February 20th marked the 100th anniversary of the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE),the event that first brought uke mania to the mainland. To honor the occasion, San Francisco hosted a Uke-a-Thon on February 21, 2015 at the Palace of Fine Arts.
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Our photographer Erin Conger was there to capture all the fun.
Panama-Pacific International Exposition 2015 Poster
Julie Ratner, with daughter Ellianah
The Uke-a-Thon took place in and around the Palace of Fine Arts rotunda in San Francisco, the site of the 1915 PPIE
Traditional Hawaiian dancers
Members of Mad Mama and the Bona Fide Few play a song with some slide.
Dale Evje, uke enthusiast, shows off the hat she made
Newbie John Gardiner strums away
3/4 of the Old Broads uke quartet
Vanessa plays in the uke ensemble Friends of Sweet Donna
No one is too young to be a uke lover.jpg
San Francisco-based uker Erich Sylvesterplays a tune
Joe Sloan plays a tune
Passing by Mad Mama, who called out her chords as she played, Jex Nguyen strummed along.
Calum Grant, with son Erickson
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