By Whitney Donohue

Moapa Valley Progress

Young volunteer apprentice Roy helps magician Tony Daniels to float volunteer Hailee V on thin air at a magic show presentation given by Daniels at the Moapa Public Library on Saturday afternoon. Photo by Whitney Donohue.

Giggles and laughter from more than 30 children filled the Moapa Community Center on Saturday. The cause? Tony Daniels, magician extraordinaire appeared at the Moapa Public Library as part of the Library’s Summer Reading Program.

For the last twenty-two years, Daniels has been making young audiences laugh out loud to his creative, and hilarious, magic show. A staunch supporter of reading, Daniels has been a part of the Clark County Library District’s summer program for twelve years.

As a child, Daniels saw a magician at his local library. Enthralled, he decided he too wanted to be a magician. When he voiced this desire to his local librarian he was pointed towards the magic section of the library, Daniels said. And he’s never looked back.

In fact, Daniels has performed for audiences worldwide, which have included such celebrities as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Henry Winkler.

“I’ve performed for a lot of people,” Daniels said. “But my favorites are always the kids. They make me laugh, and I love to make them laugh.”

Daniels lives in Palm Springs, CA. He travels throughout Southern California and Southern Nevada, spreading magic wherever he goes.

Involving the audience in his show, Daniels pulled several young helpers to assist him in putting on the show. These magician’s apprentices helped Daniel’s make a dove appear out of a balloon, make items disappear, create candy out of thin air, and help another apprentice float in the air.

Not only does Daniels perform for the library, he also does shows for the local schools. In fact, this year, it looks as if Daniels will be spending a lot of time in Clark County, as he just agreed to perform in many of the schools here.