Archive: Around Town

The Lansing Community Library Center capped this year's Summer Reading program with a performance by Moreland the Magician last Saturday at Lansing Town Hall.  Using a pirate theme, 'Books, a Treasure," the program encourages kids to read at least six books during the summer. 


So far 92 of the children who signed up have completed reading over 1,400 books.  Kids were given a log at the beginning of the summer, and they pledged to read at least six books.  The children who turned in their logs so far have far exceeded their pledge, averaging more than 15 books each.


David Moreland is a full-time professional magician, who has appeared on popular television shows including Seinfeld, Friends, and Becker.  Now living in Ithaca, he performs a mix of magic, character and comedy that engaged the Lansing kids from the first moment.  He involved them in the show, masterfully weaving the program theme into his act.  Moreland made himself up as a pirate, showed pirate books, made a balloon parrot and a balloon pirate saber.


Moreland generated great excitement among the children, at one point pulling a girl's arm so that she hit him in the chest, at another repeatedly pulling a hat over a young assistant's eyes.  He even involved Library Pirate Lyle Wadell, asking him if he had seen the missing Chester the rabbit, who turned out to be in the library following a treasure map to the books.  Moreland finished with a library card, the key to the treasure.  Kids who stayed longer learned how to perform three magic tricks.


Program leader Susan Rosenkoetter was pleased with the performance, and encouraged by the readers who turned out for it.  After the show, kids were given cupcakes that had been cleverly frosted to look like one big cake until Pirate Waddelle separated them.  They also got a certificate and a bag of pirate swag.  

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