Daryl Howard Magic

I've just spent four days in Seattle with my nephew and friends for the Christmas holidays. I was invited to three really fun parties, but only got to perform my magic show at one of them, and this is the only photo that I was able to bring back! That's me looking like Waldo in the Seattle airport. Hope all of you had a wonderful holiday. (Maybe next time I'll hire a photographer!)

Hope all of you loyal readers out there are having a great holiday season. That's me with friends at the annual Dallas Magic Club Christmas party. We have what we call a "white rabbit" gift exchange every year, and this year I got . . . take a deep breath . . . are you ready? . . . a tribble from the original Star Trek episode entitled "Trouble With Tribbles"! Just what I need, a pet that doubles as a kitchen sponge! All I need now is a tiny little top hat to put it in! And Jeff Hallberg, aka Santa Claus, and his wife joined us for the festivities. By the way, if you would like to be a part of the Dallas Magic Club's events, be sure to e-mail me for details. Don't let me have all the fun!

Well, I never thought I'd see the day, but that's me at Times Ten Wine Cellars in Dallas performing my close-up magic show at my own 60th birthday party! That's right, I've hit the big SIX OHHH, and I'm just getting warmed up! I was joined by my friends and family who have helped me produce my magic show: Wes & Beth Howard, who manage my website and online presence, son Kenneth, who was my stand-in photographer for the evening, Son-in-law Justin and daughter Sheena, employee Jason and his girlfriend, and, finally, Philippe and Patricia Semprez, the filmmakers who helped me produce the videos for my website. The biggest surprise of the evening was the rabbit-in-the-hat birthday cake, provided by my party planner, Cinde Sanders with Amazing Attractions. Thanks to everybody for making this my most memorable birthday party so far! You can see even more photos on my Facebook page .

Well, I didn't think I would ever get to see Australian mentalist Charles Gauci again in Dallas, but lo and behold, he did return for another great and entertaining lecture! I am grateful to Charles for sharing some of his awesome secrets with me to help me improve my own magic show. By the way, the magic lectures that I attend are hosted by the Dallas Magic Clubs, and are open to anyone that has a genuine interest in learning the art and craft of magic. E-mail me if you want more info.

It was great to get to take a day off from business and the magic show to relax and spend Thanksgiving Day with my family. That's me on the right in the family photo. Actually, I didn't exactly take the WHOLE day off from my magic show. I did get to spend some time entertaining my three-year-old great nephew Pike with my floating cup illusion! Hope everyone out there reading this also had a wonderful holiday.

You may not recognize me in my Western duds, but that's me at the annual Pizza Hut Corporate Picnic, entertaining Pizza Hut employees and their families. We were able to turn a meeting room into an old Western Saloon, where guests enjoyed magic shows, carnival games with prizes, and even a jail that you could break out of! Everyone had a great time, especially the performers, who appear in the group shot. After I rest up a bit, I'll be ready to do it all over again!

I recently had the privilege of attending a lecture here in Dallas by international FISM contest winning magician David Sousa, pictured here with me. David shared with all of us in attendance the knowledge and creative talents that went into his award-winning act. If you haven't seen David perform, just Google his name and you can watch the whole act set to music. It was fascinating to watch him take us step by step through each move and sleight that made the presentation work so well. Thanks to David Sousa and the Dallas Magic Clubs for hosting this most educational lecture. By the way, these lectures are open to anyone who has a serious interest in learning the art and craft of magic, and we have several more lectures and workshops coming up in the near future. I will keep you posted with dates and times, but don't hesitate to e-mail me if you want more information.

I've just attended the annual Texas Association of Magicians convention in Fort Worth. It was great seeing magician Kevin James again. You may remember seeing him on America's Got Talent. He performed his stage act at the convention, and also hosted a very educational lecture on close-up magic, which I was able to attend. But the highlight of the convention for me was getting to meet Max Howard, the very first magician to ever win an Emmy award for his performance as a post Civil War magician. He gave a lecture, tailored specifically for magicians, on how an actor prepares his character and material for the stage. He took a simple magic prop that anyone can buy from a magic shop, and reshaped it into a magnificent theatrical presentation. He also mentioned to me that he may put together more lectures for magicians on showmanship and presentation. I am looking forward to that!

Just had the time of my life at the annual Summer Splash party, hosted by local entertainers Dal Sanders and his lovely wife Cinde. From left to right, that's young magician and new member of the Dallas Magic Club Caleb Westeen, me, outgoing President of the Society of American Magicians and party host Dal Sanders, and current Dallas Magic Club President Frank Seltzer. The second photo shows me with my friend Jeff Hallberg, aka Santa Claus. I couldn't have asked for better company at a backyard pool party! Thanks to Dal and Cinde, and everyone who worked hard to make the party a great success.

I recently got to help my great nephew Pike celebrate his third birthday with a little "flower magic". Paper flowers are easy to make, as the photos illustrate, and they make a great gift to give out as a souvenir after a magic show. Kids love them more than any complicated sleight-of-hand. I made these out of multi-colored tissue paper that was used to wrap one of his presents. They can also be made out of a paper dinner napkin when performing walk-around magic at a dinner party.

I've just attended a lecture here in Dallas by award-winning magician, author, and magic creator Wayne Houchin. That's me on the left in the second photo, with Wayne on the right. I must say, this was one of the most entertaining and educational lectures that I've ever attended. Wayne kept us on the edge of our seats with his stunning magic effects, and I learned a lot of new material that I can use in my show. It is not easy to fool a room full of magicians, but Wayne certainly did! Thanks to Wayne and the Dallas Magic Clubs for hosting this excellent event. If you would like to attend a magic lecture, or if you would like more information on the local Dallas Magic Clubs, e-mail me at darylhowardmagic@gmail.com, and I will keep you posted on upcoming events.

The Dallas Magic Clubs just hosted a great lecture by famous Scottish magician Peter McLanachan. That's me on the left in the photos with Peter, learning some really superb card magic. Thanks again to Mark Jensen and the Dallas Magic Clubs for hosting this enjoyable and educational lecture.

If you want to know more about my life history and how I got started performing magic, please take time and listen to the podcast interview on John Selig Outspoken , now available online for your listening pleasure. Don't forget to write and let me know what you think after you head over and give it a listen.

If you have been wondering what I've been up to lately, I have some exciting news. I have just performed in the Dallas Magic Club's "Best Performing Magician in Dallas" contest. This was my very first time to ever enter a magic competition. The competition was fierce, but I actually think I have a shot at winning! The bad news is, I won't know the results until they are announced at the Magic Club annual banquet on May 20. But, several well-respected, experienced professional entertainers, some of whom were judges in the contest, approached me after the show to tell me what a great job I did. Even if I don't win, I had a great time, and got some experience performing. Thanks to the officers of the Dallas Magic Clubs for producing the show and giving me the opportunity to compete. And thanks to Caleb Westeen, one of our newest club members, and his wife Geneva for volunteering to help me on stage. I've included a few photos of my performance, along wit...

I just had the rare opportunity to attend a lecture by one of the most famous and talented mentalists in the world, Marc Salem! Marc has performed his mentalism show on Broadway, has been featured on Sixty Minutes, and performed in theaters all over the world. He almost never lectures or shares his work with other magicians, so it was a real honor to be invited to hear him speak. He shared some very private, unpublished material with us, which I am looking forward to including in my show. Thanks, Marc, for taking the time to share your knowledge with us.