Photos by Elizabeth Connolly
Mr. Vinny told enthusiastic tales using shadow puppets
by Elizabeth Connolly
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Mr. Vinny, a.k.a. Vinny Lovegrove, performed a delightful shadow puppet show for a big crowd at Walpole Public Library (WPL) recently. The show, geared towards ages 3-9, was about 45 minutes long and included three interactive stories, as well as some fun guessing games and a lot of laughs.
Lovegrove used an overhead projector - yes, the same as the ones you may remember from grade school - as well as an impressive assortment of handmade cutouts, to tell some silly tales like “The 12 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Pineapple”. The audience was invited to participate quite a bit, and participate they did! The children enthusiastically shouted out answers and sang and clapped along when asked.
“I’ve been doing this about 30 years,” said Lovegrove, referring to children’s entertainment. “I actually got my start in puppet making. But probably best known is the Toe Jam Puppet Band”. This very popular musical variety show, comprised of Lovegrove and co-founder Tom Poitras, as well as the occasional special guest, have been entertaining local families for over two decades. In fact, they celebrated their 25th anniversary with two free shows at the New Bedford Whaling Museum on July 10th. The duo perform dozens of times a year across New England, including a show just a few month’s back at WPL, so it’s amazing that Mr. Vinny also has time for both his shadow puppet show and his popular “Bubble Guy” act, in which he entertains children using giant bubble wands he designed himself.
“That was fun. The kids couldn’t stop laughing. And it got them off their devices for a whole hour!” one audience member quipped as she was rounding up her children after the event.
This program was generously sponsored by the Friends of the WPL. The library offers an array of interesting events for all ages, you can find them on the events calendar at www.WalpoleLibrary.org
