Magic show an Easter alternative

April 04, 2010|By MARIE GILBERT

By Colleen McGrath, Staff Photographer

HAGERSTOWN _ To follow Dean Burkett's sleight of hand, you almost needed a GPS.

Rubber balls vanished within ripples of colorful cloths.

Loose change appeared inside Coke bottles and a little abracadabra produced a rope out of thin air.

It was a Saturday morning of magic at the Contemporary School of the Arts and Gallery in downtown Hagerstown --and it was difficult to tell who was having more fun, the children or the adults.

The local magician invited members of the audience to participate in most of the illusions, which ranged from card tricks to pulling a rabbit out of a hat. In this case, the rabbit wasn't real, but was wooden.

This is the third year the gallery has hosted the magic show, said Ron Lytle, founder and president of the gallery.

"It's become an Easter weekend tradition," he said. "Many people participate in egg hunts. This is an alternative."

Lytle said Burkett has participated at the annual Art in the Park, sponsored each summer by the gallery, and has headlined the magic show since its inception.

"Magic goes hand in hand with art," Lytle said. "It gives people great enjoyment."

Lytle said he would like to one day offer magic lessons "because everybody likes magic."

"It's hard to teach, but learnable," he said. "People have a curiosity about magic and never tire of it."

Lytle said all of the children who attended Saturday's magic show would receive gifts, courtesy of two baskets of merchandise donated by Basketful of Gifts.

"It's a little something special for Easter," he said.

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