Toronto: Now You See Me (from a distance)

From the August 27th Facebook post by Chris Mayhew:

It seems like forever since I was last on a stage performing. I haven’t performed live magic or zoom magic since the pandemic hit. But I’m finally ready to get back on the performance horse and play around on stage with my friends ☺️ This will be interesting to see how the energy of a social distanced live performance feels. Grab your tickets and I’ll see you at the show folks!!

It seems like forever since I was last on a stage performing. I haven’t performed live magic or zoom magic since the...

Posted by Chris Mayhew on Tuesday, 25 August 2020

Top 5 posts in August 2020

 There were 20 posts at Canada's Magic last month.  Here are the 5 most viewed posts in the past 30 days:

5. Broken wand: Paul Wildbaum - Our thoughts are with Paul's family and friends at this time.

4. Clinton Gray on Penn and Teller's "Fool Us" - Congratulations Clinton!

3. First magic performance in Canada? - Well, in what is now considered to be Canada.

2. Did you know that Harry Potter performed in Canada in 1858? - Canadian magic trivia brought to you by a US transplant.

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1. "Illusions: The Art of Magic" in Apollo Magazine  - A fabulous exhibit at the AGO.  Visit if you can.

Carisa Hendrix: 2019 AMA Stage Magician of the Year

Congratulations to Carisa Hendrix (Lucy Darling) for winning the AMA 2019 Stage Magician of the Year award!

Congratulations also to all of the other nominees and winners! Keep up the great work everyone!

Congratulations to @CarisaHendrix (Lucy Darling) for winning @MagicCastle_AMA 2019 Stage Magician of the Year!

Congratulations also to all of the other nominees! Keep up the great work everyone! pic.twitter.com/wdpLLYlQn3

— Canada's Magic (@canadasmagic) August 24, 2020

Magician attacked by squirrel

Another curious find by Lee Asher, published on Twitter on August 13th:

So #Magic #playingcard legend Derek Dingle got into a fight with a #Torontonian Squirrel ... and lost. #VisciouslyBitten I mean if it was a #beaver, I'd understand. But a #squirrel???

So #Magic #playingcard legend Derek Dingle got into a fight with a #Torontonian Squirrel ... and lost. #VisciouslyBitten

I mean if it was a #beaver, I'd understand. But a #squirrel???

Hey @TOMentalist ... perhaps you could shed some light on this? 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/tUrMvckeCP

— Lee Asher (@LeeAsherMagic) August 13, 2020

Carisa Hendrix nominated for AMA Stage Magician of the Year (virtual awards presented August 23rd)

Congratulations on your nomination Carisa!

 

From the August 20th post on the Magic Castle Facebook page:

Votes are in! Who will win???

Tune in to find out Sunday, August 23rd, at 7pm PT, for the AMA AWARDS Virtual Experience! You don't wanna miss #MAGIC's big night! Mark your calendars, set your alarms, and spread the word. It's free! All are welcome to this family-friendly celebration of magic. No password or special software needed. Winners, surprises, and more! ✨🏰🏆

www.magiccastle.com/awards

Former RCAF officer is Christchurch's Official Wizard

From the August 10th article "This man gets paid US$10,000 a year to be a city's official wizard" by Julia Hollingsworth in CTV News:

For decades, the city has had an official wizard. Born in the United Kingdom, Ian Brackenbury Channell settled in New Zealand in the 1970s, where he became known as The Wizard. As if to reinforce how serious he is, he even held a New Zealand driver's license issued to The Wizard, although he says he hasn't officially changed his name.

Over the years, he became a fixture in the city. On the paved square in front of Christchurch's cathedral, he pontificated on his life theories, wore wizard robes and became such a well-known figure that he earned himself a TripAdvisor rating (four out of five stars). Since 1998, he's been paid 16,000 New Zealand dollars (US$10,400) annually by the Christchurch City Council for "wizardry."

Read more.

ICYMI: "Magic Camp," the movie inspired by Magic Mike Segal

ICYMI, last week Disney released the movie "Magic Camp" which was inspired by Mike Segal's brainchild, Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp.  The first iteration was written by Mike's brother-in-law.  Mike did consulting (as did Justin Willman) for this project which was 17 years in the making!

I don't have access to Disney Plus so I haven't seen it yet.  If you have, I'd love to hear your review!

 

Last night I watched Magic Camp on Disney+ and I have to be honest.

It’s easily one of the BEST representations of magic in a movie I have ever seen. It’s true and honest and will EASILY inspire thousands and thousands of future magicians!
Bravo Disney!

— Daniel Garcia (@garciamagic) August 15, 2020