August 17, 2005
Spoon Man cutlery cut up
Summer library program ends on utensil high note
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Got spooned recently?
More than 100 children and adults did Saturday morning during the final Summer Stories and Songs program for the season at the Traverse Area District Library.
Jim Cruise, also known as the Spoon Man, held court for 45 minutes with his unique brand of cutlery entertainment that had attendees singing and laughing throughout. Launching with Glenn Miller's classic "In the Mood," Cruise also spooned to Cab Calloway - leading the audience in a sing-along competition - a heavy metal song and rap. He also chose three audience members for a Hillbilly Band, put wigs on their heads and instruments in their hands and led them in accompanying "Rocky Top."
"What I use are two ordinary household spoons, use them as a rhythm instrument or a percussion instrument," said Cruise, whose high speed playing was a blur of sight and sound.
Cruise raided his mother's silverware drawer at age 9 when his desire for a drum set was deep sixed by his parents. He saw his grandpa playing the spoons, grabbed a pair of his own and the rest is history. Nowadays, Cruise averages four shows a week and travels all over the United States, performing at schools, libraries, fairs, festivals, colleges and even for corporate clients. He also has a website, fan club and instructional DVD to promote this old-time instrument.
"I'm married, have five children and a mortgage and I support my family by playing the spoons," he told the crowd.
Speaking to the children, he wove an educational message into the performance: stay off of drugs, stay in school and obey their parents.
"Anything is possible if you follow these three secrets," Cruise declared.
Cruise's performance rounded out a summer of Saturday morning performances that included members of the Archipelago project, a magician, a harpist, a puppeteer and folk singer Josh White, Jr.
The program also served the ending celebration for participants in the library's Summer Reading Program, making it a combined last hurrah for these two popular summer mainstays. Reading club participants gathered Saturday morning before Cruise's show for a party recognizing their accomplishments and celebrating reading, leaving with a host of coupons to area attractions such as the Music House Museum and the Dennos Museum.
This year's reading club had a theme of Dragons, Dreams & Daring Deeds and drew 430 participants. During the eight-week club, readers gave a total of 1,560 oral reports to children's librarians or volunteers. They described one or two books they had read that week and received a nominal gift in return.
"It is fabulous and you get such a range, from barely able to tell you a word to just expounding on the entire story," said Bernadette Groppuso, youth services coordinator. "And it's not always related to age."
"Children don't have that many opportunities to talk in a situation where someone is totally listening to them and has no other priority at the moment except listen to what they have to say," she continued "That is really a thrill, to be able to listen to that."
With three children participating in this year's club, Dana Burley appreciated the excitement it generated around reading.
"It was very motivating to them," she said.