And, that’s a wrap

It was quite a year…
Our primary goal is to share wonder with the community. Thanks to the generosity of our volunteers, partners, sponsors and donors, we completed more sessions of My Magic Hands and performances of Senior Sorcery than ever before.  The results are truly gratifying and we look forward to continuing these programs in 2011.  It is never too late — or too early –to help contribute to the success of these programs.  Please keep us in mind.

Magic in Print
We would also like to thank our dedicated readers and subscribers who added A Grand Expose, The Complete Ibidem and the issues of Magicol to their libraries. You will be pleased to know that we have several exciting releases planned for next year.

Magic Online
We also expanded our reach through the Internet with Sid Lorraine’s Magical ChatterBox, launched a new exhibition on The Life and Magic of Ross Bertram and spruced up our exhibitions on Bert Douglas and the Magic Postcards of Msgr Foy. We are pleased to be able to provide free and open access to these online resources to magic enthusiasts all over the world.  So, if you have some time over the holidays and haven’t done so already, please visit them.

Magic on Stage
Thank you to the thousands of people who attended  the Masters of Magic series at Luminato.  All will agree that Mac King, Max Maven, Bob Sheets and Juan Tamariz set a new benchmark for magic.  You can look forward to more magic at Luminato from Magicana in 2011.

Magic in the Family
Finally, to those who came out to the 41st Annual Magic Collectors Weekend in Chicago and the eighth and final 31 Faces North, thank you for your wonderful company and fantastic memories. We hope to see you again soon!

Best wishes for a safe and magical holiday season.

Valleyfield Success!

Wow. I had the privilege of attending and emceeing the “Big Show” for the graduates of My Magic Hands at Valleyfield Junior School yesterday. And what a GREAT show they put on!

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When I arrived at the school with the program’s instructor, James Alan, we found that Mrs. Black (school principal) had made colourful magic capes for each magician. On top of that (literally), staff and volunteers helped  the children to make their own magic hats for their Big Show performances for the Grade 1 and 2 classes.

The costuming was really just icing on the cake. For the past seven weeks, I have been receiving glowing reports about how incredible the support has been at Valleyfield. The program was installed thanks to the hard work of  parent volunteer, Nicole Lee – who is also a magician. Nicole read about the benefits of our program and lobbied to have Valleyfield host the program. She garnered school support from Mrs. Black and sponsor teacher, Ms. Rattner. Ms. Rattner, in turn, recruited additional staff members and volunteers to work with the students. What made the coaching extra special at Valleyfield was the high level of contribution from teachers and parents who stepped up to give student magicians a huge commitment of time.

The investment paid off in spades: the children blossomed and exhibited fabulous self-confidence and self-awareness. Suffice to say, they simply shined during their performances and didn’t want their show to end. What a heartwarming scene.

Magicana would like to acknowledge James Alan for successfully leading the team of coaches and magicians to their Big Show finale. We also applaud the amazing team at Valleyfield Junior School for embracing the virtues of our program and making it work on every level for their students.

Now, that’s how you share wonder!

Julie Eng
Executive Director