It’s Magic!

By PJ Martin

Editor

The Herald-News

 

Last Wednesday became a magical morning for dozens of kids, grandparents, and parents as they gathered at the Bowling Park gym for an extraordinary show of mesmerizing illusion and magic by Dinky Gowen, Master of Illusion, sponsored by the Metcalfe County Public Library.

He truly brought a love of all things magic to a lot of youngsters who were not only amazed, but some were thrilled to participate.

He shared that his passion for magic began at the young age of five and that his grandfather had given him one of his first magic tricks. He had the full attention of the children as he readied for his next illusion. He spoke to them as they looked on with wonder at the magic while he instilled ideas of learning in them.

In one of his first tricks, he borrowed a one-dollar bill, which he then folded up while an excited child chosen from the audience held a stem glass of clear water. Gowen carefully sprinkled water onto the folded bill, then he dipped it into the glass of water and a shiny orange goldfish appeared in the glass of water. The crowd erupted in applause.

The gasps continued when he pulled a white dove from a seemingly empty top hat, as he then placed that white dove in a round container covered with another. He coached the kids for the magic word “abracadabra,” and presto, the dove had transformed into a white rabbit when the container was opened. That caused a sudden loud “Ooooohh” of astonishment from the crowd. In yet another trick of illusion, a rat was produced.

The children were eager to touch the rabbit and the rat, which he held and presented to them. A few brave parents petted the rat as well. The animals were very much alive and seemingly unfazed by the attention. They were a reminder that even in illusion, some things are real.

He next used a custom deck of cards with drawings on them (by his daughter), bits of humor when talking to the kids, all while talking about learning magic from books at the library.

He told a story of being bullied in school until his teacher helped him find something special by taking him to the library. Once there, she helped him check out his very first book about magic. He said that he later performed for the first time at the library.

Gowen’s performance was a testament to the power of the imagination, a reminder that a little bit of magic can be found in the most unexpected places, especially at the local library.

He was accompanied by his wife, who supplied props for the tricks, and each child who helped on stage was given a card with a phone number on it that, when called, would provide a ticket to Beech Bend Park.

Dinky Gowen is a professional magician who has performed with well-known magicians Lance Burton and Stephen Bargatze. He is a full-time magician and entertainment producer at Beech Bend Park.