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Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
WEDNESDAY, August 24, 2016 VOL. 49, NO. 34 75¢ islandssounder.com
NEWS | Kayakers rescued off of Sucia Island [2] CRIME | Sheriff ’s Log [3] ANIMALS | Painted Pets to benefit animal shelter [7] ARTS | Orcas Jazz Festival is on the way [9] LOCAL | OPALCO given $1 million grant [11]
County fair: Laslo on Penn and Teller barn and raised by Colleen Smith Armstrong Editor/Publisher
Colleen Smith Armstrong/Staff Photo
Kids participating in a watermelon-eating contest at the San Juan County Fair. For more photos, see page 8.
At 15 years old, Orcas Islandgrown magician Matthew Laslo stood on a Las Vegas stage in front of thousands of people to perform an original effect for Penn and Teller’s television show. “It was the best thing ever. I got really close to doing what my goal is,” said Laslo, whose dream is to headline in Sin City. He will appear in season three of “Fool Us,” which was filmed at the Rio Hotel and Casino. In the CW Network series, magicians perform for magic-comedy duo Penn and Teller and a large live audience. If the two cannot figure out how the trick was done, the winning magician earns a five-star trip to Las Vegas to perform as the opening act in Penn and Teller’s live show. Producers try to have at least one young magician grace the stage every season. Laslo, who just turned 16, is one of the youngest ever to appear. A viewing party will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. at Sea View Theatre for Orcas audiences to watch the episode as it airs. The event is free. The lounge will open at 7 p.m. and the auditorium opens at 7:30 p.m. Season three of “Fool Us” has featured Las Vegas headliners Nathan Burton and Mack King, and Laslo is a big fan of both. “It was incredible to be equals on the show,” he said. “I’ve watched them and stood in line for autographs, and now I am standing alongside them.” Laslo has been performing magic since he was a young boy and is well known in the San Juans for his sold-out shows. He has
Penn (left), Matthew Laslo and Teller (right). recently been expanding his reach with performances on the mainland. He met Johnny Thompson, a magic consultant for Penn and Teller, last year. At the time, he didn’t have a new, original trick to submit to the show. But in December 2015, Laslo experienced a moment of inspiration and knew exactly what he wanted to do. By early February, 75 islanders packed into Sea View for a live taping of the illusion. The audience had no idea what the performance was for but knew it was “something big.” A few days later Laslo submitted the video, and by mid-February his appearance on the show was confirmed. Producers screen more than 500 magicians and only 50 make the cut each season. “They really look for a brandnew, never before seen effect,” Laslo said. He and his assistant Maria Bullock flew to Las Vegas in April to film the show. He can’t divulge any details until after the episode airs. “I wasn’t expecting the experi-
Orcas School looks at Phase III of campus remodel by Mandi Johnson Sounder reporter
The first two stages of the Orcas Island School District remodel was completed last fall. Now a year later, talks of a third phase, and a new bond request to fund it, have begun. The first two phases were completed between June 2014 and August 2015. After rejecting two previous requests for bonds, one for $35 million and another for $27 million, islanders approved a $11.9 million bond in 2012 which funded the first parts of the project. Over the course of two days, Aug. 15 and 16, a meeting was held by Orcas Island School District Superintendent Eric Webb which outlined the Phase III campus updates. During the
gathering, which was held at the school library, 10 members of the community listened as Webb presented a list of renovation proposals. School Business Manager Keith Whitaker talked about a bond which will be up for voting by the island on Feb. 14, 2017. The proposed bond amount will depend on what specifics of the Phase III remodel are agreed upon. A bond to fund the construction could vary anywhere from $5 million to $8 million, with the project requiring almost $11 million to fund in its entirety. “I personally feel a lot of this is essential to the programmatic health of the school,” said Brownell. Though details of the proposal were dis-
cussed, nothing final was decided during the morning meetings. Many community members and parents said they would like to be included in the finalization of the proposal. The school board will plan an evening meeting that will allow input from the part of the community who were unavailable for the morning meetings. “I think it is essential to have an evening meeting for parents and working community members,” said Brownell, who hopes that the meeting can be scheduled for mid-to-late September and decided upon during the next school board meeting.
SEE SCHOOL, PAGE 4
Contributed photo
ence to be so nice,” he said. “I’ve heard so many bad things about filming reality television but everyone was so nice and supportive. And they really cared about magic.” Laslo has upcoming shows on Whidbey Island (Aug. 27), San Juan Island (Sept. 3) and Seattle (Oct. 15). In a year’s time, Matthew hopes to be doing as many performances as possible. “I want to be doing shows twice a night, seven days a week anywhere in the world. Realistically, I won’t be at that frequency by next year, but I will still be doing shows … I am more driven because I got an idea of what it might be like to perform in Las Vegas, but I’ve always been hooked on magic. Whether I have an audience or not.”
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