'Christmas Caper' Saturday in Library

“Barty Smarty” returns to the Barrington library on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 15. Expect the same "hilarious interactive musical holiday happening" as last year.

John Gambino of Barrington is “Barty Smarty” -- it's a name he borrowed from a make-believe movie dreamed up by him and his brother when they were kids.

He returns with his “Barty Smarty’s Christmas Caper” at 2 pm in the auditorium.

“I’m trying to create a cultural event for kids that adults will enjoy as well,” said Gambino. “There will be something for everybody.”

Gambino describes the show as building on a foundation of old Christmas songs, animations and TV specials from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. The video will be projected on the big screen in the auditorium.

Gambino promises that there will be some new surprises this year as well. You'll have to see the show to find out just what they are.

He also will be selling "official button sets," he said. And there will be free Barty Smarty stickers available.

"We also now have a Facebook page," Gambino said. Click here.

Gambino said he will do his share of singing and dancing in the aisles as well and he will ask people to sing along to his versions of Christmas tunes. Other crooners will include Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole.

“There will be a lot of audience participation,” he said.

The show grew out of Gambino’s preference for creating CDs of Christmas music to send out instead of Christmas cards. His daughter, a first-grader now, inspired him to put together the Christmas show with holiday art work she created as a kindergartener.

Gambino holds a degree from Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts. An illustrator, he draws cartoons when he isn’t working in the Rhode Island School of Design library.

“It's definitely a different way to present Christmas music,” he said.

See the video to get a tiny taste of "Barty Smarty."