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Get ready for a wand-erful time at first Old Sacramento Magic Festival..

Get ready for a wand-erful time at first Old Sacramento Magic Festival..

By Alex Hernandez for The City..

Do you believe in magic? Jump into a world of imaginative illusions, hypnotizing trickery and spellbinding sleight of hand this weekend, when the Delta King and its surrounding cobblestone streets transform into a playground for some of the country’s most celebrated magicians at the Old Sacramento Magic Festival.

The three-day event—the first major magic festival on the West Coast—will begin with a free opening celebration on Friday, Oct. 17, followed throughout the weekend with performances and lectures by prominent illusionists like Society of American Magicians president Ice McDonald, Andrew Goldenhersh (whom the Los Angeles institution Magic Castle recognized as its 2009 and 2010 Parlour Magician of the Year), and the single-monikered card maestro Daryl (whose tricks have earned him a world magic title from the International Federation of Magic Societies).

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China conjures magical future better than Vegas..

China conjures magical future better than Vegas..

By Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY

CHANGPING, China — And for its next trick, China’s ruling Communist Party plans to save the magic industry worldwide and silence dissent among magicians everywhere.

A massive venue will arise next year near Beijing for magic shows starting in 2018 that officials say will be better than Vegas, while pirated products, the scourge of America’s magic men, will simply disappear.

Traditional magic may be losing fans in the West, but China thirsts for spectacle and sleight of hand. Conjuring snow blizzards on stage and teaching wannabe wizards how to blow dollar bills in the air, U.S. magicians joined dozens from around the world at the second Beijing International Magic Carnival last month.

There officials announced a global magic alliance and the transformation of little-known Changping district into “Magic City.”..

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Philip Willmarth, magician who wrote many books on the craft, passed away Sept 16..

Philip Willmarth, magician who wrote many books on the craft, passed away Sept 16..

By Joan Giangrasse Kates for the,Chicago Tribune

Philip Willmarth knew just about every trick in the book — literally — and was more than happy to share that knowledge.

A magician, magic historian, lecturer, author and editor, Mr. Willmarth was a past president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and, for many years, the editor of The Linking Ring, a magazine for magicians.

Mr. Willmarth, 83, a member of the Order of Merlin Shield who in 2006 was awarded a Literary Fellowship by the Academy of Magical Arts for his prolific contributions to magic, died of cancer Sept. 16 in Durham, N.C., where he had lived since 1998. He formerly lived in Arlington Heights.

Mr. Willmarth also was a “thoughtful guide and counselor to me and many magicians around the world,” said renowned Chicago-based magician Eugene Burger…

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Whether in magic or business, relevancy, communication count, David Copperfield says

Whether in magic or business, relevancy, communication count, David Copperfield says

By Ed Komenda for VegasInc..

What do a young entrepreneur and an illusionist have in common?

Ask David Copperfield, the world-renowned master of illusion, and he’ll tell you the jobs are very much the same: from a demand to push limits to selling a brand to being brave in the face of adversity.

That seemed to be the takeaway of his question-and-answer session at Tech Cocktail’s 2014 Celebrate Conference, where Copperfield sat down with Ben Par, co-founder of the venture capital firm DominateFund, and chatted about his career as an illusionist and entrepreneur in front of a crowd of up-and-coming startup leaders.

Here’s a look at the highlights of Copperfield’s appearance, edited for length and clarity:

On what separates him from other illusionists

I really fought to do what you’re doing with all your businesses: to be relevant and communicate something more. I’ve searched for ways to touch people….

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