Erick Traplin didn’t set out to become a children’s entertainer.

It was 1989, and Traplin had decided he wanted to turn his love for singing and playing guitar into a career.

He joined a musician’s union, and figured he’d spend some late nights and early mornings playing the pub circuit.

Soon enough, his phone rang with an offer for his first gig — a children’s show in Walkerton.

“I said ‘Sure, I’ll do it.’ You don’t get anywhere by saying no.”

Traplin dutifully played the show. And loved every minute.

“I had a great time. I realized I really loved doing this.”

With his signature red suspenders, bubble machines and singalong songs, the 75-year-old Traplin has been bringing smiles to faces young and old for more than 35 years.

But on Sunday, the biggest smile in Kitchener’s Carl Zeh

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