Review of the March 24, 2008 performance of the "Kidsinger Jim & Friends" show.

By Ann Evankovich

Fifty young cowhands gathered in McNamara’s Barn in Bowie last Monday, taking advantage of the school holiday to enjoy the debut of the Kidsinger Jim & Friends Show. Children from the North and South Bowie’s Moms Club and other Kidsinger Jim fans gathered onto rows of hay bales for a variety show including juggling, puppetry, balloon bending and giggle-inspiring clownish antics followed by a concert of silly and motivational kids’ songs.

“I like that he interacts with the kids a lot,” long time Kidsinger Jim fan, Michelle Hines of Millersville, said of why she has been bringing her daycare charges to his shows for twelve years. “The songs are about bugs and stickers and things kids like.”

Hines and her 19 month old client, Lillian Burton of Gambrills, have enjoyed Kidsinger Jim at the Annapolis Mall Kids Club, one of his regular performance locations. “It’s not the kind of music that gets on adults nerves, and the kids love it,” Hines added.

The performance at McNamara’s Barn was the first performance where Jim Hossick of Bowie pulled together other professional children’s entertainers for the Kidsinger Jim & Friends Show including “Guitar Greg” May, Nick “Nicolo Whimsey” Newlin, Zujey “Drummer Z” DeJesus, and special guest “Magic Joe” Oleszczuk. Wendy Gigglesmith operated the eccentric collection of farm animal puppets from behind the barnyard stage.

The team of entertainers alternated between singing, slapstick, and showmanship as they inspired children with songs like “Eat Your Veggies” and “Get Outside and Play.” Farmer Nick told the story of Yimmee Gimmee using juggling to inspire sharing. Magic Joe delighted the crowd with his 18 years of balloon bending experience, creating a latex antenna hat with 13 channel reception. Guitar Greg pulled eager volunteers to be lassoed by his roping tricks.

Eight year old aspiring artist, Camila Izquierdo of Bowie shared the stage with Emma Bigony, also eight, to try their hands at plate spinning amid a flurry of juggling pins.

“I was nervous because I felt like it was shocking across me,” Emma giggled of her plate spinning debut. She has been a Kidsinger Jim fan since she heard his performance at a St. Pius Elementary incentive assembly.

Guitar Greg, in his patchwork jeans and flaming bowling shoes, opened the concert portion of the show with a Kidsinger Jim classic, “Let Kids be Kids”, which was exactly the purpose of the Kiddie Korral dance floor. Pint-sized dancers cut loose amid the hay bales with the freestyle dancing enthusiasm of childhood. The explosion of confetti over the dancers filled the rafters of McNamara’s Barn with squeals of delight as children danced to “Catnapper”, “Daddy Longlegs”, and “Zoo in My Room.”

Five year old Noah Mrotek of Bowie cut loose on the dance floor in his finest cowboy duds and flashing sneakers with a charming combination of two-step and break dancing. “I learned to dance from Alvin and the Chipmunks,” he explained of his uninhibited style.

Guitar Greg’s years of experience with the Ringling Brothers Circus loomed larger than life when he joined the children on the dance floor on towering stilts. The skyscraping, guitar playing clown allowed the tiny dancers to run under his tall legs in a London Bridge style loop before he returned to the stage to finish the concert.

The entertainers’ affection for their young fans was apparent in their personal interactions with the children after the show. Little ones couldn’t contain their curiosity about the stilts, wanted to see the puppets, or press an accordion key. Kidsinger Jim and Friends got down to eye level, listening and answering questions with sincerity.

To view pictures and hear musical samples of Kidsinger Jim & Friends, or to discover his POSITIVE-ly fun concert schedule or book a concert that’s sure to be a hit, visit his website at www.KidsingerJim.com.

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