News : Party in the Park to celebrate local heroes, recycled music

The theme of PIP 2012: Honoring local heroes.

Vocal Trash will perform for the Saturday night Party in the Park crowd, before the fireworks.

Local people who made something good happen from the recent challenges in Vinton (particularly the July 11, 2011 windstorm) and a band who uses recycled instruments will be among the features of this year's Vinton Party in the Park.

The theme for the June 21-23 event is "Celebrating a Community of Heroes."

"It's not about one particular person or organization, said VPRD Director Duane Randall during the PIP Committee meeting Thursday. "It's about everyone who did something to help others." This year's event, he said, will also be a celebration of the progress Vinton has made in recovering from that storm.

Soon the committee will begin accepting nominations for honorees, although how those people will be honored remains to be decided.

This year's event comes as early as possible, June 21-23. It always occurs on the last full weekend (counting Sunday) in June, said Randall.

Organizers are still working on finalizing the Thursday evening entertainment that follows the Kiddie Parade. Friday's entertainment will be the DooWops, an eastern Iowa group that sings a variety of songs from the 1950s and 60s.

Saturday's main attraction will be the group Vocal Trash. The Texas-based groups uses a variety of recycled instruments and other devices to create a unique sound. They have performed at many regional events, including the Iowa State Fair.

Below is the official biography of Vocal Trash:

Utilizing music and dance, the universal languages, Vocal Trash crosses all cultural barriers with exciting awareness of all things positive, specifically saving our planet.

Texas based Vocal Trash has been performing for audiences for over a decade from New York to Seattle, Las Vegas to Puerto Rico. Whether it be Madison Square Garden or The Venetian-Las Vegas, Vocal Trash continues to electrify young and old with their tight a cappella harmonies, industrial style drumming, and award winning break-dancing.

Vocal Trash has been recycling for over a decade and incorporating upcycling and recycling into every show way before “green” was cool. Part street performers, part recycling gurus, these seven members make reuse fun for kids of all ages.

While Vocal Trash may not be a house-hold name just yet, owners Steve Linder and Kelsey Rae, consider themselves quite lucky to be spreading the good word to so many people. This “Broadway style” stage show, travels coast to coast, appearing at some of the country’s largest festivals, state fairs and theaters. During their “off-season” they perform for major corporations like American Airlines. Some of their song lyrics even incorporate earth-saving lyrics, like “If you recycle you can be my friend” and “I just wanna bang on a can all day.”

So what does recycling have to do with a high energy variety show? Well, it starts with seven dedicated members who sing, drum, dance, and play various instruments. Though extensively trained in the performing arts, these entertainers are becoming more and more sought after based on their propensity for coloring outside the lines. Playing car parts, trash cans, lids, water bottles, barrels, pots, pans, buckets and brooms has established this “green team” a niche in a highly competitive market. Even their “regular” instruments are one of a kind originals constructed from recycled materials – guitar = gas can; up-right bass = milk urn; PVC pipe = “Xylo-drums.”

The goal of Vocal Trash is to entertain, create awareness, and incorporate recycling into all parts of our daily lives, for example, giving new life to non-degradable objects. “We don’t expect everyone to go searching through their local landfills for instruments”, quips Kelsey. “No, Steve adds, “We simply want people to be aware of what they purchase and what might be the final destination of that particular product.”

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