RUMFORD - Mountain Valley High School will provide the backdrop for an evening of magic and superstition Friday, April 13. Performing will be magicians from around the state: Bob Nixon, Scot Grassette, Wes Booth, Professor Miller and Dr. Wilson. Kaitlyn Grassette of the Society of Young Magicians, will be master of ceremonies.

The performance, benefiting the class of 2009, will begin at 7 p.m. in Muskie Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for student and children under 5, free. For more information, contact Grassette at grassette@gwi.net, or 369-0129.

Assembly 174 of the Society of American Magicians, based in Portland, and Ring 362 the International Brotherhood of Magicians, based in Bangor, will present Rumford dignitaries with a plaque proclaiming Rumford as Maine's capital of magic - in honor of the late Dr. James William Elliott (1874-1920), one of Maine's foremost magicians.

Rumford is the birthplace and burial place of Elliott, who was a friend of Harry Houdini. Upon Elliott's death, Houdini edited Elliott's notes into a book on magic titled "Elliott's Last Legacy." Houdini, primarily known as an escape artist, began as a card magician.

Never known as a modest man, Houdini publicly acknowleged that Elliott was without peer with respect to his skill with playing cards. Indeed, Elliott himself issued a public challenge to all magicians that he was "Champion Card Manipulator of the World." This challenge stood for 22 years. No magician dared face the Boston physician whose devotion to practice and quality was legendary.

Sunday, April 29, Ring 362 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians will honor Elliott's legacy by staging the second annual Elliott Card Challenge at 3 p.m. at the Hotel Harris. The contest is a test of skills at playing cards under demanding conditions. Contestants will each be given a new, sealed deck of playing cards of unknown design and will have up to 10 minutes to perform card magic under the watchful eyes of their peers. Booth, who was recognized as the 2006 Elliott Card Champion, will defend his title against a field of determined contestants. The public is invited to watch the challenge.