By Linda Bailey, Student Reporter

Jordan Ellis grew up loving magic, so he was excited to hear that illusionist David Copperfield will be performing in Abilene.

“My dad is a magician, and we watch David Copperfield on TV together,” Ellis said.

Ellis, sophomore youth and family ministry major from Atlanta, said he wanted to see the show and plans on attending the performance.

“David Copperfield is a great magician, and to see him live would be a great privilege,” he said.

Other students are glad Copperfield is coming but say the ticket prices might be too steep for their budgets.

Bonnie Worley, sophomore undeclared major from Mount Vernon, is one of these students.

“I wish I could go because it sounds really exciting, but as a college student, I don’t have that much extra money to spend on entertainment,” Worley said.

However, she said she appreciates the variety of entertainment possibilities offered in Abilene.

“I think it is really great that Abilene brings in different kinds of entertainment,” Worley said.

The illusionist will perform two shows at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday at the Abilene Civic Center. Tickets range in price from $34.50 to $54.

Copperfield will be in Abilene during his An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion tour, which began at the beginning of the year. His show will let the spectators watch their “dreams come true” before their eyes, according to his Web site. It is an interactive show that allows the audience to “participate in illusions that blur the line of magic and reality.”

Copperfield began performing magic when he was 12 years old. Some of his biggest illusions include making a jet and the Statue of Liberty disappear, levitating across the Grand Canyon and escaping from a straightjacket while hanging 10 stories from flaming ropes over a bed of flaming spikes. He also performs an assortment of sleight-of-hand tricks.

Copperfield performed in Abilene in 2006. His performances Saturday, as described by his Web site, will be “an evening of wonders you’ll never forget.”