Abrakadabra

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- Remember your sixth birthday and your mom hired a magician to do magic tricks for you and your friends?  Then when it came to your turn to help the magician you started to cry and run to mommy?  Phlagleblast was just like a six year old's birthday party.  Phlagleblast was an event at CSU Sacramento, located in the University Union on Septepmber 15, 2010.  The purpose of Phlagleblast was to familiarize students with the different departments that students wouldn't normally come across on a day-to-day basis.  Some of the departments were the: ASI office, Police Station and the Information Desk.  

As you approach the Union, students receive a map/puzzle piece of the Union.  At each stop they learn what the certain department does and get a stamp on the map.  Some stations of Phlagleblast were: KSSU, on campus radio station, Mellow Me Out had a massage station and a taste-testing table for Muscle Milk.  The theme for this year was Safari.  

The Union looked like you had stepped into the jungle.  It was decorated with paper monkeys and leaves hanging from the second floor and paper statues of trees.

During my excursion, I found on the second level of the Union a magician linking chains.  He made the chains into different shapes, such as: a swing, a four leaf clover and a flower.

Dennis Loomis is the name of the magician.  He's been doing magic since 1970.

Loomis has always been amazed with magic.  At a young age, Loomis received his first magic kit for a Christmas present.  Magic was a hobby at first, but as he attended the University of Michigan he knew he wanted to make magic his profession.  Loomis graduated in 1968, with a double major in Psychology and English Literature with a minor in Dramatic Arts.  

His father wanted him to become a civil engineer and join the family business, but Loomis had other plans.  Both parents were supportive of his choice in career, however his mother was concerned with the security of his choice.  

Harry Houdini was his favorite magician growing up.  Houdini died in 1926, so Loomis wasn't able to see him in action, however he read a lot of books on him.  

At the start of Loomis' career, his mentor Dick Oslund, helped him to learn tricks and how to entertain people.  Oslund was a former magician, but took some time off to work for Boy Scouts of America.  Oslund lived in near by city and heard Loomis was interested in doing magic.  Once Loomis began his professional career in magic, Oslund re-entered the realm of magic and continues to do what he loves.  

Today, David Copperfield is his favorite magician.  Loomis met Copperfield when he was only thirteen years old.  Loomis has mentored Copperfield and even created an illusion act that Copperfield has performed. "He's a hard-working guy and very talented."

When asked what his favorite part of his profession was, Loomis responded, "Working with people."  He enjoys entertaining people and he says he likes the process you have to go through to learn new tricks. 

His two favorite tricks to perform would be linking rings and a card trick, where he tells the contestant to pick a card (2 of hearts, ace of spades, etc...).  On the back of every card is a name, like: Rose, Bud, Phil, etc.  Once you have chosen a card, he will tell you the name on the back of the card.  In this case, I chose the 2 of hearts, and he told me Phil would appear.  And what do you know, Phil was on the back of the 2 of hearts.

This has been the sixth or seventh year in a row Loomis has performed at Phlagleblast for CSUS.  They have even invited him again to participate next Fall.