in the Worlds Of Fun theme park in Kansas City. Surveys revealed that people would rather be spooked than splashed, whirled and jerked by a roller coaster, or sung to; so the park hired one of the best in the business to set up a new fright show with robotic spooks, weird lights, eerie sounds - the works.
Chicago's top close-up man and traveling lecturer, Gene Burger, is newly returned from his West Coast trip and honors heaped upon him by the Academy of Magical Arts. He was made lecturer of the year.
Peter Isaacs writes from Toronto that Mike Rogers was in town for the Hardware Trade Show and Jeff McBride to guest star for Peter Allen. He reports no less than five serious female magiciennes, all professional and a number of sincere hobbyists. Maya and Mars, working individually, are doing acts. You may recall that these girls worked on the original Henning show in Canada. A successful play now showing in Toronto is "Prague" by John Krizanc, and one of the features is Richard McMillan as the magician/clown Honza.
The Design Engineering Show had two magicians working that we know of. One was John Osborne, a busy trade show man from Detroit, and Dick Gustafson of Horsham, PA., known for his beautiful work with candles, among other things. Rumor has it that that other intrepid trade show man, Karrell Fox, was preparing to move to California where he will find himself in the midst of the greatest congregation of resident magicians in the whole world. A fact already accomplished is that The Amazing Randi has moved from New Jersey to Florida, after selling his house and closing out his upper East Coast connections. He likewise will run into a fair number of local magicians, who seem to seek warm places.
By the time you read this, the Magic Collectors' Weekend will be very close. Already, the Summit Motel has sold out and reservations are now moved over to the Spa Motel, which is next door to it. Important presentations newly added to the program are: Jim Steinmeyer, "The Expletive Illusions"; John McKinven, "The Hanlons'
