MAGICIANS HOME TOUR

In the past, there used to be tours of the magicians homes in Colon, but as you might imagine, waking up and having a tour bus in your front yard is not an ideal situation. Below is a list of some of the magician homes that were on the tour but have since passed on.

Neil Foster - Neil was one of the performers at the Gala Coronation Conviviality in London England when Elizabeth II was crowned Queen. Queen Elizabeth was so impressed with his floating ball routine she requested to meet him during the intermission. Neil moved to Colon in 1959 where he was employed as Vice President of the Abbott Magic Company. Neil and his wife Jeanette lived at 201 Goodell in Colon MI.

Donald "Monk" Watson - Monk got his start in Vaudeville and worked for three seasons with Benjamin Kubelsky, who later changed his name to "Jack Benny". In 1926 Monk assembled an 18 piece stage band called the "Keystone Serenaders" and hired a poor prize fighter called Packy East as a dancer to work in front of the band. Packy East is better known as Bob Hope. Monk did 5,000 performances at the Detroit Riviera Theater with Bob Hope, Edgar Bergen, and many others. Monk lived at 546 E. State Street in Colon MI.

The Amazing Conklins - In World War II, Jerry Conklin traveled for 21 months with the Special Service, entertaining military personnel in 5 European countries. Jerry and his wife Shirley began traveling with their own show, which later expanded with their children, Mike and Cindy. They were now called "The Amazing Conklins and moved to Colon in 1961. When not traveling, Jerry worked as a demonstrator at Abbott-s Magic Company. The Amazing Conklins lived at 608 Maple Street in Colon MI.

Percy Abbott - Best known as the founder of Abbott-s Magic. He was an Australian magician who toured quite extensively in his youth. During one of these tours he became associated with Harry Blackstone and the two of them opened a magic shop in Colon called the Blackstone Magic shop which ran for about 18 months before the two had a falling out. Percy remained in Colon and founded the Abbott Magic Shop in 1934. When Percy died in 1960 his obituary appeared all over the world. The lawyer who handled his estate received a letter from a Marjorie Abbott in Australia. It seems Percy was already married with two daughters when he came to Colon and got married. Needless to say the entire community of Colon was shocked by this and no one in town ever knew Percy-s secret. The Abbott home no longer exists as it had to be removed to facilitate a curve in State Highway M-86. Today a funeral parlor is the closest building to the Abbott home location.

Ted and Sally Banks - Ted Coppin came from England with Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin. He married Della and she joined the stage troupe. Their stage names were Ted and Sally Banks. On March 9, 1960, Sally appeared on "This is your Life" with Harry Blackstone. Ted and Sally lived at 109 Mill in Colon MI.

Harry Blackstone - One of the more prominent stage magicians of the early 1900-s. His son, Harry Blackstone Jr. said that this "summer" home was the only permanent home the family had as they were on the road from Labor Day till Memorial day. While the home of Harry Blackstone is still here, it is not easily accessible, and it is a private home. If you feel you must get close, take the upper drive of Blackstone Island. If you try to drive down the lower drive you will find yourself on a private lawn with very little room to turn around. Please do not try it.

Recil Bordner - Originally a mind reader, Recil later switched to magic. He became a partner in Abbott-s Magic with Percy Abbott in 1934 and the partnership lasted for 25 years. When Percy retired, Recil became the sole owner of Abbott-s Magic in 1959. Recil, along with Percy Abbott and Harry Blackstone, are credited with bringing Colon the title of "Magic Capital of the World". Recil and his wife lived at 233 North Blackstone Avenue in Colon MI.

Gordon Miller - He currently has the record for the most "Magic Get Together" appearances as a performer with nearly 50. In addition, Gordon worked at Abbott-s Magic Co. for 44 years. Gordon and his family lived at 306 St. Joseph Street in Colon MI. Pete and Millie Bouton - The brother of Harry Blackstone with Harry being the front man and Pete working behind the scenes. Pete and his wife Millie retired on Blackstone island and lived there till their final days at 3423 North Blackstone Ave.

Tom Mullica - After working at Abbott-s, Tom moved to Atlanta where he went to bar tender school and then opened the Tom Foolery Magic Bar Theater. In 1996 Tom wrote "Red Skelton - A Performance Tribute" that is now featured in theaters across America and Canada. Tom lived at 230 E. State Street in Colon MI.