Albany mayor Doug Killian has proclaimed Sunday as Jerry Andrus Day.

There will be a reception at 2 p.m. at the Venetian Theater in downtown Albany.

The eventwill be sponsored by Ring 238 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, and will be emceed by local magician Rick Rogers.

Event coordinators say it's possible a magician or two from Las Vegas may attend the event.

Andrus has lived in Albany most of his life and is internationally known as a performing magician and inventor of optical illusions.

He has performed at the famous Magic Castle in Hollywood for decades and been featured on numerous television programs throughout the world.

Andrus has written more than 20 books on the subject of performance magic and optical illusions. Some have been developed into toy versions that have been sold in toy stores across the country.

He is constantly lecturing on related subjects and often flies to other countries as a guest at various gatherings and conventions.

Andrus is held in high regard by other performers and has often welcomed international stars to his Albany home such as David Copperfield, Penn and Teller, and others who have come to meet with him and seek his advice.

A recent three part video series on Andrus, "My Life in Magic", is a best seller around the world. He is also known to amateur magicians, as well as professionals, for his close up magic effect "Linking Pins" which many feature in their present acts.

The day's sponsors say his international reputation reflects well on Albany and is an inspiration for local amateur and professional performers who now belong to two separate magic clubs in Albany.

Andrus is also known as a favorite with local children in his neighborhood and has hardly ever refused to take time to show them a new trick, or to help them with a trick they were trying to develop.

For decades his home was a popular stop for hundreds of children on Halloween where he would always devise something to "trick" them, which proved to be the real "treat" remembered by many for years to come.

Albany Democrat-Herald