Magician to amaze all ages in Rancho Bernardo on Jan. 18

A magically-good time is in store for those of all ages attending the first “Sunday Afternoons @ 3” program of the year.

Award-winning magician Jacques Lord will perform his slight-of-hand and other magic tricks at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18 in the Ed Brown Senior Center, 18402 W. Bernardo Drive in Rancho Bernardo Community Park.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger. They can be purchased in advance from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays by going to the center or by calling 858-487-9324. Tickets can also be purchased at the show.

The International Brotherhood of Magicians San Diego Chapter named Lord its Stage Performer of the Year in 2006 and 2013. He was also named its Close-Up Magician of the Year in 2010.

While Lord is a professional magician who has been paid for performances across the country, he also considers magic a hobby since his primary career is as a geologist contracted to the Navy.

Despite his many years in the magic industry, the Rancho Bernardo resident said his Jan. 18 show will be the first time his audience buys tickets to see him perform. His other gigs have predominantly been for banquets, private parties and other events, like Grad Nite celebrations. Events he has been hired to perform at include the 75th birthday party for Qualcomm founder and philanthropist Irwin Jacobs.

“I’ve been having a lot of fun doing a lot of shows,” Lord said, adding he had eight last month.

The upcoming hour-long show will be divided into two 30-minute acts that will focus on slight-of-hand, comedy magic and other tricks that make the audience “go ‘ha-ha’ and ‘wow,’” he said. There will be a mixture of stand-up and close-up tricks and a few audience members will be called upon to join the act.

Lord has credited his interest in magic to his senior-year English teacher, Biff Smith, who did tricks in class to keep his students’ attention. After class one day Lord performed a trick for Smith and when the teacher realized his student was interested in doing magic, not just knowing how illusions were accomplished, mentored him. That led to Lord attending magic clubs, reading books on magic and spending hours in front of a mirror to make sure he could perform the tricks successfully.