Anchorage magician Don Russell, who has taught in Kodiak’s Magic Theater Camp during Sum’Arts for Kids for several seasons, returns to our island for a week of events.

Russell starts off Sunday at the Salmonberry Festival in Chiniak, teaches his Magic Theater Camp for five days, takes the stage Tuesday night for his community magic show, visits the local library Thursday to promote its summer reading program, and finishes up the week with a student show Friday evening.

Russell will entertain in the afternoon at the Salmonberry Festival in Chiniak. He heads straight out the road after landing in Kodiak to wow the crowd with close-up magic tricks. Card tricks, coin things, ropes, and small illusions round out Don’s “hands-on” show at the Festival. His hilarious and imaginative impromptu magic out in Chiniak is a great introduction for the week to come.

Russell has taught several seasons during Sum’Arts for Kids, the summer fine arts program sponsored by the Kodiak Arts Council and the Kodiak Island Borough School District. This year the camp has 18 campers ages 9-15. Russells’s son Zane accompanies him on this trip to help during camp and behind the scenes during shows.

The camp focuses on magic as a performing art and teaches the tricks of the trade as well as theater performance, scripting, routining, staging, costuming, movement and music. Russell also teaches the technical aspects of providing an entertaining and magical theater experience.

The Tuesday night show for the community highlights Russell’s tricks and illusions. His fast-paced show develops a strong comedy line with volunteers from the audience helping to do all sorts of colorful tricks. The excitement starts with some unbelievable sleight of hand involving balls, ropes, handkerchiefs, balloons and odds and ends. He incorporates music and some choreography into the shows

As the program progresses, the illusions become more and more phenomenal with lots of audience interaction. Audience members can volunteer to be a crazy “ghost-in-a-box,” the floating girl, or the “light fantastic,” with four fluorescent lights penetrating your body. The shows are appropriate for all ages and promise fun for the entire family.

Thursday at 7 p.m. Russell appears at the A. Holmes Johnson Memorial Library to promote its summer reading program, “Paws, Claws, Scales, & Tales.” This is the state theme for library reading programs, and the magician has been busy entertaining the crowds at Anchorage libraries. His presentation will be a close-up opportunity to explore the mysteries of magic through books and reading.

The library show will feature zany adventures torn right from the pages of exciting books, “Dirty Hare-y,” the “Apple, Orange, & Lemon bit,” “How to Catch a Lion,” the “Mentally Blown Up Bunny” and, of course, the floating girl. The show will also feature excerpts from Russell’s books “My Dog and His Fabulous Adventures” (Books 1 and 2). This hour-long event is free for readers of all ages.

This article was provided by the Kodiak Arts Council. Natasha Zahn Pristas is coordinator of the Sum’Arts for Kids program.