This is the first of 3 unique spring 2025 magical offerings at The Burlington Performing Arts Centre. It’s great to see so much variety art scheduled so I’m doing my part with a wee blog post about each over the next few weeks.
Ted & Marion Outerbridge are veteran performers who have toured far and wide for years. I’ve seen previous performances and also attended their fine lecture for magicians. They are consummate pros through and through.
They are bringing their current show, Mysteries of The Keyhole House, to the BPAC on Sunday March 9th 2025 at 7:00 pm with a family friendly matinee on Monday March 10th in the afternoon. Visit BPAC for full info.
For your consideration and, as it happens timing wise, a great kick-off to the March Break!
A finalist on the just concluded 4th season of Canada’s Got Talent was the witty comic magician Mark Clearview.
I took extra delight watching his performances because, years ago, I did his birthday party magic show!
Back in the fall of 2023, when CGT Season 4 was in production, Mark asked to use this photo from his birthday party. It was for his background bio. Contestants progressing further through the rounds all do them. Alas, it ultimately wasn’t used, (or perhaps I blinked at the wrong moment!), but it was nice to be asked.
I’m the one on the left…
He also kindly mentioned yours truly while doing a wee bit of promo with Canada’s Magic, a respected source for news within the magic community. Lovely little shout out.
Once in a while I take a dear friend’s 90 something father out for a spin. Gives him a little adventure away from his retirement residence.
We always drive the rural roads. He grew up in the area so he’s got a story for almost all of them from Hamilton to Hagersville. Admittedly many of these stories seem to involve underage drinking in the 1940s but hey…
Recently he tossed out the random factoid that we were passing a cemetery on Book Road in Ancaster, Ontario. I notice there’s a maintained grassy area along the side of the road plus, up above, the hint of a fence line atop a steep hill.
So when I got home I look on the City of Hamilton website and, sure enough, there’s an old cemetery there: Book Cemetery.
Many of the markers are broken, weathered or being claimed by organics. As best I could see from the stones there hadn’t been a burial since 1899. I wouldn’t exactly call it a ruin though; the mowed grass and pathway tells that the City of Hamilton respectfully maintains it.
Part of our local landscape that was news to me. Worth a wee blog post I thought.
If you go… Book Cemetery is in Ancaster, Ontario. 281 Book Road East at Hwy # 6 South. North East corner. It’s pinned on Google maps. Be aware that the access path on east side takes you up a steep hill. A short hike is needed to get up there.
Gotta do at least one cemetery shot in black & white, amirite?!
The Book family were early settlers in the area. Early, as in 1789 early! Not the focus of this blog post but there is a nibble of Book Family history in this post on Facebook to get you started should you be interested.
Well that was cool! I mean actually cool too; you could feel the temperature dip moments before the main event. Happily, not long before our 1 minute & 50 second window of totality, the cloudy skies cleared just enough. The shifting cloud patterns, I imagine, made everyone’s photos more unique. We’d all have the exact same photo had it been a clear blue sky.
Wondering what to do with your eclipse glasses now? Here are some recycling & reuse options. Apparently astronomical organizations like Astronomers Without Borders collect them for reuse in underserved regions.
Like a gazillion other folks I’m looking forward to the upcoming solar eclipse. First in Hamilton since 1925. We won’t be in the path of another full solar eclipse locally until October 26, 2144!
Plenty of community outreach thanks in large measure to McMaster University and its Department of Physics & Astronomy. They are distributing proper viewing glasses throughout the region. While you can take them off for the 1 minute 50 seconds of totality we will experience locally you’ll need to wear them before & after that brief period of total darkness.
Here are a few links that should cover most everything eclipse for you:
Owen Anderson Magician 