Monday, June 6, 2011

April Highlights

Two notable events in April...

I performed at a men's invitational golf tournament at an exclusive north Scottsdale country club, and now the men's locker room has a card on the ceiling!  The event went well, I loved performing for the creme de la creme crowd of gentlemen, and at the end of the evening my host said there were a few guys in the locker room who wanted to see me.  I went in and started my stuff, but these guys didn't want the BS presentation, and at several points they would burn my hands and tell me to cut the crap.  They were "busting my chops" so to speak.  Finally, the oldest gent challenges me to "put a card on the ceiling!"
My host / boss gave me the OK and I went for it.  It was a steep vaulted ceiling, about 20 feet high. He signed a card, shuffled it back in the deck, and after I banded the pack, he says, "Now you need a thumb tack!"  I said that was the old fashioned way and now we just use magic... I stepped back and gave the deck a good toss... Bamm!  The card stayed!  And I caught the deck on its descent in a fancy step.  The old guy at the table went nuts, banging on the table with both fists and squealing in delight like a school boy.  As if this wasn't enough, I borrowed a c-note, he signed it, and it disappeared!  Then I finished with the cups and balls and produced 4 lemons... he picked one... we cut it open and inside was the signed bill!  The guys went wild and the best part... the boss was there to see the whole set!  It was a great way to end a good night of work!

Another unique, beautiful party in April, during the full moon weekend, was a 125th Birthday Party at the El Churro restaurant on Lincoln, outside on the east patio.  The lady who hired me was turning 75 and her son was turning 50, so they were doing a combined 125th!  I love it when people think of fun ways to celebrate.  About 75 people, family and friends, and I filled the tables with lots of magic.  The kids were following me around through the evening adding to the fun.  Everyone seemed to have a great time.  It was a very fine occasion on a beautiful, moonlit desert, April evening!

 

Monday, April 4, 2011

Tempe Fun!

Tempe Festival has come and gone and the dust settled.  It was a weekend full of shows and great weather, sunny and high in the mid 70s.  Looking south all weekend burned my eyes and by Sunday evening, all was hazy.  The crowds were there, easy to gather, but they were tight on the cash, which made for some interesting commentary during my hat pitches.  I'm basically encouraging people to get back to using cash.  Passing the hat for people with little cash requires a big sense of humor and the ability to not judge by appearances.  I was surprised when I counted later to find the crowds to be more generous than I thought.  Friday was tough, Saturday was better, and Sunday was good.  Overall it was a great festival!  And fun to share the streets with fellow buskers Dana Smith, Hillbilly Willy, and the Taylor family.

Good to see some friends out having fun... Michele P., Mike F., Les D. and Mike the photographers, Terry, Eileen S., Becky, Dave and Lani D.,  Jill and George G., Craig E., artists Rick and Sally, Paul Sloan, Sister Pat, Rita, Andy, Ora, and Gabe.  Thanks to all for coming by.  Big thanks to the festival staff, Philip, Kate, and Karen for another great festival!
One story... on Sunday morning, I got an early call from Marty L. asking what time I would be there?  I set up at 10:45 am and Marty and Kris showed up at 11 with a video camera to capture the first show, so the pressure was on... ready or not!  What a great way to start the day and thankfully, it turned out to be a pretty good set!  Thanks Marty and Kris for being there and supporting the show!


Many thanks to my best friend and fan, my beautiful wife Sweet D who came out on Sunday and lit up the shows with her smiles.  She also recorded some video and maybe we can post some of it here?  Check back soon!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Spring Festivals

March is the month for Arizona festivals!  Two weeks ago I worked the Scottsdale Arts Festival and we were blessed with great crowds and perfect weather.  Thanks to everyone at the Scottsdale Center for Arts, especially Abbey, for another great festival this year!  
Coming up this weekend, I'd like to invite everyone out to the Tempe Arts Festival, March 25-27, 12-5pm daily.  The festival runs along Mill Avenue which is closed to traffic and I'll be performing around 7th St. and Mill.  Look for a crowd of people around a little guy in a white hat... squeeze in and watch closely.... and join in the fun!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Mardi Gras!

Fat Tuesday was a fun day of nice work!  I started the day with a lunch time show for a group of retired airline pilots who have invited me back every March for the past 7 years.  A real friendly time and a few new tricks to keep them happy including the magnetic cards, flash cash, and bill in lemon.  At sunset, I drove up in the high hills of north Scottsdale for a 2 hour casino night for the rich and beautiful.  It was a great time of magic fun with my ideal audience!

Monday, March 7, 2011

First Blog Post!

Welcome to Magic Fun!

We hope to share stories, pictures, videos,
news and information that will inspire you to
invite Shawn to your next event!

Please visit idealmagic.com for more information.
Or call now, 602-404-7644 to discuss your event.

We hope to hear from you soon.  Thank you!