The Vibraslap...Yeah, You've Heard (Of...) It

"So, what's it called, again?"

"A vibraslap."

"A what?"

"A vibraslap."

"Why can't I ever remember that name?"

I've got a summer gig where I dress up as a turn-of-the-century salesman and get a crowd of amusement park patrons all excited for a rain storm. And one of the props we use is a vibraslap.

What's a vibraslap, you ask? Good question. A vibraslap is a percussion instrument consisting of a wooden chamber (with vibrating metal pieces inside...) connected by a wire to a wooden ball. When you strike the ball, the metal pieces vibrate and echo inside the chamber. I think everyone's heard the sound. It's kind of a cool sound, I think.

We use the vibraslap as a signal in our show. We choose a few of the audience members to help us bring the rain and when I hit the vibraslap, it signals each volunteer to do their thing. For some reason, we could never remember the name of it, though. Luckily my son did.

So, if you're watching the Rainmaker show this summer at Lagoon Amusement Park and we bring out the vibraslap, if you yell, "Hey! That's a vibraslap!" I'll make sure everyone gathered knows you know what you're talking about!