By Hugh Fisher
hfisher@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS ó Sometimes, it must feel like it would take a magician to make a mom’s life less stressful.
That wish was granted Saturday for about 15 mothers and their boys. While rain fell outside, they took the morning off and enjoyed a magic show, crafts and free prizes at the Kannapolis Mother-Son Day, sponsored by the Cabarrus County Library and Kannapolis Parks and Recreation.
The event was open to boys 5 to 12 years old and their mothers or female caregivers.
On arriving, each boy and his mom had a photo made by Parks and Recreation staff.
Later, the boys and their moms assembled the pictures into stand-up photo frames using clear plastic cases, colorful decorations and art supplies.
In between times, “Fish the Magish,” better known as Mike Fisher, entertained the crowd with a mix of magic tricks and educational fun.
He also taught the boys some simple illusions and gave each a bag of magic tricks to take home.
“This was a wonderful event,” Romell Johnson said while her sons finished working on their craft project. She brought Julian, 2, and Ernest, 4, from their home in Concord to attend Mother-Son Day.
Julian got to go onstage and help during a magic trick, holding a drawing of a caterpillar that was transformed into a colorful picture of a butterfly.
“It’s a great way for me to spend time with my boys,” Johnson said.
Caleb Powell, 7, put the finishing touches on his picture frame as his mother, Kelly Powell, helped apply glue to the decorations.
“We’ve been to several activities here at the library,” Kelly said.
When it was finished, she said the photo frame her son had made would go on her desk at home.
Program assistant Erin Carter of Kannapolis Parks and Recreation said turnout was strong despite rainy weather.
“We started taking reservations two weeks ahead of time,” Carter said. “By the end of the week we were full.”
This event complements the Daddy-Daughter Day the library and Kannapolis Parks and Recreation host at another time of year, in addition to other family activities.
Kathy Carrico, assistant children’s librarian at the Kannapolis branch, said families were seeking out free and low-cost entertainment as a way of saving money.
“But even without the poor economy, people are always looking for wholesome and free family fun,” Carter said.
In addition to the fun and games, Fisher’s magic show made the morning educational.
His acts are intentionally peppered with small lessons about everything from science to good citizenship.At one point, Roscoe, Fisher’s rabbit sidekick, lied about peeking during the setup of a magic trick. The boys noticed and spoke up.
That gave Fisher a chance to teach the audience about ethics.
“It’s always better to tell the truth,” Fisher said.
Another of the magic tricks he gave to the boys was a “fortune telling fish” ó a piece of red cellophane that’s meant to show someone’s mood by how it moves when placed in that person’s hand.
“This works off of static electricity,” he said, showing the boys how to make the trick work by carrying on a conversation with their audience.
At other times, he chose volunteers who were sitting down, being quiet and “grinnin’ like a possum eating briars,” as he said.
“I’m teaching them with laughter about positive character traits,” Fisher said. “Four-year-old kids can tell you why you don’t talk when someone else is talking.”The fun and educational morning was a treat for working moms who might not get as much time to spend with their kids.
That was a big plus for Debbie Becker, who brought her son, Tyler, 4, to the event.
“It’s just him and me,” she said.