Neighborhood Talent Show

The Tilton-Barrys of Salt Lake City, Utah

DeAnn, Mike, and Cruise, age 6
Participants: 8 families; kids ages 18 months to 18 years

This annual showbiz extravaganza is the hottest ticket in the Tilton-Barrys' neck of the woods. Last year, a second grader's pots-and-pans percussion performance was pure cacophonous delight, but the act that brought down the house was a third-grader playing violin — while hula hooping.

The neighbors reveal their hidden gifts on the Tilton-Barrys' back deck to a cheering audience spread across the lawn. DeAnn explains,"At first, people say, 'Oh, I don't have a talent.' But they really do. We keep saying, 'Who knew?'?"

Talents displayed have included playing African drums, jumping rope, licking one's own elbow, belting out a song from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (that from the ordinarily shy Cruise), and busting out the old tie-dyed T-shirt and playing blues guitar (Mike).

"I wanted to get to know our community," DeAnn says about the original purpose of the show. "I wanted our son to be able to run freely around the neighborhood, to know the kids and the parents, and now he does. We all do."

Planning Tips

Send an invitation ahead of time so that folks have a chance, as DeAnn puts it, "to marinate the idea." List examples of the types of acts they could perform, and ask everyone to bring a potluck dish to share and a blanket to sit on.

Break the ice with an activity. Along with the potluck, face-painting is a huge hit at the Tilton-Barrys' event and gives the whole gathering a fun, carnival-like feeling.

Designate an MC for the show who will introduce acts from a sign-up sheet circulated beforehand. But also leave plenty of time for impromptu performances (of which there will probably be many).