The Eunice and James L. West Library and the Fort Worth Magicians Club Inc. hosted A Night of Magic on Saturday at Martin Hall.

This is the second year for the library to host a magic show with the magicians club; more than 200 library volunteers, as well as club members, attended, said Elizabeth Howard, library director.

“West Library wanted to host the show with the Fort Worth Magic Club to give something back to Wesleyan students and the surrounding community,” Howard said. “Attending a magic show can be really expensive and by bringing great magicians to our campus we can  keep ticket prices down for students and community members.”

All funds were split between the library and the magic show, Howard said. This year the library plans to contribute their half to the Kate Wiant Family Fundraiser to help her daughter in Louisiana, according to Brown.

Wiant, lead reference and instruction librarian, was killed Aug. 14 by her husband, Jeremy, who then killed himself, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The couple left behind a young daughter.

“All of us at the Library want to support Kate’s daughter as much as we can,” Howard said. “We are a family. Losing Kate to a domestic violence occurrence was very hard on all of us. This donation is one small way we can help Kate’s family.”

Eight members of The Fort Worth Magicians Club performed various acts, from card tricks and puppeteers to disappearing acts and mystifying mentalists.

“With our constant focus on social media nowadays it’s great to have the opportunity to sit back and watch great magic done by the professionals,” said Joe Brown, master of ceremonies and dean of freshman success.

The show had  performers from all over the country who have performed on multiple television shows and movies, such as American Horror Story: Freak Show, America’s Got Talent and Dallas, Brown said.

Shel “Pops” Higgins, who recently appeared on America’s Got Talent, classified his act as “one small step for man, but one giant leap for stupidity” by stepping up a ladder while strapped in straight jacket and later juggling tasers.

The library hopes to continue the magic show next year to help the library grow as well as students’ love for magic, Howard said.
“We have generated a lot of interest with the magic show and we hope to continue for our third annual magic show in fall of 2017,” Howard said.