Providing a spoonful of wisdom in Lynn

LYNN – Behind Jim Cruise?s clattering spoons and happy-guy dancing is a serious message intended to steer children away from drug use and into school and home life.?Say no to drugs, listen to your teachers and mind your parents. If you can do these three things, anything is possible in life,” Cruise shouted between spoon performances Wednesday at the Lynn Public Library.The Michigan resident said he has played the spoons for a living for 27 years, crisscrossing the country to perform for children and their parents. He learned spoon-playing from his grandfathers and gradually mixed in his anti-drug and pro-education message during performances.?It?s amazing what kids retain,” Cruise said.His hour-long show draws one of the biggest audiences the North Common Street library sees during the summer when its staff hosts youth-oriented activities through the end of August.?He is always popular,” said children?s librarian Susan Cronin.Rounded off with the ice cream social at City Hall on Aug. 25, the library summer program features story times, performers and displays, including the 43-foot Whalemobile scheduled to inflate inside the library reading room on Aug. 19 at 10:30 a.m.?We try to do as much as we can at the library. There is a lot of variety,” said Lisa Terrien.The Lynn resident brought her son, Matthew, 9, and daughters, Emily, 12, and Sara, 5, to Cruise?s show, where the children delighted in extending their palms to create impromptu drums for Cruise to play on.Terrien said the free library events along with outdoor activities and trips to see the Navigators play help divide up sometimes-long summer daysLauren Morris of Lynn brought daughters, Lyla, 6, and Eva, 4, to see and hear “Spoon Man” and ranked Cruise among the library?s best performers. She said the library staff?s decision to schedule reading hours and performances earlier in the day gives parents an option to get a summer with the kids off to a good start.Cruise wishes he had been alive 100 years ago to dance across a stage as a vaudeville performer, but he said Spoon Man shows have allowed him to raise a family and pay a mortgage.?This is actually what I do for a living,” he said.Cronin said the library also offers USS Constitution passes, Legoland Adventures vouchers and prizes for children ages 3 to 10 who complete summer reading requirements due on Aug. 14.August library activities in addition to the Whalemobile include Curious Creatures on August 11 at 11 a.m. and weekly story times.