Magician wows kids at library
By Dolly A. Butz Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, July 13, 2007
A throng of children sat cross-legged on the floor at the Morningside Branch Library watching intently as the "Amazing Patrick" peered into a brown paper bag Thursday afternoon.
Unfortunately Sioux City magician Patrick Bottaro couldn't get the ketchup bottle to disappear from the bag on his first, second or third attempt.
He then asked the children to close their eyes and think of their favorite food to put ketchup on.
"I'm sorry," Bottaro said while crumpling the paper bag in his hand. "That trick isn't going to work."
The children pointed and screamed in amazement.
Bottaro, a University of Iowa film major and 2006 graduate of Bishop Heelan High School, performed an assortment of magic tricks as part of the library's summer reading program.
Bottaro started dabbling in magic when he received a few magic tricks for his fifth birthday. Years later he joined the Sioux City Magic Club and performed his first show at the library.
"Magic just grew on me," he said. "I just started to love it."
Bottaro said he especially enjoys performing for little children because some of them still believe in magic.
"I've been where they've been," he said. "It's fun to see what works and what doesn't work."
Bottaro kicked off his magic show by turning a green feather red.
While holding the feather in his hand, Bottaro bent down behind a maroon case on wheels to search for some magic dust.
"I can't find it," he exclaimed.
The tip of the green feather turned red before the children's eyes. When Bottaro stood up, the entire feather was green again.
"When you were down there, is was changing colors," a boy yelled.
With the help of the children, Bottaro brought some color to a black and white coloring book without using markers or crayons.
The children grabbed colors from their clothing and threw them toward the book. When Bottaro opened it, the pages were perfectly colored in bright hues.
When the children were ordered to throw the colors back, not only were the colors gone, but also the black lines. They weren't supposed to throw the black back.
An astonished child uttered, "That was awesome."
Jeanette Bobeen, youth services manager, said the magic show is just one of many programs being offered by the library this summer.
"We still have several things coming up," she said. "We tried for a variety of ages and interests."
Tinker's Coin Productions of California will perform a puppet show at 11 a.m. Monday at the Wilbur Aalfs Library, 529 Pierce St., and at 2:30 p.m. at the Morningside Branch Library, 4005 Morningside Ave.
"We had them here about a dozen years ago and it was just an excellent program," Bobeen said.
For a list of programming visit the library or log on to www.siouxcitylibrary.org.
Watch a magic trick at www.siouxcityjournal.com.
Unfortunately Sioux City magician Patrick Bottaro couldn't get the ketchup bottle to disappear from the bag on his first, second or third attempt.
He then asked the children to close their eyes and think of their favorite food to put ketchup on.
"I'm sorry," Bottaro said while crumpling the paper bag in his hand. "That trick isn't going to work."
The children pointed and screamed in amazement.
Bottaro, a University of Iowa film major and 2006 graduate of Bishop Heelan High School, performed an assortment of magic tricks as part of the library's summer reading program.
Bottaro started dabbling in magic when he received a few magic tricks for his fifth birthday. Years later he joined the Sioux City Magic Club and performed his first show at the library.
"Magic just grew on me," he said. "I just started to love it."
Bottaro said he especially enjoys performing for little children because some of them still believe in magic.
"I've been where they've been," he said. "It's fun to see what works and what doesn't work."
Bottaro kicked off his magic show by turning a green feather red.
While holding the feather in his hand, Bottaro bent down behind a maroon case on wheels to search for some magic dust.
"I can't find it," he exclaimed.
The tip of the green feather turned red before the children's eyes. When Bottaro stood up, the entire feather was green again.
"When you were down there, is was changing colors," a boy yelled.
With the help of the children, Bottaro brought some color to a black and white coloring book without using markers or crayons.
The children grabbed colors from their clothing and threw them toward the book. When Bottaro opened it, the pages were perfectly colored in bright hues.
When the children were ordered to throw the colors back, not only were the colors gone, but also the black lines. They weren't supposed to throw the black back.
An astonished child uttered, "That was awesome."
Jeanette Bobeen, youth services manager, said the magic show is just one of many programs being offered by the library this summer.
"We still have several things coming up," she said. "We tried for a variety of ages and interests."
Tinker's Coin Productions of California will perform a puppet show at 11 a.m. Monday at the Wilbur Aalfs Library, 529 Pierce St., and at 2:30 p.m. at the Morningside Branch Library, 4005 Morningside Ave.
"We had them here about a dozen years ago and it was just an excellent program," Bobeen said.
For a list of programming visit the library or log on to www.siouxcitylibrary.org.
Watch a magic trick at www.siouxcityjournal.com.
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