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Chester-East Lincoln School to host
'Magical Just Say No'
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[OCT. 26, 2004]
Chester-East Lincoln School
will host Jon Gallagher's "Magical Just Say No Show" on Monday, Nov.
1, at 9:30 a.m. Gallagher, a nationally known magician from Elmwood,
will present magic shows that encourage students to make the right
decisions and to say "no" to drugs, alcohol, tobacco and strangers.
The show is geared for students from kindergarten through fifth
grade. |
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"The D.A.R.E. program starts in most
schools in the fifth grade," explained Gallagher. "But a lot of
times, students have already been exposed to drugs or alcohol or
cigarettes by that time. My goal is to reach the student as early as
possible and to stress that they shouldn't try these things, not
even one time." Every day,
1,000 people die due to a smoking-related disease. Another 70 are
killed by drunk drivers. And more than 1,200 people die each day due
to drug abuse. That means that every single day nearly as many
people die from preventable causes as died in the World Trade Center
attacks.
Gallagher, a former high school
English teacher, designed the "Magical Just Say No Show" and has
been presenting it to elementary schools across the Midwest for the
last three years. "The show is meant to be both entertaining and
educational," he said. "The kids have a lot of fun during the show
but at the same time receive a very powerful message that they'll
carry with them long after the show is over."
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Included in this year's show is a
segment in which Gallagher will take the principal or one of the
teachers from the school and either saw them in half with an
electric saw or put their arm in a miniature guillotine. "The
illusion will demonstrate the dangers children take when they make
the wrong choice with drugs," he explained.
Gallagher is a nationally known
magician who has been performing magic for the past 30 years. He is
known for both his stage presentations as well as his close-up work
in restaurants. In September 2002, he appeared in Las Vegas at the
Las Vegas Invitational Close Up Convention. He holds several offices
in both the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the Society
of American Magicians.
For more information on the show,
contact Gallagher at (309) 742-3216 or
jon@jongallagher.com or
the school contact, Jodi Hartman, at (217) 732-4136.
[News release]
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