Canada's Magic

16 December 2024

2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase summary

This concludes the 2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase (ICMS)!

We hope you enjoyed reading about many of the talented magicians across the country. Thank you for joining us on the journey.

A huge shout out to everyone who submitted names and supporting text to us last month. Thank you for generously making the time to celebrate your peers!

We couldn't have done this without the help of:

Thank you for the thought and time involved in sending us your submissions.

Congratulations again to everyone featured. Keep up the great work!

Be sure to click on the links below to find out what makes each magician inspirational in their own right. The story isn't just about who was selected. Of equal, or perhaps greater importance, is why they were selected!


Review the submissions for the 2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase: Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Julie Eng Ken McCreedy Lon Mandrake Marc Trudel Matt Johnson Ryan Michael Scott McClelland Sean Watson Steve Valentine Tabraze Sheikh

15 December 2024

[Guest post] Remembering The Amazing Kreskin

The following is a guest post from an author who wishes to be known as The Magic Demon.

--

Remembering The Amazing Kreskin
by the Magic Demon
Exclusive to Canada's Magic

The legendary American mentalist The Amazing Kreskin has died, age 89.

To multiple generations of fans he WAS mentalism.

He had a strong Canadian connection.

Many of us will recall his late 1970s TV series taped first in Ottawa at CJOH TV and later in Toronto at CFTO TV.

It was at the latter where I sat enthralled by his performance during a taping. It was also the first time I began to understand how he did what he did, which fostered both a lifetime admiration for his talent and gifts but also a personal interest in performing mentalism (as an amateur) as a theatrical device with which to explore limits of imagination and the element of wonder in all of human life.

I was lucky enough to see him again in person during the late summer of 2014 where he performed outdoors at the Toronto annual CNE.

The photos below were taken during one of his "hypnosis" shows (although he always firmly insisted such a phenomenon did not exist and preferred to call it "powers of suggestion.")


Kreskin at the CNE originally published as part of '[Guest post] Kreskin at the CNE' photo: ©The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

Kreskin with a stage full of volunteers
originally published as part of '[Guest post] Kreskin at the CNE'
photo: ©The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

Kreskin's powers of suggestion
originally published as part of '[Guest post] Kreskin at the CNE'
photo: ©The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

Kreskin messing with minds
originally published as part of '[Guest post] Kreskin at the CNE'
photo: ©The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

Kreskin's influence on anatomy
originally published as part of '[Guest post] Kreskin at the CNE'
photo: ©The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

Kreskin at the CNE
originally published as part of '[Guest post] Kreskin at the CNE'
photo: ©The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

So RIP Amazing Kreskin.

You provided joy and mystery for generations of fans; inspiration and excellence to which to aspire for generations of mentalists.

- The Magic Demon

Thank you The Magic Demon for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

A sampling of thoughts from the magic community:

From the December 10th Facebook post by Bernard Cormier:

From the December 10th Facebook post by Brian Robert:

From the December 10th Facebook post by Patrick Francis Drake:

From the December 10th Facebook post by Chris Doyle Mysterion:

From the December 11th Facebook post by Tim Ottaway:

From the December 10th Facebook post by Bill Abbott:

From the December 11th Facebook post at The Historical Society of Ottawa:

13 December 2024

Julie Eng: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Last, but certainly not least in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Julie Eng!


Julie Eng: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Julie was the director of Magicana for eighteen years and how much she's done there can't be overstated. Among other things, she played a huge part in the production and release of the Johnny Thompson books as well as the more recently monumental tomes of Eddie Dawes, both projects being of tantamount importance to magic's legacy. This year, she's taken the big leap to the executive director position at Genii Enterprises and now has the reins of MagicCol. I'm so excited to see what else she's got up her sleeve for the future..

Submitted by Derrick Chung

Congratulations Julie! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Julie Eng, visit her website at Magicienne.com, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

To learn more about Magicana, visit Magicana.com. To learn more about Genii, visit GeniiMagazine.com.

Thank you Derrick for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Derrick Chung, visit his website at DerrickChung.com and follow him on Facebook, and Instagram.


2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (in order of publication): Matt Johnson Ken McCreedy Marc Trudel Ryan Michael Tabraze Sheikh Scott McClelland Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Sean Watson Steve Valentine Lon Mandrake Julie Eng

Vancouver: Jack Chow Giant Panda Habitat in CTV News

Tickets at GiantPandaHabitat.com

From the December 11th article "Famously narrow Vancouver building becomes habitat for animatronic giant pandas" by Lisa Steacy at CTV News:

Chow said he was inspired, in large part, by his father who he describes as a visionary and champion for Chinatown. The giant panda installation is something he hopes will continue his father's legacy of putting the neighbourhood on the map and drawing people to visit.

"Now there's another reason for people to come down to Chinatown to see something totally different. We've got giant pandas in Vancouver now!"

The question Chow says he gets most often is about how the pandas – which are taller than the building is wide – got inside. Chow, who is also a magician, declines to reveal that secret.

"We'll leave that a puzzle for people who come to visit," he said.
Read more.

From the August 28th upload "Jack Chow Giant Panda Habitat" at The Creative Solution YouTube channel:

Nestled inside the skinniest building in the world, this one-of-a-kind space has earned a Guinness World Record for its incredible feat of design. Step into this slender wonder and explore how we’ve crafted a lush, vibrant world for our pandas, all within the walls of this architectural marvel. It’s proof that big things really can come in small packages!

12 December 2024

Lon Mandrake: Inspirational Canadian Magician

We're coming near the end of this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase. Today we present Lon Mandrake!


Lon Mandrake: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Lon Mandrake has been a leader in the magic community as the former Regional Vice-President for Canada of the Society of American Magicians. Under this leadership, the Society expanded its membership and Assemblies. While some may think he had to live in the shadow of his famous parents - Leon (and Velvet) Mandrake the Magician, Lon carved his own path. A now retired educator, an award-winning science teacher and past President of the British Columbia Science Teachers’ Association. Lon is internationally recognized for his mentalism and magic but he is most appreciated as a generous and supportive colleague.

Submitted by Garnet Garven

Congratulations Lon! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Lon Mandrake, visit his website at LeonMandrake.com, and follow him on Facebook.

Thank Garnet for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Garnet Garven visit his IBM Member profile.


2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (in order of publication): Matt Johnson Ken McCreedy Marc Trudel Ryan Michael Tabraze Sheikh Scott McClelland Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Sean Watson Steve Valentine Lon Mandrake Julie Eng

Thank you to our personal sponsors for December 2024!

A quick reminder of our earlier Mail as Medicine request for Katie Hunt. If you have the time, Katie and Doug would both benefit from hearing from their friends!

Thank you to John Harrison, Richard Lyn, Joan Caesar, Ian Crawford, Matt DiSero, Doug Hunt, John Smithman, Robin Dawes, Loran, Peter Mennie, George Blott, Noah Nogueira, Aaron Matthews, Cam Dix, Ian Batterbury, and Eric Bedard for being Friends of Canada's Magic!

It's good to have friends like you.

You too can Be Our Friend for only $20 per year!

Donations of any size are always welcome.

11 December 2024

Steve Valentine: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Next up in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Steve Valentine!


Steve Valentine: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

For Steve's work at MagicOnTheGo. Really inspiring to see someone put up 900+ videos of magic instruction. Deep dives into the work from a real working pro is very rare to get access to. A lot of the material is also obscure and people may not even have known it existed, which aids in cataloguing material that may otherwise have been lost to history.

Submitted by Matt DiSero

Congratulations Steve! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Steve Valentine's project, visit his website at MagicOnTheGo.vhx.tv , and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank Matt for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Matt DiSero, visit his website MattDiSero.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.


2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (in order of publication): Matt Johnson Ken McCreedy Marc Trudel Ryan Michael Tabraze Sheikh Scott McClelland Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Sean Watson Steve Valentine Lon Mandrake Julie Eng