The Island of Misfit Ukes

When I was a kid, there were shows and movies you could only see once a year and you’d better be sure to be near a TV when they came on. The movie I really looked forward to seeing was “The Wizard of Oz,” especially after we got a color TV that really let you see the difference between Kansas and Oz.

It was the golden age of animated Christmas specials. “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” “The Little Drummer Boy,” and “Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol” all premiered during the 1960s. Those were all great, and I especially liked the Grinch and Charlie Brown, but my favorite was the stop-motion animated “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” My favorite things about the special were the scenes involving the Island of Misfit Toys.

Hermey, an elf who doesn’t fit in because he wants to be a dentist, and Rudolph, who is excluded from the reindeer games because of his bright red, glowing nose, decide to travel together and end up at the Island of Misfit Toys. The island is a sanctuary for all the unwanted and “misfit” toys in the world until Santa can get them a home. The group includes toys like a bird that swims instead of flies and a train that has square wheels on his caboose. Even as a kid, the island didn’t seem like a sad place, but somewhere that anyone with uncommon interests and skills could live together without being ostracized and learn from each other. Not unlike a community ukulele group.

Getting together to play ukuleles and sing with sometimes over a dozen at the Moon Lake Library (where we are the house band) in Mentone, Alabama, feels like our own little island of the misfit toys.

I can’t think of any other reason that this group of people would have gotten together, other than the Ukes. We all have different backgrounds, diverse ages and musical skill levels. Even though we all like music, we can’t always agree on what songs to play or how to play the ones we agree on. But once we work through all the differences, we come up with something better than any single one of us could have done. In this world of online “communities” of people who never meet in person, we are all singing, playing, and becoming friends in the same room. I’m always saying that I finally met my people with the Mentone Ukes. Sometimes even misfits like me find a place to fit in.

The Mentone Ukes will hold practice sessions at the Moon Lake Library on December 20, January 3, 17, and 31 at 1 p.m. A free introduction to the ukulele is offered, and loaner ukuleles are available. Newcomers and beginners of all ages are welcome to attend! For more information, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and on our website, www.mentoneukes.com.

Strum and be happy!

BY HANK ALLEN