LINCOLN, NE – DAY THREE

Our last day in Lincoln started off a little rough.  Temperatures had changed dramatically since we arrived, dropping from the high 50’s to the low 20’s in just three days.  As a result, the diesel fuel in the fuel lines of our truck turn to gel and the engine wouldn’t start.  After trying for more than an hour, I had to call a mobile mechanic to come over and help.  They worked on it for 45 minutes and they could not get it to start either!  Our only option at this point was to call a tow truck and have it moved to the loading dock of the Lied Center – two blocks away…so, that’s what we did.

The crew at the Lied Center was great.  Some things are out of our control and this was one of them.  The tow truck dropped the trailer at the loading dock and then took our rig to the International Dealership in Lincoln.  For those of you who have never had the “privilege” of dealing with an International Repair Shop, it’s generally not a pleasant experience.  I did not have time to deal with this since we were already almost an hour behind schedule.

Keith and Cindy talked the crew through the non-disclosure agreement, passed out stage passes, and had everyone ready to go as I arrived with the trailer.  As soon as Ethan had the lift and ramp in place, crew started rolling in the cases.  We needed to work efficiently to get caught up and ready for the doors to open at 7pm.

The moved along at a fairly steady pace.  The crew, under the capable direction of Jeff Koch, worked well with us.  Throughout the day, I made a few phone calls to the International Dealership to check on the progress of my truck.  They would close at midnight and, if I needed to make other arrangements for transportation, I would need to do that quickly.  As is generally the case, Joel (the dude in charge of service) was not at all interested in our personal situation, the financial ramifications that could result from not having the truck ready after the show, or anything else for that matter.  The truck had been there since 11:30am and as of 5pm, he still had not bothered to get it into the shop.

We wrapped up the set up day and started preparing for the performance.  At 6pm, Ethan and I went over to the adjacent Johnny Carson Theatre to join the students from Lincoln and Seward schools that had attended our Hocus Focus workshops.  They were enjoying a private dinner provided by Time Warner Cable and then they would all be coming over to the show.  I performed a quick illusion just for them using Ann Chang-Barnes (executive director of the Lied Center) as a volunteer.  She was great and the kids loved it!

We made out way back to the mainstage to do final checks before opening the doors.  Over 1500 tickets had been sold in advance so we were expecting a great crowd!  I had already been contacted by John Chisolm, the president of the local International Brotherhood of Magicians Ring, and knew that a large group of local magicians would be attending the show.

7pm – doors opened and area residents flooded into the theatre, audibly excited in anticipation of the performance.  (I had to put the truck situation out of my mind, concentrate on the show, and realize – the hardest part for me – that this was completely out of my control.  Cindy and I placed it all in God’s hands and knew that, whatever happened, it was going to be okay.)  All of the students I had worked with the previous 2 days – dressed in green shirts – sat together in one section of the theatre.  As the show started, they cheered and remained our biggest fans of the evening.

During intermission, I went to the dressing room and made another call to the International Dealership to check on the progress of my truck.  If they were not going to have it repaired, I would need to (1) rent a car, (2) call a tow truck to move the trailer after the show to another location, and (3) figure out a plan to pick the entire rig up in Lincoln before our next performance outside of Des Moines next weekend.  That could get expensive – though Joel stated earlier he wasn’t too concerned about what it might cost me.  This time another guy answered the phone – Ed – and he was great!  They had the truck in the shop but they had not figured out why it wouldn’t stay running.  He said to give him a call after the show.

I ran back out on the stage for the second half of the performance.  The audience was even more enthusiastic than before, having had a chance to talk among themselves about what they had seen in the first half.  The second half moved quickly and, before we knew it, we were doing the Water Escape finale.

When Cindy and I took our final bow and said, “good night,” the audience erupted into an instant, spontaneous standing ovation.  It was incredible!

While changing clothes in the dressing room before heading out to a number of “meet and greets,” I phoned Ed at the International Dealership.  He said they were out driving the truck now but felt that he had fixed the problem.  It would be ready to pick up before 12 midnight – a great relief!

After getting into dry clothes, Cindy and I were whisked away to the Green Room for a special meeting with the sponsor of the show, KLKN TV 8.  From there, Cindy went back to the stage to help coordinate tear down while I went on to another room filled with about 120 students, guardians, and parents from the schools we visited.  Our host described it this way:

Immediately following the enthusiastic and unbelievable performance by Kevin and Cindy, all 120 students and their teachers/guardians rifled down to the Steinhart room and waited in silence. It was the quiet before the storm. Suddenly Kevin ran into the area and the room exploded with energy, loud clapping and whoopping noises. Questions here, answers there. Kevin signed programs, photos, arms and faces. Kids were not going to take baths (yes that was said). No one wanted the evening to end. It was the most magical Time Warner Cable Immersion Project to date. 

From the Steinhart room to the lobby – that was my next stop.  There I had the chance to talk with all the others who had attended the show and meet with the local IBM Ring.  Suddenly my phone rang.  It was Ed from International.  The truck was fixed and ready to be picked up!  I said my thank you’s and good bye’s to the crowd and ran back to the dressing room to change clothes.

After we had everything loaded off the stage and into the trailer, Jeff, from the Lied Center, would take Keith and I to the International Dealership to pick up the truck.  Ethan’s parents took Cindy back to the hotel.  Ethan spent some time with his family.

The following morning, we made our way slowly across snowy and icy interstate I-80 to Des Moines to catch our flight to Virginia.  We’ll be home until Thursday and I’m sure it’s going to go way too fast…