Moorestown resident Brian Richards will be pulling off magic tricks beyond kids’ imagination, and teaching them a thing or two about what their library has to offer.
On July 10 at 2 p.m., families are welcomed to the Mullica Hill Branch Library (389 Wolfert Station Road) to see Richards’ summer library magic show “3, 2, 1 Blast Off into Books.” Admission is free, but space is limited. Visit www.GCLS.org for more information.
“The show ties in with the summer reading theme around Universal Stories, which is national,” Richards said. “There’s a lot of things about space and, ultimately, the goal is to get kids signed up to participate in their summer reading club so they’re reading while off in the summer.”
At the library, he said he’ll have his puppet Cosmo to help move the show along and to perform some tricks, which he said kids love.
“I love when they come up and tell me their favorite parts,” Richards said. “Usually it’s with the puppet or the routine. Parents would come up and say how much they love and appreciate it.”
Richards said he’s been doing magic since he was 6 years old, and has been doing professional shows, full-time, for the past 25 years.
“I saw a magician at a birthday party and I fell in love with it,” he said. “I asked for a magic set for christmas and I learned every trick that was in it.”
His shows, he added, aren’t of a typical magician’s. In them, he likes to bring in an educational aspect to teach kids about math, nutrition, fitness, reading and character education from September to June.
“I would say in all of my shows, my favorite thing are the reactions I get out of kids and it’s what I live for,” he said. “I like to see them laughing and having a good time. I want to motivate them to make good choices to make their lives better.”
With him doing shows throughout the year, Richards said he will often change things up so kids aren’t seeing the same trick played out over and over again.
“For me, one of my main goals is about the message and being able to motivate by the show”
While he didn’t reveal the exact routine he has planned out for the library, he said he’s going to have the audience interact with him and the routine as much as possible, which is one of his favorite parts of any show.
“Anything that involves audience participation is my favorite because every time it’s performed, it’s unique and different and they react differently from show to show.”
Richards said he hopes to get kids not only excited about the tricks he does, but to also want to explore their library and learn about what it has to offer.
“This show appeals to all ages and they’re going to have a great time,” he said. “It’s great to show kids that they can have fun at the library and be encouraged to take advantage of their library to check out, read and have a great time. “
