308: 2016 Abbott's Get Together - Day Two

DAY TWO - THURSDAY, AUGUST 4th 2016
9:00AM REGISTRATION OPENS at the Abbott Plant
9:30AM LECTURE - Scott Alexander & Puck at the High School
10:00AM ABBOTT'S DEALERS ROOM OPENS (more info) at Grade School
11:00AM VENT-O-RAMA (more info) at the Abbott Plant
1:00PM LECTURE - Ice McDonald at the High School
1:00PM COLON HISTORICAL MUSEUM OPEN TILL 4PM (more info)
1:30PM DEALERS ON PARADE (more info) at the Elementary School
1:30PM MAGIC SHOW at Abbott Plant with BJ Mallen or Gordon Miller
2:00PM COLON STREET PERFORMERS - outside Curly's featuring Joe Bennett
3:00PM MAGIC SHOW at Abbott Plant with BJ Mallen or Gordon Miller
3:00PM - 6:00PM FACE PAINTING outside 5 Star Pizza by Carol Hendrix
3:45PM FAMOUS MAGICIANS GRAVEYARD TOUR ushered by Al the Only
5:30PM RIVER LAKE INN’S MAGIC SHOW & DINNER with Ron Carnell
7:40PM ASTOUNDING TENT ILLUSION (more info) outside the High School (more info here)
8:00PM ABBOTT'S STAGE SHOW at the High School (Preshow Live Organ Music)
Featuring Vinny Grosso MC, Lynetta Welch, Banachek, Bizzaro
(view seating chart)
10:00PM ABBOTT'S DEALERS ROOM OPENS at Grade School after show
10:15PM CURLYS CLOSEUP CONTEST (more info) after show

00:00:13 - Rick Fisher, Proprietor of FAB Magic Studio, talks about the brick and mortar magic shops and the possible future of magic in Colon.

00:11:23 - Greg Bordner, Abbott's Magic Company proprietor, talks about organizing this and other Get Togethers.

00:18:49 - the "bally" for getting the "tip" for the Girl to Gorilla sideshow attraction

00:20:17 - Keith Stickley talks about bringing in the Girl to Gorilla as a special, one-night only feature to the Get Together.

00:25:42 - John Sturk and Martin Cox talk about the previous night's show plus some tips featured in Martin's lecture..

00:42:28 - Denny Haney, owner of Denny and Lee's Magic Studio, talks about the importance of books and reading.

00:48:43 - We caught Banachek after the evening show before he had to break away to fly back to Las Vegas.

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305: Lance Burton - Second Act

Lance Burton has retired and he's almost ready to return to his old Kentucky home back on the farm. But first, he has some "fish to fry". Lance completed a lifelong dream of producing, directing and starring in an independent film which he titled, "Billy Topit". He no longer performs magic nor travels far from his Las Vegas home but prefers his time with "more important needs" of abandoned pets.

While this podcast was being recorded, we tried a new Facebook feature of LIVE broadcasting. This allows viewers to ask questions in real time and be part of the podcast. This was the first time Lance had used this function and you can sense his childlike wonder and fun of trying something new. This was a really fun chat. Part way through the podcast/recording, my iPad battery died so we switched to Lance's iPhone and broadcast through his Facebook page. Needless to say, he has tons more fans of his Facebook page than we do. As a result, within a few minutes we had about 150 people online and quickly saying "hi" and asking questions. Over then next week, there were over 5,000 views of that video. If you would like to watch the video, it is included here in the blog, but the entirety of the audio portion is in this podcast.

A Las Vegas magician who performs at children's birthday parties convinces the woman of his dreams to be his assistant, while the local Mob guys try to make him disappear permanently! -BILLY TOPIT MASTER MAGICIAN billytopit.com

Here is a short video of Lance Burton's adventure in late May 2016 at The Wild Rose Independent Film Festival. Congratulations to the cast and crew of Billy Topit Master Magician!

Lance edited this travelogue and posted it on his Facebook page and discussed it on The Magic Word Podcast

On July 3, 2016, while attending the 88th I.B.M. convention in San Antonio, Texas, Lance Burton joined Scott Wells on the microphone to record a podcast for The Magic Word. This video was recorded on Facebook using their Live Streaming feature.

Lance talks about working with youth who want to learn magic, the development of his own Gold Medal winning act for the I.B.M. competition in 1980, working in Las Vegas, his work with pet adoptions, and his retirement from magic. But he talks mostly about his newest project, "Billy Topit" and trying to get this independent film into wide distribution.

Click on the graphic above for more information on Lance Burton's movie, "Billy Topit"

Visit The Magic Word Podcast's Magic Store to help support the podcast with your purchases.

226: John Gaughan - Magic's Builder

As an epilogue to my six part series from Hollywood, I offer you this special podcast featuring John Gaughan, magic's premiere illusion builder. It was such a thrill to spend time in his workshop and magic salon where we talked about magic, magicians past and present, and illusion building. Then the special guided tour of his salon was quite impressive, too. I recorded the tour with my iPad and posted the videos on YouTube which are linked in this blog.

For those few magicians in the world who may not have heard of John Gaughan as well as those who do know him, I'm certain that all of you will learn something about one of magic's greatest illusion builder.

This podcast came in response to a listener who suggested that if ever I had the opportunity, then I should interview John Gaughan. So, when I knew that I was going to be traveling to the Los Angeles area, I contacted John well in advance to schedule a convenient afternoon when he could spend time and show me his workshop. I was delighted that he was in town and not off somewhere around the world installing or consulting but would actually be in town and have time to chat. I know you will enjoy this podcast as well as the videos.

Antonio Diavolo, the mechanical trapeze artist created by Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871), performed by John Gaughan and Ricky Jay.

John talks about his roots as an illusion builder when he first worked with Leo Behnke and others on Mark Wilson's "Magic Land of Allakazam" when he was just a prop painter. His progression to becoming a master craftsman and woodworker is fascinating. And he talks about some of the illusions he has built for many of the celebrated magicians over the past 50 years. He also talks about what makes for a good illusion and some of his failures. He concludes with a look into the future with where magic and grand stage illusions might be headed.

If you have not yet made your reservation for your hotel room at the Hyatt Regency for the Jacksonville convention which takes place July 15th - 18th, 2015, your time is running out! After June 15th, the convention rate of only $99 will end, and th… — If you have not yet made your reservation for your hotel room at the Hyatt Regency for the Jacksonville convention which takes place July 15th - 18th, 2015, your time is running out!

After June 15th, the convention rate of only $99 will end, and there will be no guarantee of availability of additional room reservations.

If you are planning on attending the Jacksonville convention which promises to be a fantastic event, register for the convention, and MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION NOW!!!!

You can register for the convention here: https://www.magician.org/convention/online-registration

You can make your hotel reservation here: https://aws.passkey.com/g/20902549 or by calling the Hyatt Regency directly at 1-800-421-1442.