“Who wants to be in my band?” Mr. Stinky Feet asked a crowd of what turned out to be many novice musicians.

Youngsters played shakers, tamborines and drums as the family friendly singer/songwriter, also known as Jim Cosgrove, strummed on his guitar and sang. Cosgrove even got some of the adults to come up on stage and dance. 

“What’s the best way to lead?” he asked. “That’s right, by example,” he said before the adults got boogieing. 

Mr. Stinky Feet, now in his thid year performing at Summerfest 2009, is always a hit. He drew more than 1,400 people into the library on July 8. Performances were so packed library staff had to turn some people away. (Watch the videos above to see the show if you missed it.)

This year as the performances let out, families could be heard saying “I love the way he encourages the family to get involved” and ‘my kids just love him.”

What’s not to love? Original songs like “Ooey Gooey,” “Slug Bug,” “Rockin’ the Library” and “Library Ann” received loud applause. His performance was high-energy. It is clear Cosgrove loves what he does and is fueled by a passion to make kids laugh and sing.

His music is a family affair. Cosgrove tours with his wife and two children. They live in Shawnee, KS and tour around the country. 

Read more about Cosgrove (aka Mr. Stinky Feet) and see CDs he has for sale at www.jimcosgrove.com.

See more photos from Mr. Stinky Feet’s performance on our Flickr page. Click the Summerfest 2009 set to see all the photos from this summer’s activities at the library.