Trenton Native Returning Home For Fundraiser

by Diane Lowrey
R-T Editor
When Trenton native Jeff Binney takes the stage during Saturday night’s Green Hills Animal Shelter fundraiser, those who knew him from “way back when” will see the same ol’ Jeff….sort of.
Binney, a 2001 graduate of Trenton High School, has taken a new direction in a career that began as an actor and singer in New York City. Oh, he still sings and dances and performs on stage, but now he has added “hybrid documentary maker” to his resume.
After losing around 100 pounds of weight in an effort to improve his health, Binney is using that journey to film a documentary meant to both inform and tickle the funny bone. Working from his home in the San Francisco, CA, area, Binney’s documentary, “Once is Enough,” will tell about the trials and tribulations of being a “chubby ginger boy” and the steps he took to live a more healthy lifestyle.
“It all started when my mother (the late Deb Binney) was in the hospital in Kansas City and the doctor basically told me I needed to get my health ducks in a row,” Binney said. “So I looked around and decided maybe I could do running as a form of exercise.”
Running in small doses soon turned into running long distances, eventually getting to the point he found himself training and running an ultra-marathon. While having run several 50-mile races, training for a 100-mile race led to the idea of making the documentary.
“I’ve been doing a lot of writing now that I’m involved on the stand-up comedy side of things, so I decided what better way to tell about my journey than to do this documentary,” he said.
The race took place in August in Leadville, CO. It was a multi-day race, with runners given a certain amount of time each day to reach a destination or face elimination. For Binney, he made it 45 miles before having to drop out for being 15 minutes late to the check station.
“I was too late and they cut me off,” he said.
But coming up short in that race has failed to keep Binney from trying again. He is already looking forward to trying a second 100-mile run and is currently working with Ian Sharman, the “ultra-marathon guru” and winner of the Leadville race earlier this year. Right now, Binney said he is running about 70 miles a week.
“Those who knew me before all this have found this all to be pretty weird,” Binney said. “But I knew I needed to take care of myself and this is my way of doing it.”
As for the documentary, Binney said it will be about “half serious and half comedy.”
“I want people to know what it took to get me here and there are certainly a lot of funny things that happened along the way,” he said.
And it certainly wouldn’t be Binney if there wasn’t some humor included. Binney is currently doing stand-up comedy in the San Francisco area and has plans to tape a live comedy show in the Kansas City area next spring. He will be sharing his comedic talent during Saturday night’s program with some of the jokes he plans to share in the documentary making their debut in Trenton, along with the jokes he always tells about his “life on a pig farm.”
“Having grown up in rural Missouri on a pig farm always seems to bring a lot of laughs to people,” he said.
Binney is scheduled to perform a 15- to 20-minute set as part of the animal shelter fundraiser on Saturday night at the Trenton High School Commons. A chili supper, featuring six types of chili, will be served beginning at 6 p.m. with entertainment to start around 7 p.m. Binney’s show will be preceded by local comedians sharing their talents. Persons interested in participating are asked to sign up on Saturday night at the high school prior to the show.
The cost for the meal and show is $8, with all proceeds going to the animal shelter to help with operating costs. Takeout meals are also available for $5.