News : Legendary Day for Maple Unit; area residents attend potluck, celebration

Maple 4 members hold their unusual trophy after winning a uniquely AmeriCorps contest.

'Hey Jody:' Maple Unit members sing a tribute to campus director Jody Burns (seated).

Jody Burns takes photos of AmeriCorps Maple Unit members as they sing.

Mike Kamer speaks during the Legendary Day event; he helped organize the first potluck.

Sarah Gould of Michigan discusses the time capsule created for the next Americorps members.

Each team in Maple Unit sang of the places they've been.

Two songs were the highlight of the Legacy Day event.

Maple 4 gathered around Jody Burns to sing a tribute to her and AmeriCorps.

Unique trophies were handed out..

Dozens of 20-somethings chose a couple of 40-something-year-old songs as a way to review their time in Vinton and to say thanks to their leader during the AmeriCorps Maple Unit Legendary Day dinner Saturday night.

Following a potluck attended by several Vinton residents and all the Maple team leaders and members, the unit members gathered around a guitar.

First they sang a re-written version of “I’ve Been Everywhere.” The song – originally made popular in 1962 – includes these words in the AmeriCorps version:

“I’ve been toting my red bag ‘cross Highway 218

When I saw the smallest town I ever had seen…”

During this song each of the seven Maple unit teams listed the names of the cities where they have traveled over the past several months.

Then the members sang, “Hey Jody,” a remake of the Beatles “Hey, Jude,” from 1968. That song included a humorous reference to the AmeriCorps uniform (Put it on and tuck it in) as well as some serious words for thanks for their leader.

There was also a humorous trophy presentation for the contest the teams had held today. They did a sort of AmeriCorps Olympics, repeating things familiar to the life of an AmeriCorps members, such as a frozen pizza toss and a red bag handling contest. Maple 4 won first place and received a bizarre homemade trophy, as did the other top teams.

Mike Kamer of Long Island, NY, helped organize the gathering. He said the governance council made up of members from each unit planned the potluck and the other Legendary Day events. He also introduced the songs and presented the trophies.

Saturday’s event took place in the gym of the Iowa Braille School, where the Maple unit members had arrived on on May 5, 2010, to begin their training. They graduate next Thursday, Feb. 3, at the VS High School, at 6:30 p.m.