friday evening.
Lil Rev’s Website: lilrev.com
Lil Rev’s Facebook page
Lil Rev on X
Lil Rev on Linked In
Lil Rev’s YouTube channel
Webb-Tigert
Lisa Webb and Bob Tigert are seasoned Nashville pros, for both LIVE gigs and in recording studios, who are playing Americana, country, rock and roll, R&B, jazz, blues and more, using an assortment of ukuleles in amazing and engaging ways.
They write most of their material (and they write REALLY well!); and their performances across the United States have been glowingly described in the national media as “awesome,” “compelling,” “a force to be reckoned with,” and maybe most importantly, “genuinely nice people.”
Their first album together, The Webb-Tigert Ukulele Duo, was released in March, 2023, at an international ukulele festival, and audiences and artists from around the globe started playing, singing and recording their songs immediately. Their second album (an ukulele country-gospel project, 4 Strings & The Truth, Indeed) was released in April 2024, followed by their original music album (Love Ya Love Ya Love Ya) in August 2024. Their 3rd album, Music With Friends, was recorded (in 2025) with fellow musicians across the globe (including Calico, Devin Scott, Bill
Wynne, Bob’s Your Uncle and others).
Unique, groove-based, intricate, polished, beautiful, funky – it all applies. The Webb-Tigert Ukulele Duo just might be your new favorite group!
Webb-Tigert will be performing in our Thursday evening concert, teaching some workshops on Friday and Saturday, teaching a M.U.G. song, performing in our Saturday afternoon concert, performing in a full concert on Saturday evening, and joining Ukester Brown for the Sunday morning Gospel Music Jam.
Ukester Brown
Ukester states that this event has given him friends that he feels are family and that it has become a home away from home for him. He has been able to teach and perform at every Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival since it started in 2011. It’s been a great habit and he treasure the moments!
Ukester Brown got his first uke and learned a basic handful of chords when he was about twelve years old. It was several decades later before he picked up the ukulele again in a more earnest fashion.
He has been blessed to be a teacher/performer for several ukulele events in Minnesota, as well as events in Winnipeg, Fort Lauderdale, Memphis, a couple of places in the states of North Carolina, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan, and this year’s new place: Kansas.
He loves teaching and he tries to put his own twist on a topic to make it fun and approachable. He has had his share of “Aha!” moments in learning and likes to help others experience those same type of moments.
Other things that occupy his time include: sharing life’s ups and downs (mostly ups) with his bride of almost 44 years, Judy. He’s a proud g’pa, serving on his church board and music team, working at an antique store a day or two a week, and attends to his devoted dog.
Ukester will be heading up our 2nd annual ukulele gear garage sale, performing in our Thursday evening concert, teaching a couple workshops on Friday and Saturday, teaching a M.U.G. song, performing in our Saturday afternoon concert, and joining with Webb-Tigert for the Sunday morning Gospel Music Jam.
Ukester’s Website: ukesterbrown.com
Ukester’s Facebook page
Ukester’s YouTube channel
Chris Russell, Ph.D.
Christopher J. Russell, Ph.D. is a music educator with degrees from the University of Northwestern, St. Paul, The University of St. Thomas, and the University of Minnesota. He has thirty years of teaching experience at the secondary and elementary levels.
Over the years, he has taught vocal music, music theory, music history, guitar, ukulele, and general music. As a performer, he has performed as an operatic tenor and tubist in many ensembles, and he has also served as a director for choirs, bands, musicals, and orchestras. In 2024, Dr. Russell was named Co-Director of the Bavarian Musikmeisters, an authentic German wind band based in the Twin Cities.
He is also passionate about the intersection of music education and technology and blogs about that topic at techinmusiced.com. You can find his ukulele work at ukestuff.info, YouTube.com/ukestuff, and YouTube.com/ukeplayalongs. He has self-published several books for ukulele including three books of ukulele chord melody arrangements, a beginner ukulele book (used at the festival), and a children’s book for beginning ukulele. These resources will be available for purchase at the festival.
Dr. Russell also serves as a technical writer and educational consultant for Flight Ukuleles, and serves as a clinician for Peripole, one of the world’s best sources for materials and instruments for music educators.
Chris will teach a beginning baritone workshop, a tablet workshop with Charles Finch, four progressive beginner ukulele classes, an intermediate class on Saturday, a M.U.G. song, and Chris will be hosting a podcast on the history of THUG and the Carnival.
Chris’ Website: techinmusiced.com
Chris’ Facebook page
Chris’ UkeStuff YouTube channel
Chris’ ukeplayalongs YouTube channel
Dance Attic
Formed in 2014, Americana duo Dance Attic can charm the boots off even the most grizzly honky-tonker in town. Dressed in cowboy hats and colorful western wear, speed burning guitarist, Jimi Cooper and Accordion whiz, Suzi Ludwig, sing, smile, dance, and kazoo their way into the hearts and feet of their audience.
The pair perform a wide variety of music from clever rock covers of bands like the Cars and Blondie to the “(You name it) Polka.” Dance Attic has two albums of original music, a Christmas EP and a children’s book based on their song “Livin’ with a Bear”under its big, silver belt buckle.
Dance Attic released their debut album “Cabin Fever” in 2017. It’s available on iTunes, cdbaby.com and at live shows. Their second album “Livin’ for Today” was released in July 2020.
Dance Attic celebrated a double release of their Christmas EP “At Christmas Time” and their children’s book “Livin’ with a Bear” on November 28, 2020. The book is based on the song of the same name from the second album “Livin’ for Today.” (Illustrated by Jimi Cooper).
Dance Attic’s Website: danceatticmusic.com
Dance Attic’s Facebook page
Jimi’s YouTube channel
Tribute to Tawni VanVleet & Dan Norberg
Unfortunately, we have lost two of our longtime participants of the Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival since our 2025 SCIUC.
Tawni VanVleet has been camping at our event for many years and also was a featured SCIUC stage performer in recent years. She also participated in the open mic each year, often singing a John Prine song. Her wonderful voice and beautiful soul will truly be missed.
We met Dan Norberg at a ukulele festival in Apple Valley many years ago. Dan then started regularly attending SCIUC. He had his usual camping spot both at the old town hall and fairground locations. Dan loved to play instrumentals during open mic and expanded into vocals over the years. It was fun seeing Dan’s skills improve each year.
Tawni and Dan became our friends and will be remembered and missed by us. Rest in peace dear friends.
Dan Norberg's Gift to the 2026 Carnival
Dan Norberg’s wife, Julie, gave two of Dan’s baritone ukuleles to our friend Bill Devita. Julie agreed to donate them so they could be auctioned off at a silent auction and have the proceeds go to help fund the Carnival. I know that Dan would really love this! He’s the gift that keeps on giving!
Bill has taken some photos so you can see them ahead of the Carnival. The first ukulele is a Mainland baritone ukulele. It’s a full mahogany ukulele with an electronic pickup. It appears to be this model on the Mainland site. The second ukulele is a Klos baritone ukulele. It’s a full carbon fiber ukulele and has an electronic pickup in it, too.
Both ukuleles will be available on a silent auction at the 2026 Carnival. Thanks Dan and Julie for your generous donation!
A Brief History of the Carnival
The Carnival was first held in 2011 in the Silver Creek Town Hall. In 2016 the Carnival was moved to the Silver Creek Music Pavilion building. In 2022 we decided to move to our current location at the Lake County Fairgrounds, giving us much more room and expanded camping facilities.
We used to host the gospel music as part of a Sunday church service at Gooseberry Falls State Park, but outgrew the building. We now host a Sunday morning Gospel Strum at the main Carnival facility.
