Right now I’m flying home from an amazing trip to the state of Texas. Last weekend I attended the Texas Association of Magicians annual convention in San Antonio. While there, I had the opportunity to meet many of my heroes in magic. I also had the opportunity to spend ten days with my best friend, Frank Fogg. Frank and I had a blast at the convention wreaking havoc and mischief everywhere we could. If you want insane, out-of-control shenanigans then look no further than a magic convention.

While at the convention I attended numerous lectures, shows, workshops, and jam sessions. I picked up several new ideas for my shows and made several new friends within the magic community.

After spending a few days with Frank in San Marcos, TX, we drove to Austin to enjoy a show at Esther’s Follies. Another magic friend, Marcus Eddie, was gracious enough to get us free tickets to the performance. After the show I was fortunate enough to be able to see my brother, Scott. I had not seen him for eight months. Scott is in his final year of graduate school at the University of Texas.

That night I stayed on the campus of the UT in preparation for two shows there on Friday, September 9th. Not only did UT give me a meal card for unlimited meals while on campus, but they also put me up in a rather large and extremely nice apartment. The apartment was literally a stone’s throw from the auditoriums where the shows were held.

On Friday Scott, Frank, and I, along with the programming team that booked my performances, walked around campus to promote that evening’s shows. We visited the residence halls and cafeterias around the university and showed the students some close-up magic.

That night I performed two shows for a total of roughly 600 students. The audiences were fantastic and I had an absolute blast performing for them. A special thank you for two very kind standing ovations from each show!

I’m looking forward to returning to UT very soon and performing again. All in all, it has been a great visit to Texas. Now I’m back to Chicago for an audition, more gigs, and the last rush before my shows in October.

Tickets for my live shows in October are still available at www.Stage773.org. For more information, visit my website at www.MarkToland.com.

—–

Mark Toland is a Chicago Magician and College Magician traveling nationwide to provide unforgettable entertainment for special events.