by Matt Arado from the Daily Herald:
There were plenty of illusions and trickery onstage Sunday at the Arcada Theatre, but the emotion was 100 percent genuine.
The third annual Believe in Magic event, a fundraiser for the National Association for Down syndrome, brought professional magicians from around the Midwest to the St. Charles theater on Sunday. The entertainment was led by Carol Stream-based magician Paul Lee, a 35-year professional who performs more than 300 show a year. Lee opened up the show with a few of his own tricks, including one in which he made a cute little girl seem to appear onstage out of thin air.
The girl was Lee's niece Teagan, who was born with Down syndrome in 2007. Lee struggled to keep his emotions in check when he introduced her to the crowd.
"She is the reason I'm doing this today," he said.
During a quick interview before the start of the show, Lee said he was delighted to see hundreds of people streaming into the Arcada on Sunday.
"It's amazing," he said. "I'm so grateful for everyone who helped put this together."
