{"id":194400,"date":"2025-06-30T10:35:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T15:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=194400"},"modified":"2025-06-30T10:35:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T15:35:38","slug":"the-little-mermen-returning-to-van-wert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2025\/06\/30\/the-little-mermen-returning-to-van-wert\/","title":{"rendered":"The Little Mermen returning to Van Wert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Quincy Thompson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get ready, Van Wert. The Little Mermen & The Princess Pals are bringing the ultimate Disney-meets-rock concert to town, and it\u2019s anything but your typical tribute band. They return to the Feel Good Friday stage at 7:30 p.m. this Friday, July 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What started as a one-night charity show in New York has grown into a nationwide sensation. Frontman Alexis Babini launched the band after touring with Disney Channel artists, wondering why no one had turned Disney music into a full rock show. That first night? Sold out. The crowd? Electric. The audience? Included Disney music legend Alan Menken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group takes beloved Disney songs and transforms them with rock and pop flair. From Moana to Mary Poppins, each hit gets a high-energy remix. Crowd favorites like \u201cHawaiian Roller Coaster Ride\u201d turn into full-blown surf-rock jams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of those songs where everyone in the room is dancing and smiling,\u201d Babini said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show is a full spectacle. Princess performers in dazzling costumes, and nonstop audience interaction make it a feel-good celebration for all ages. Even the most hesitant parents end up dancing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNobody is too cool for this show,\u201d Babini said.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Celebrate Independence Day with The Little Merman at Fountain Park. Photos submitted<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Behind the scenes, the team amps up with stretches, jumping jacks, and a pep talk from lead performer Katie Emerson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe always gives us something inspirational that gets us in the zone,\u201d Babini said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The band has shared stages with Foreigner and Green Day, and hopes to bring its magic to Disney World soon. They\u2019re already working with Disney Theatrical and the Epcot team to make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fans can also expect something new this summer: original songs and special show moments that mix the band\u2019s indie rock roots with their Disney love. Babini, who co-wrote a Ford F-150 jingle voiced by Bryan Cranston, brings serious songwriting chops to the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what can Van Wert expect?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cBring your loudest voice, your biggest smile, and a little pixie dust,\u201d said Babini. \u201cThis is your night.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the concert, be sure to head out to the Van Wert High School parking lot to catch the fireworks, powered by the Van Wert County Foundation at 10 p.m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information and to purchase tickets to any upcoming Niswonger events, visit the Box Office from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, call 419.238-6722, or get your tickets 24\/7 at vanwertlive.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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The Little Mermen proved to be a big hit during their last appearance at Fountain Park. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Quincy Thompson Get ready, Van Wert. The Little Mermen & The Princess Pals are bringing the ultimate Disney-meets-rock concert to town, and it\u2019s anything but your typical tribute band. They return to the Feel Good Friday stage at 7:30 p.m. this Friday, July 4. What started as a one-night charity show in New York […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-194400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-21 08:05:19","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194400"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194404,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194400\/revisions\/194404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}