Kibworth & Smeeton WI.

A light-hearted Zoom meeting.

A year after our Kibworth and Smeeton WI members’ meeting in early March 2020 – just before the first lockdown – we held a meeting on Zoom. Some members had been taking part in online activities organised by the National Federation of Women’s Institutes. But, for many this would be their first meeting. A chance then to see and speak to their W.I. friends, albeit on a computer screen. The committee was looking for something light-hearted and fun. They chose Steve Price, with his, “Virtually Impossible Magic Tricks and Illusions.”

Steve was in charge!

Steve ran everything for us and stayed off-screen while everyone was joining the meeting. This gave us the opportunity to greet each other and chat briefly. This was lovely after such a long time. Preparing to start the entertainment, Steve appeared on our screens and put us all on mute (what a useful tool that is!) In order to create a bit of atmosphere, he chose a few people to be unmuted so that they could clap and cheer him! 

We were soon to realise that not only were we to enjoy very clever magic and illusion, but comedy as well. Steve came out with quips and amusing stories as he performed. He told us that, being obsessed with magic from an early age, he wanted to enter a school talent show. Telling this parents that he wanted to saw a lady in half, his mum told him he wasn’t old enough to handle a saw, while his dad said he wasn’t old enough to handle a lady!

Young Steve’s career.

The young Steve began performing in a variety of venues when he left school and by 2005 was entertaining full time. In 2012 he became a Gold Star Member of the Magic Circle and won their Originality Prize. He then went on to develop shows to suit all ages, types of audiences and occasions. When working on cruise ships from 2014 – 2020, he developed his online shows. His aim is to make people happy, he told us: “Magic is a feeling. If I’ve made you say “Ooh” and “Aah” I’ve succeeded.” 

Rubic’s cube headache?

Like many others no doubt, I’m still trying to work out what he did with a Rubik‘s cube .After showing us all of its sides and doing a couple of twists to it, with no result, he smacked it on the top of his head – bingo! Solved! How did he do that? The cube is a bit big to hide up a sleeve! All agreed that we’d made just the right choice, which we can thoroughly recommend, for our meeting – and we hope that our five new members enjoyed it too!

Our next meeting will be a guide to, “The Must-See Places of Cambridge,” – details to be sent to members. 

Pat Sharman