FULLERTON : Magician Lends Help to Library Program

He was just a shy little kid who could only manage a card trick when he first started.

Now Ron Porter performs at magic shows around the world.

But he will be slipping back into his hometown library in Fullerton on Tuesday afternoon to show other kids a thing or two.

Porter will be at the main library at 4 p.m. and the Hunt Branch Library on Thursday at 4 p.m. to launch the library’s new season of after-school programs.

The programs are offered weekly throughout the year by the library, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

They are open to children in kindergarten through sixth grades.

The idea is to encourage reading and introduce the children to different ideas and fields of study.

Porter, who is a practicing psychologist when he’s not on the road, said he got a magic kit for his fifth birthday and by age 10 was performing at the school carnival.

“The performances (as a child) helped me to meet people,” he said. “It was a great socialization tool.”

Porter said he likes to get children to participate in his show.

Sometimes they get too involved though. “Kids are very unpredictable,” he said. “Sometimes you get kids running up and going through the props.”

Library officials also plan to have storytelling, puppet shows and movies at future after-school programs, all of which will be free.