by Elizabeth Connolly
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Mr. Vinny, a.k.a. Vinny Lovegrove, performed a delightful shadow puppet show for a big crowd at Dover Town Library (DTL) last Wednesday, May 3. 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 - 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 from time to time, 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, have been entertaining local families since 2002. The duo perform dozens of times a year across New England, so it’s impressive 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.
You can find a list of upcoming library events on the library’s website: dovertownlibrary.org.
