A little about my interest in magic...
My story, like many others, starts at a very young age. When I was seven years old, my family took a vacation to Sea World in Orlando, Florida. While we were there, I was to see my first real magic show. Excited, I waiting in line for over 2 hours to get good seats as they were unassigned. My patience paid off and I was rewarded with front row seats. The magician stepped onto the stage and began his performance.
"A Kaleidascope of Wonderous Novelties, Cosmic Mysteries and Legerdemain! The Wonder Cure Medicine Co. presents Doctor H.P. Lovecraft and his Magical Medicine Show!"
I was entranced. He took us on a grand adventure and touted his "Epicurian Wonder Tonic Rejuvanator and Magic Elixir" the whole time while never actually selling any. And then, in the middle of all the amazing sights, he needed an assistant. I was selected and went on-stage to assist with a classic of magic, the Cut and Restored Rope. After the illusion was finished, the magician gave me the remainder of the rope and a bottle of his magic elixir (filled with all natural ingredients... AIR!). My dad, who knew a bit about magic, showed me how it was done that night and also showed me my very first card trick. The next day, I begged my parents to take me to a local magic shop in Florida and a nice magician there helped me select a beginner's Blackstone magic set and a few simple, but deceiving close-up tricks to get me started.
I spent the next fifteen or so years studying close-up magic. I found that my local library had some books on magic. I checked every single one of them out multiple times. The nearest magic shop was hundreds of miles away as was the nearest magic club and there was no Internet. Instead, I read and read and read. I performed as much as possible and every time we took a vacation I had to go to the nearest magic shop. My parents must have sat through hundreds and hundreds of my "shows" and were always very supportive and encouraged my interest.
In college, I met and married my sweetheart. With her love and support, I expanded my abilities in magic to include stage and gospel presentations. I would soon begin to perform magic as a part-time professional.
And now, it is more than 25 years from that first experience. In that time, I've had the privilege of working with many wonderful magicians. I still have a small piece of the original rope used in Dr. Lovecraft's performance and my favorite card trick will always be the one my father taught me so many years ago. Those classics works on magic that I used to check out and pour over now sit in a library of my own. We have been blessed with children and I hope to share my love of magic with them.
It is my desire to take audiences on a wonderful journey, if only for a moment, to see how magical the world truly can be. And maybe, just maybe, I'll have the honor of one day helping a child to see that dreams really do come true... and later, I'll get to watch their performances with wonder in my heart.
