Local pre-teen has tricks up his sleeve
By: Lacey Korevec
Cranbury Lions Club member Bob Virgadamo was out to eat with some friends five years ago when he met 11-year-old George Murray III, of Manalapan.
The boy was performing magic tricks for his family at a table nearby. Surprised by the boy’s skills, Mr. Virgadamo invited him to perform a magic show at the Lions Club Halloween party.
"I started showing him some tricks and he thought they were pretty good," said George, who will be 17 in November. "He asked me to volunteer that October and every year I’ve been asked to come back, so I have."
George is preparing to perform again this Tuesday at the Lions’ Halloween party, which will be held at 6 p.m. in the Cranbury School gymnasium.
He said he’s been doing magic since he was 5 and performs locally at schools and birthday parties. But he especially likes performing at the Halloween party because there usually is a large crowd and the children respond very positively.
"I know that the kids are usually rather young so if I make a minor mistake, it’s not as big a deal as if they were adults who might actually catch me messing up," he said. "I feel more comfortable than I think I would if I were performing solely for adults."
George said he performs all kinds of tricks, using cards and coins at times, and always tries to include some big surprises. The second year he performed, his show-stopping trick was making his aunt levitate, he said. The following year, he chained himself up in a mail sack and disappeared before reappearing in the audience.
This year, well, he doesn’t want to give away any of his plans just yet. But he said viewers should expect something major.
"I try to make a new trick every year, so it’s going to be something big," he said.
Though the Lions have offered to make it a paying gig, George refused, saying he would rather not accept money for his show.
"It’s something I was asked to do and I feel it would be better to volunteer than to get paid," he said.

