July 19, Soldier Field, Chicago - I'm Performing for Special Olympics 40th Anniversary!

Yep! You read it right! I will be performing magic at Soldier Field on Chicago's Magnificent Lake Front from 12:30 to 3:30PM, this Saturday!

This event, honoring all of the Special Olympians of the last 40 years, is a great honor for me as I will be sharing the venue with some of the most talented performers in the world as well as these wonderfully skilled and talented athletes.

I've included their Press Release, below, for your reference.

About the 40th Anniversary
“Born in Chicago”
Special Olympics Chicago's 40th Anniversary Celebration Festival

This year, 2008, marks an amazing milestone — the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first Special Olympics event. Chicago takes great pride in the history of this amazing global movement, having been the site of the first games at Soldier Field and the home to some of the early visionaries.

As an athlete, family member, official, volunteer, donor or other supporter of Special Olympics Chicago you know the power of our games, and what Special Olympics Chicago has meant to so many people. Just imagine how many lives Special Olympics Chicago has touched throughout 40 years, as the games have expanded from one day at Soldier Field in 1968 to thousands of competitions in 175 countries worldwide.

Special Children’s Charities/Special Olympics Chicago invite you to join us at the “Born in Chicago” 40th Anniversary Celebration Festival July 19 at Soldier Field! Come out to share your passion for Special Olympics Chicago with hundreds of other past and present athletes, families, volunteers, donors and other supporters.

The event will start with a traditional Olympic torch run, ending at Soldier Field and kicking off a day of live music, games for children, sporting activities, food and drink, jugglers, magicians, inflatable offerings and more! We will also be providing a family and athlete resource area with information from Special Olympics Chicago partners. In addition, we will be displaying photos from the past 40 years of inspiring Special Olympics games.

Festival admission and parking are free! No registration is necessary for the general public. If you are accompanying a Special Olympics athlete, please register the athlete, call Special Children’s Charities to request a physical registration form (312) 527-3743.

WHAT: Special Olympics Chicago 40th Anniversary Celebration Festival

WHEN: Saturday, July 19 – 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: Soldier Field Chicago, South End
PARKING: Free! Waldron Garage, just south of Soldier Field

I'll see YOU there!

Lee Darrow, C.H.

Find more photos like this on HypnoThoughts.com


This is some of what I do for a living. I know - it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!

Enjoy the slide show!

A THREE Show Day

Yesterday was a busy day for me. THREE shows in less than 18 hours...

It started out with my leaving the house at about 8:30AM and driving 90 minutes to South Bend, Indiana to perform my Holiday Hypnosis Show for a real estate management and sales company for their holiday party. The drive was fine, the audience was wonderful, the venue was quite nice, but the sound system almost blew up!

All during the part where I hypnotize the volunteers, the sound system kept emitting these incredibly loud and random POPs and CRACKLEs and BANGs!, even after I had turned the microphone and my computer (where I keep the shows music) off!

Fortunately, I have a good speaking voice for large groups and the show went very well, although in a slightly different direction that I had originally planned.... the client, however, was absolutely delighted and that's what counts!

Then, it was off to the North Side of Chicago for another company party for two regional offices of AFLAC Insurance (yes, the duck advertisement people). Unlike the first show, this one was my Strolling Magic Program, working the crowd, doing coins, cards, rubber bands and my trademarked magical mania. These folks are a great group, too!

Finally, it was off to the United Center for a 90 minute set doing Magic and Mind-reading for the crowds for the Chicago Bulls vs the Knicks game. This is my fourteenth year of working for the Bulls organization, through their event planning contractors and I am deeply appreciative and honored to be a part of these shows.

So, if you ever attend a Bulls game and see me performing in the halls as part of the paid entertainment, please stop by and introduce yourself and mention that you saw this page!

Yesterday was a busy day for me. THREE shows in less than 18 hours... and I loved every minute of it!

Happy Holidays!

See me at Vida Lounge Aug 29th in Chicago!

Place: Vida Lounge, located at 1248 W. George St. in Chicago, Illinois. (That's just north of Diversey on Lincoln for those of you not familiar with the area)

Date: August 29th, 2007

Time: 8PM to 11PM

What: A talent showcase for event planners, club owners, hotel programming managers, talent agents and anyone else interested in using great talent for their upcoming events!

I (Lee Darrow), will be performing both standup material (possibly some short parts of my stage hypnosis act) AND strolling magic as well as doing some sit-down magic and mentalism during the evening along with about 20 other artists, musicians, poets and performance artists.

Price: $10 (we have to pay for the space after all)

The bar will be there serving drinks and I understand that there may even be some food as well...!

So contact me directly for tickets because you will not get in without one!

Come see why magic is on the upswing in Chicago and just how hypnotic your evening can be!

Another Scare

First, to address those effected by the collapse of the bridge in the Minneapolis area, please know that my prayers are with you all and will be in the months and years to come.

Speaking of which, I went to the doctor yesterday.

You see, I found a lump about 2 weeks ago. With my history and my family's history, this was a scary thing, in and of itself.

What made it really scary for me was that the lump is sitting on my right hand. In the middle. On the back. On a tendon.

Well, you can imagine what went through my mind... being a cancer survivor, that's always the first thing to run through the little gray cells... the Big 'C' sitting on your means to a living... or could it be the start of some lumpy form of arthritis? The crippling kind? Or maybe a calcium deposit?

Well, the doc took one look at it, poked and prodded it, had me flex my hand a few times and made his pronouncement - it's a ganglion cyst.

Sounds scary, doesn't it?

Well, it's not. It's really nothing more than a hernia of the sheathe of the tendon - and, if there is no pain happening, it's essentially a "nothing to do" issue. No loss of mobility, sensation, flexibility or future ability. Just a little lump that looks like I have an alien critter or implant in my hand...

Hmmmm.... I wonder if I can come up with some sort of magic effect that actually USES the silly thing...?

May all of your scares be as lacking in real substance!

Harry Potter Prediction - no I haven't read it yet!

Harry Potter actually is Godric Griffindor.

Harry pulled Godric's sword out of the Quizzing Hat in book 1 - "only a TRUE Griffindor could have pulled THAT out of the hat!"

Harry is a member of the Order of the Phoenix - a phoenix dies and rises, reborn from its own ashes, like Harry did, from the ashes of his "parent's" house.

JK's been hinting at this throughout the books - all of the long life spells and methods of extending life, building a new body and so on. THIS is the way that Griffindor is able to take on the heir of Slytherin (who becomes possessed of the spirit OF Slytherin, himself!), throughout the centuries!

It's a neat plot twist and one that JK would not get lynched for by her fans nearly as badly as actually killing Harry for, but which would still end the series just as definitely.

Lee Darrow, July 20, 4:21PM CDT