Halloween is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate the spirit of the season than through a spooky magic show? To facilitate this, Magic by Chris is holding a family event Oct. 28 in the basement of St. Andrew’s United Church.
Chris Edwards is a local magician and is looking to host his first annual Halloween event.
“I’m a magician and entertainer here in Moose Jaw,” Edwards said. “I focus mostly on kids and family magic, but I do stuff for adults and combine magic with mentalism (as well). I also do ventriloquism, so I have a set of puppets for the really young kids. It’s kind of a bit of everything.”
Edwards said he was first introduced to magic at an early age.
“When I was younger, I got a magic kit out of the Sears Wishbook and learned everything in that. I showed my friends and family and then expanded on that,” he recalled.
“I got into magic in general (because) my cousin was a magician. He showed me stuff when I was younger and that sparked my interest. After that, just learning new things from different creators (has been) my inspiration.”
From there, Edwards’ hobby grew into a business.
Last year, Edwards performed a successful magic and mentalism show at the Moose Jaw Public Library.
“It went over well, so this year I had originally planned to do something similar. In planning, I got to thinking that I wanted to do more than just a magic show, so I reached out to some people to kind of expand what we were doing,” he said.
As a result, Edwards is moving to the larger venue offered by St. Andrew’s Church.
“We have a number of different Halloween games and activities that we have built and put together. These are all (intended) for younger kids, but we made them not overly scary and not overly challenging,” he said.
Games include Halloween-themed ring toss and a game where you are blindfolded and feel gross things like cold spaghetti and have to guess what it is.
The event will additionally have face-painting throughout the day, Halloween music, and plenty of spooky decorations.
To get in the Halloween spirit, Edwards is planning to show a family-friendly movie at the event.
“We are either going to be playing The Haunted Mansion (by Disney), or Earnest Scared Stupid. We’re going to do a vote and see what people want to watch,” he explained. The vote will be held just before the movie starts and will be conducted through a show of hands.
Vendors for the event include Tristain’s Treats and Precious Light Alchemy.
“Tristain has set up a candy booth and everybody is going to get one (free) cup of candy,” explained Edwards. Tristain’s Treats supplies rare and hard-to-find candy not otherwise found locally.
There will be a costume contest, and everyone is encouraged to dress up. “We have little trophies for the winners. We wanted to give people something where they can win, but not where other people will be disappointed or feel left out,” Edwards said.
“The magic show is going to end off the night, and that will go from 6 to 7 p.m.,” he announced.
In the magic show, Edwards will perform exclusive material that he has not performed in public before. “I wanted to have a completely different show,” he said.
Tickets for the event cost $10 each.
As the building capacity at St. Andrew’s Church is limited to 315 individuals, only 300 tickets are available after volunteers are factored in.
There are an estimated 50-60 tickets remaining. To purchase a ticket, you can get in touch with Chris at 306-631-7540 or through his Facebook page ‘Magic by Chris’.
You can also find tickets at Tristain’s Treats, located at 20 Caribou Street East. As of Oct. 27, Tristain’s Treats had 37 tickets remaining.
Anyone interested in attending the show is asked to purchase their tickets by end of day on Oct. 27, although tickets will remain available Saturday, Oct. 28 between 10 a.m. and the start of the event.
For more information, visit the Facebook page at ‘Magic by Chris Presents: First Annual Halloween Family Event’.
The event is scheduled to run from 1 – 7 p.m. on Oct. 28, 2023.
All participants are invited to bring a non-perishable item for the Food Bank. After the show, 100 per cent of donations will be presented to the Moose Jaw Food Bank.
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