Member's Profile: Dennis Deneron
I live in Trout Lake, Northwest Territories, a community of 70 people. There is no road access except for 3 months in the winter when an ice road is created. In fact, the community was offered a road and voted against having one built. During the remainder of the year access is by small plane only.
Trout Lake was established in the early 1960's. There was no electricity until 1987, and no telephones until 1988. We had only one mobile phone among us! We have one small Health Clinic for emergencies. People who are very ill are flown to Yellowknife, 3 hours flight North.
We are 50 miles northwest of the B.C. and Alberta borders. The largest community near Trout Lake is Fort Simpson, 120 miles north. The population there is about 1300. In other words, we are 100 miles from nowhere.
All the residents of Trout Lake live off the land, hunting, fishing or trapping. The lake after which our community is named, is 40 miles long and at it's narrowest, 2 miles wide. It is known to have the best spring Pickerel fishing in the area.
I became interested in magic in 1989 when I was 18 years old. no one in the comminity had heard about magic until then. At the time, I was Recreation Coordinator, and a friend mentioned that he had heard some clips of magic shows on television. It immediately caught my interest. I looked in the phone book and found Hocus Pocus magic shop in Edmonton, Alberta. We still had only one phone in the community. I called the toll free number, and the sales person suggested the Mark Wilson Complete Course in Magic. I ordered it C.O.D., along with a top-hat, magic wand and a catalog. I waited patiently for a week...finally...I received a C.O.D., card from the post office. Eagerly, I sent the payment and received my parcel on the next flight. I took the day off work, and read the book, and started practicing card magic. Within a couple of days I was performing my first card magic. I later expanded my repertoire to include such things as money, rope, silk and hankerchief magic. A crowd would quickly gather to watch me perform my card miracles. As I mentioned, no one in the community had seen magic before, so for them, it was like a miracle.
I didn't have much money in those days, so most of my props were inexpensive, bought through mail catalogue. Later I bought the first 2 volumes in The Tarbell Course in Magic, and expanded the set as time went by. Later I asked Edmonton for a close-up case, and they referred me to Morrissey Magic in Toronto. They had just what I wanted, and now I can carry most of my props in it to perform at small shows. I began performing at Halloween parties, birthday parties and at larger gatherings. I seemed to require more and more props, most of which I purchased at Hocus Pocus, until they closed. Later I found other magic suppliers: Perfect Magic, Browser's Den, Scott's Magic Emporium, and of course Morrissey. I began buying bigger props, along with 4 doves and 2 white rabbits.
I have travelled to other small communities such as Fort Liard, Fort Simpson and Jean Marie River to perform magic. People have started referring to me as "The Magic Man". I have invested about $25,000 in instructional material and props.
I have been the Chief of Trout Lake for 9 years and I rarely have the opportunity to practice magic. I look forward to a time when I will be able to pursue my hobby in greater depth. If I have a chance to go to Edmonton or Calgary, I will always drop into the magic shows to buy more props. Once the magic bug bits... I have requested to perform at carnivals and large meetings such as assemblies in my area but I have had to tell them that I don't have time to practice and prepare.
Not only am I the Dene Chief, I am also the locksmith, gunsmith, woodworker and a heavy equipment operator. My passion, however, will always be magic.
Dennis Deneron
