Spencers Magic

We arrived in New London, CT last night so we would there for the workshop this morning at Beechwood Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.  This is a beautiful place with a caring staff.  Jeanne picked Ethan and I up at the hotel at 8:30am and we were there by 8:45am.  We started working right away with the therapists - teaching them some simple tricks and exploring the therapeutic value of each one.  I’m always amazed and encouraged by the positive response “magic therapy” receives when presented to therapists! They laughed as they learned each trick…and then realized just how beneficial these tricks will be for their clients.

We did this same type of workshop last week in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  The DAILY GLEANER sent a reporter and the article made the front page of the area paper.

Today, there were a couple of reporters who came over to Beechwood Manor from THE DAY newspaper.  They watched the therapists learn and then they watched the clients struggle to master each trick.  The smiles, laughter, and satisfaction of each person was evident throughout the room.  I met so many wonderful people, each with their own story, their own challenges, and (now) their own magical talents.  ”Bingo Mary” learned a few tricks…and she’s 108 years old!

After a couple of hours, it was time to head back to the hotel and pick up Keith and Cindy.  We needed to get on the road this afternoon.  It’s a short drive to New Bedford, MA (slightly over an hour) and we wanted to arrive in time to get the truck to the loading dock of the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center before traffic got too bad.  Keith made a call to Justin, the TD, and he met us to help us get into place.  This will make load in for the Friday performance so much easier!

Before we even arrived in New Bedford, we received an email from the reporter from THE DAY newspaper in New London, CT.  Seems they had their article online before the middle of the afternoon!

It was a great day and tomorrow should be fun!  The STANDARD TIMES (New Bedford newspaper) selected us as a BEST BET for family entertainment this weekend.

We spent a few days driving from New Brunswick to Massachusetts and now, we’ve had the last two days to relax a bit in Springfield, MA.  We did some Christmas shopping, washed some clothes, answered lots of email, and made a few phone calls.  It was time that we all needed just to regroup and get ready for our last week on the road before heading home for Thanksgiving.

This afternoon, we stopped at Target and picked up a few necessary things.  I’ve needed some new windshield wipers for the truck for a while but wanted to get the RainX type.  Found them today…along with the RainX spray that will help keep our windows clear during the winter ahead of us.  In spite of the cold, we cleaned the outside while Cindy cleaned the inside windows.

Tonight, we’re in New London, CT.  I’ll be doing a workshop in the morning with therapists at the Beechwood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.  After spending some time with the therapists, Ethan and I will work with some of the clients.  We should be wrapped up by 11am (because we’re starting early) so we can make the drive to New Bedford, MA for our show there on Friday at the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center.

Our show on Saturday is back here in New London, CT at the Garde Arts Center.

We are back in the USA after spending another day in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  The show on Friday night was very well received by the community.  When we left the theatre to check into the hotel, there was a small group having a private party there.  They were also at the show.  As Keith checked us in, I talked for a few minutes with the group.  By the time we drove the rig around, the group had grown considerably and they were waiting for us to arrive.  I spent a few minutes more talking and signing autographs.  It was incredibly humbling to have so many people want to spend a few moments with us.

On Saturday morning, I made a visit to the Stan Cassidy Rehab Center to work with some of the clients there.  I spent some time working with the therapists and Ethan and I worked individually with a variety of diagnoses - from spinal cord injuries to pediatric disorders. The 90 minute workshop went quickly.  I hope it was as rewarding for the clients as it was for me.  This is one of my favorite things to do when we have the opportunity.  The DAILY GLEANER (local Fredericton newspaper) was there and will be running a story on Monday.  Jeff Crawford, a local photographer, was also there to capture the magical moments. I’ll be able to share those with you once he has them posted on his site.  I’m sure he captured some amazing faces as they performed their magic!

After the workshop, we went back to the hotel and quickly made our way to the town Farmer’s Market.  It was going to close promptly at 1pm but we wanted to make the best of it.  Food booths and craftsworkers were everywhere…and we sampled a lot of the food!  Mini donuts, Indian pastries, deep fried sweet potatoes, and a lot more - delicious!

The weather started turning bad and by mid afternoon, it was raining fairly hard.  We made our way back to the hotel just to relax for the rest of the day.  In the early evening, Cindy and I went to dinner at the local Vietnamese restaurant across the street.

Today, we drove back across the border through Houlton, Maine.  Passing through Canadian Customs was very easy.  Getting through US Customs proved to be a bit more of a challenge.  When I presented my paperwork to the officer, he questioned whether I had completed them properly.  His supervisor came to the window and continued the questioning.  She eventually said that I had the wrong forms, that I had exported our equipment into Canadian commerce and would need to hire a US broker to get it back into the country.  I’m a stickler for details when it comes to this stuff so I knew this was not right.  Eventually I was asked to park the rig and come inside.

Once inside, me and the supervisor had a little discussion about the difference between exporting equipment permanently and an E29B Temporary Allowance Form (the one I had completed and was processed by US Customs in Calais, ME only days before).  After a couple of phone calls, she realized that I had in fact completed all the necessary paperwork, that everything was in order, and that she was wrong. She didn’t apologize for the 45 minute hold up but she did send back the original officer who had me complete one more piece of information before sending me on my way.  Welcome home.

We left Saint John this morning around 9am.  It was a short drive to Fredericton up Highway 7.  The show tonight is at The Playhouse - a very intimate and great venue.

The rain had stopped and it was clear weather for the drive.  When we arrived into the Capital City of New Brunswick, we knew that we would be driving into a “construction zone.”  The city is building a new conference center next door to The Playhouse so getting into the loading dock would be a little tricky! Actually, the loading dock IS part of the construction zone.

Jeff, the TD, walked me over to the construction site manager.  He walked me through the route I would need to drive the rig but not before I was outfitted in the proper attire.

After walking the route, I jumped back into the truck and started the drive through the construction zone to the loading dock where the crew was anxiously awaiting our arrival.

Once we were at the dock, load in was really easy.  Cases came straight off the truck and into the backstage area.  Things seemed to clip along at a good rate and the show went up very quickly.  Keith has really done wonders saving time by using the new light board.  Ethan has fallen into a pretty good routine of setting up the show.  And Cindy, as always, handles all the details that keep things moving smoothly.

We have had great shows here in Canada.  Tonight was another near capacity house with a very enthusiastic audience.  Because they haven’t had the type of illusion production that we offer in these theatres, the audiences were genuinely intrigued by each of the illusions.  I could see it in their faces or as they whispered something to the person sitting next to them.  And once they experienced the “magic,” they responded with great applause and appreciation.  And this wonderful audience in Fredericton gave us a standing ovation at the end of the show.  I had the chance to meet many of them in the lobby afterwards.

The “meet and greet” continued into the lobby of our hotel.  When we arrived to check in, a group of people who had attended the show were also having dinner at the same hotel.  They were very nice, shared their favorite tricks with me, and I signed a few autographs.  They made us feel very special and very welcome.

Tomorrow, Ethan and I will head to the Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Center for a workshop with some of the clients.  I have to go to bed…it’s 1am!

After a good night’s rest, I was up early this morning for a big breakfast.  Our load in is set for 11am since it’s a 8pm show tonight.  We all met at the truck and made the short drive up to the Imperial Theatre.  Inside and out, this place is spectacular!

I pulled the truck around to the back to the loading dock where Jim (the TD) met us and helped direct traffic.  The crew was inside finalizing the light plot and getting ready to help load in the show.

Once the equipment was on the stage, the day ran so smoothly!  The crew at the Imperial is so organized and willing to help - truly a team effort today.  Scenery was up, intelligent lighting in the air, focus was complete, and we started into sound check.

After sound check, dinner had arrived.  Everyone took a well deserved break and we enjoyed a great meal. We even had real plates and silverware!  We’re so used to eating with plastic forks on paper plates, this was a real treat.

Doors opened at 7:30pm and we could hear the audience make their way into the theatre.  The light show started on time and you could hear the excitement building in the house.  By 8pm, they were ready and so were we - the show started with enthusiastic applause before we even performed our first illusion.  There’s nothing that gets a performer’s energy going than an enthusiastic crowd!  Great volunteers made the evening even more enjoyable for us - and the Saint John audience.  When we finished the second half, we were humbled by cheers, whistles, and a standing ovation from the crowd.

Our first show in Canada was a positive, wonderful, memorable experience!  Thank you Saint John, NB and everyone at the Imperial Theatre!

We were up way too early this morning after a very long day yesterday.  We got to bed around midnight and woke up at 6:15am.  We needed to be on the road to Saint John, New Brunswick by 7am…and we were.  I ran across the street to Dunkin Donuts and picked up a dozen along with a very large cup of coffee.

We hit some traffic around Lowell, just outside of Boston.  Once we made it through that mess, we were on our way to Canada.  Hours and hours of driving through “wilderness” and we crossed the border into Maine. The first thing we saw was a sign that said, “Watch for moose on the roadway.”  We stopped at a McDonald’s somewhere around Brunswick, ME where the lady behind the counter reminded us, “You will probably see bears.  They’ll run from you but do NOT confront the moose!”  No worries, we won’t! Here’s one of many signs that lined the interstate.

We stopped just outside of Bangor to top of the diesel tanks before making the drive through eastern Maine - the “outback” as the station attendant referred to it.  Highway 9 East is beautiful but there’s nothing out there.  As we pulled in Calais nearing the U.S./Canadian border, the sky was beautiful.  Cindy was clicking pictures as fast as she could.  This is a view from the Mill Street Bridge as we approached U.S. Customs.

I ran inside the U.S. Customs Office to present my paperwork.  I needed to get my Certificate of Registration - the document that details exactly what equipment we are bringing into Canada.  Without this piece of paper, coming back into the States can be a real problem!  Once that paperwork was stamped, we drove across the bridge to Canadian Customs.

From here, it was really easy.  A.E. Horne & Sons brokered our stuff into Canada.  All I had to do was mention their name and I was escorted to an off-site warehouse.  The paperwork was waiting.  I presented our passports for immigration and we were on our way.  At the border, we also entered a new time zone - Atlantic Time - and lost an hour!

We arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick around 7:30pm, checked into our hotel, had room service deliver up some food, and are now officially “crashing” for the night!  Tomorrow, we’ll be performing at the beautiful Imperial Theatre in downtown Saint John!

After our show at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center, we had only a short drive to the Lancaster area where we did a private performance for the residents of Willow Valley Communities.  They have a very nice cultural center on their grounds and shows are only open to their residents.

We had one show on Monday night that was sold out.  Residents arrived early, made their way to their seats, and had a great time at the show.  Norm was one of our volunteers who helped on Walking Through A Wall and he did an outstanding job!  Today I heard from his neighbor that he didn’t come home last night and he wondered if I made him disappear…then he smiled and laughed.

We had another show there today (Tuesday) for the sales/marketing department where we entertained more residents and a couple hundred potential residents.  It was a fun event that followed a special luncheon. Immediately after the show, we quickly packed up the show and hit the road.  Our next performances are in New Brunswick, Canada and we have 800 miles to drive in a day and a half to get there!

We were on the road by 3:30pm and hit only one little traffic jam along the way.  What looked like a bad accident turned out to be more of a crashed car but no injuries.

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The rest of the trip was uneventful and we arrived in Sturbridge, MA for the night.  Finding our hotel was another story…but we finally arrived.  We have to be on the road at 7am so it’s going to be a short night!

After another long drive from Boston to York (Interstate 78 is not a smooth ride), we arrived in York last night and checked into the historic Yorktowne Hotel.  It’s a grand hotel downtown and close to the Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center.  We had a very early load in this morning for a 3pm show.  All of us met at the truck and were at the theatre by 8am.  The crew was at the loading door with smiling faces, great attitudes, and ready to get to work.

Cindy scoped the stage quickly, Ethan got every signed in and badged, and we opened the trailer door to start hauling in several tons of equipment.  Things moved along well - scenery was up, lights were hung, and we were into focus within the first couple of hours.  This crew is awesome - very organized, hard working, and always laughing or smiling.  They made it a very fun day for all of us.  Keith was busy working on patching the lighting, getting our intelligent lighting “tweaked,” and checking the sound.  He alwasy does a great job for us - makes us look and sound good!

The doors opened promptly at 2:30pm and the audience starting making their way into this beautitful theatre.  The house filled quickly and by showtime, we had a near capacity audience of enthusiastic people of all ages.  I love these audiences!  Every volunteer who assisted on stage added so much to the show. And the York audience has never let us know - excited, exuberant, and responsive!

The show ran so smoothly.  Every illusion seemed to just “click” and the audience definitely took the “magical” journey with us today.  After saying good night, I made my way to the lobby to take a few minutes to talk with some of the patrons.  There were also several area magicians in the crowd - something I greatly appreciate when the local guys come out to support the show.  I didn’t get a chance to speak to many of them but, if you’re reading this, THANKS!

Some very good friends of ours were also in the audience tonight.  We’ve known Starr and Kelly for many years and count them as some of our best friends.  They are great people and Starr is an amazingly talented artistic designer.  We have the pleasure of working together on many occasions.

After getting the show down and packed back into the trailer (Ethan did a great job on load out), we all got together and headed over to one of the local Quizno’s restaurants to grab some food.  We ended up sitting in there for a good part of 2 1/2 hours talking, laughing, and relaxing.

It’s almost midnight and we have another early day tomorrow so I’m off to bed.  At least we didn’t have to drive long tonight - only about 40 minutes (now, that’s nice).

I’ve been looking forward to the show at the Rogers Center for a while.  Cindy and I worked here in 2001 as a part of one of their earlier season of events.  Our show has changed so much since 2001 and we always love it when we have the chance to bring a new show to a place where we’ve been before.  Peter and Maureen are two of the nicest people we’ve ever worked with over the years.  Peter was ready for us, crew waiting at the loading door.  The weather was not cooperating - drizzling rain and a slight chill in the air.

Once load in began, the show went up quickly.  There were no major issues throughout the day but we did need to be careful with our hazers.  The detectors on stage were only heat but in the halls, those were particulate and that can be a problem sometimes.  We tested them most of the afternoon and had no problems.  The lighting looked awesome and I was really pleased with the way the show was looking.

We had a near capacity crowd coming to the show - an audience of all ages.  I love these kinds of crowds! The show moved along well - a few minor issues with my microphone - and two hours later, we said good night to a very enthusiastic audience.

This morning, we were on the road EARLY to make the drive to York, PA.  We arrived around 5pm, got checked into our hotel, and are getting some rest.  We have an 8am load in on Sunday for a 3pm show at the Strand Capitol Theatre.

We left home yesterday around 1pm to begin our drive to New England.  Our show on Friday night is in North Andover, MA - about 12 hours from Lynchburg.  We stopped for the night in Chambersburg, PA so we still have about 8 hours to drive today.  We’re going to be pulling out of the hotel in just a few minutes.

Our show on Sunday is in York, PA.  The newspaper ran an feature article about the performance that turned out pretty good I think.  We’re on the road this trip for about three weeks performing through New England and Eastern Canada.  It’s gonna be cold!