2008 Winter Carnival of Magic
Early Saturday

While a snow storm whirled around outside the Country Tonight Theatre guests in attendance for the stage competition were treated to multiple versions of Snow Storm inside. There were ten competitors in the stage competition. Themes ranged from a parasol production and Phantom of the Opera to a Carnival setting. In addition to four snow storm effects, performers also treated the audience to a miser's dream using acryllic balls, color changing wreaths, levitations, mentalism, dancing canes, and a rope routine. Crowds also enjoyed a repeat of last year's disappearing ping pong ball act performed by Kyle Jarrard.

After the stage competition, the vendors were open in full swing. Several performers were in the dealer room showing what they do best. Charlie Frye and company demonstrated a few tricks, David Williamson was spotted on a few occasions, and the room remained packed during any down time in the convention.

The first lecture of the morning featured Daryl. Daryl did a wonderful job of entertaining the audience while carefully explaining the tricks he was performing. His presentation included some audience participation and his excitement was catching.

After Daryl's lecture, Tom Burgoon demonstrated several of the items that he was selling in the dealer room. He had several witty performances and the crowd laughed for almost the entire lecture. Tom finished his showcase with his STARS of performance.

Immediatly following the Burgoon lecture, the awards for the competitions were given. Phil Willmarth did the honors of handing out the trophies. First place in the stage competiton went to Jason Andrews for his multi-faceted routine which included multiplying billard balls, pop up cards, and a dove production. Second place went to Christian and Katalina for the mentalist carnival act. First place in the in close up contest went to Ali Shelley for her routine based around a flight attendant theme. Second place was awarded to John Hromada for his outrageous predictions.

The early entertainment ended with the close up show. This year to help make the event more enjoyable for everyone, the show was divided into two sessions that were supposed to be identicle. The show featured Daryl, Steve Beam, and David Williamson. Daryl was once again very energetic as he performed a variation of Out of this World that involved the cards being crisscrossed and mixed and always returning to the red and black order. Steve Beam also dazzled the audience with his skill. Of special note was his double fan that he stripped away the top layer on revealing two selected cards. I'm not sure David Williamson could reproduce his performance if he practiced every day. If you missed him flicking cards and limes across the theatre, you missed one of the funniest "Pure Sleight of Hand" Card to Lime every displayed. Williamson wrapped up the show by booking another gig while impressing us with his coin work.