Commentary: Valley Ukulele Society plays weekly in Folsom

On Tuesday morning last week, I entered the Community Center on 52 Natoma Street and heard the most pleasant sound flowing out from the large meeting room there. The music was soft and lilting as 50 people played ukeleles in unison. The tune was Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore." Welcome to the Valley Ukulele Society, meeting every Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. As its webpage declares, "All skill levels are welcome." Elsewhere on the page they assert, "We are a robust community of singers and ukulele players who wish to share the joy of live music in the Folsom area." As part of my work at RC Hospice, I was visiting a lady who, with her husband, is a member of this group, and he invited me to check it out. No need to ask me twice. Some of the other songs I heard included "8 Days a Week," "In My Life," "Put On a Happy Face," "Don't Worry Be Happy" and "When Will I Be Loved?" I met Charlie Zychalski, director of the VUS. He's been part of the group for 13 years, though not always as the director. He said, "It's a blast," and I believe him. Charlie also humbly added, "I'm not a musician, but I love music." That seems to be the primary requisite for this fun group. The VUS has a Facebook page and a website. On the website, they post a cumulative list of the songs that will be played each week. There are currently more than 700 songs. Each Tuesday, the playlist is up to 25 songs. At the gathering, certain ones in the group came up and led the song or songs they submitted for everyone to play together. The society plays at various functions, for free. This includes the Christmas tree lighting at the Folsom Zoo, and song events at senior homes and memory care units. One of the last things Charlie told me was, "I love being a part of this." It shows, as it did with the entire group. Even if you don't know how to play, it is an easygoing group that provides a place to learn. I play the harmonica. I play the guitar. And, after Tuesday, I went by Nicholson's and also went online to Amazon to search for ukuleles. I think I want to try to play the ukulele. Tom Rupp is a Folsom resident and weekly Telegraph columnist. You can reach him at truppfolsom@yahoo.com.