Now The REAL Work Begins

Hello library friends! Many may think that I put my show together a few days before the Summer Reading Program season kicks off and wing it from there.

Wellllllll....that's not the case.

I start planning my Summer Reading Program show as soon as I find out the new Summer Reading program theme. As of early January 2026, I'm planning shows for the CSLP themes of Mystery (2027), Mythical Creatures (2028 & Nature (2029). I'm also putting shows together for the iREAD themes of Outer Space (2027) and Crafts/Hobbies (2028). PLUS I'm still putting the finishing touches on my 2026 shows "Jurassic Magic" and "The Farm Fresh Magic Show."

I usually start by collecting tricks and ideas years in advance and writing them down in my special SRP planning book. Whenever I attend a magic convention, I keep these themes in the back of my mind as I look for new tricks and ideas. But my main focus is on the upcoming shows.

Right now I have Jurassic Magic and Farm Fresh ready to go, but they still need some polishing. A few days ago I performed a volunteer show at the Lydia House in Omaha. Lydia House is part of the Open Door Mission and houses families who are down on their luck. I've been doing free shows for Lydia house for decades and I love it. I enjoy giving back to the community. However, I do get something out of it, too. I get to try out my new material. The other day I did the Jurassic Magic show for them and video recorded it. Over the next few days I'll watch the video and see what need to be improved, reworked or even cut from the show. These "dress rehearsals" are important for me to be able to deliver a great show for libraries.

But there's more to it than just that. I also need to fine tune how to pack things away; how to transport things; how to set things up and how to get rid of items once the trick is done. I need to arrange the tricks so that there's a "flow". I want to stage the tricks so that I don't have two tricks in a row with volunteers or two tricks that are similar. I even fret over what I'm going to wear. Does it look too casual? Too formal? Will it be too hot for the summer? I tend to overthink things...

...but that's one of the reasons I can offer great shows for you year after year.