WJER has teamed up with AAA Travel once again to bring you the 30^th anniversary edition of the Great Escape. This year, we’ll fly two lucky listeners to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for the vacation of a lifetime!

The winners will spend six nights and seven days at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, which features beautiful rooms, great food, seven heated pools, a quarter-mile walking/jogging trail, fishing and watercraft rentals, and more! Our winners will also receive seven-day base ticket theme park admissions. 

Stay tuned to 1450 WJER for details on where you can sign up for your chance to win the Great Escape. Registration is set to begin Monday, February 6^th!

Tune in to 1450 WJER every Monday during Kelly's show as she talks with Amy Miller of the Employment Source about the “Hot Job of the Week.” Not only will Amy give details about a specific job each week, but she'll also discuss tips, strategies, and helpful hints for job seekers.

This week’s topic: Are you in an employment state of mind?

Hot Job of the Week:

Employer seeking: Administrative Assistant

Worksite Location: New Philadelphia, Ohio

Job Order #: T-368-9

Requirements: Experience as an administrative assistant, strong background in bookkeeping or accounting preferred, computer skills, knowledge of relevant software, knowledge of operation of standard office equipment, knowledge of clerical and administrative procedures and systems, knowledge of principles and practices of basic office management, dependable, professional and courteous, capable of handling confidential information, excellent communication skills (both verbal and written), able to demonstrate regular and predictable attendance, able to meet all job safety requirements, develop and maintain effective working relationships

Job Description: Answer, screen, and transfer calls; receive and direct visitors and offenders; prepare purchase orders, fiscal data, and reports; maintain electronic and hard copy filing systems; prepare and modify documents, including correspondence, reports, drafts, memos, and email; schedule meetings; coordinate meetings; manage correspondence and requests for information; maintain office equipment; attend training sessions and conferences; other duties as assigned

How to apply: Submit a referral form to the Customer Service desk at either Employment Source location – Tuscarawas County office: 1260 Monroe Street Suite 35 (Monroe Centre), New Philadelphia, OH 44663 or Stark County office: 822 30^th Street, Canton, OH 44709. **Then apply direct by email or letter to Tuscarawas County Community Corrections** Email: studer@co.tuscarawas.oh.us or mail to: Tuscarawas County Community Corrections, Attention: Cristal Studer, 125 East High Avenue, New Philadelphia, OH 44663

Pay: $20,000 - $25,000

For more information, visit the Employment Source online at www.eswork.com.

How'd he do that?! I can't tell you how many times I heard this phrase uttered during Craig Karges' show at the Performing Arts Center at Kent State Tuscarawas on Friday, January 13^th. I have been fascinated with magic since I was a kid. In fact, I took magic lessons when I was 6^th grade, so I knew I would enjoy the show. However, I wasn't sure if my husband, who was coming along with me, would like it as much as I would. We'll find out!

Craig Karges (pronounced car-gus) has been doing magic since he was a kid growing up in West Virginia. He's made MANY appearances on TV shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Larry King Live, to name a few. His talents have taken him all over the world; he said he was headed to Bahrain in the next couple days as part of a military tour he is currently doing. Don't worry...I had to look it up on a map, too! The sheer volume of places he's been and people he has entertained just goes to show you anyone can enjoy what he has to offer.

Karges' show was divided into two parts, which I have deemed mind-reading tricks and illusions (I don't know if he would break it down like that or not, but I'm sticking with it!). The first half of the show was the mind-reading stuff. For example, an audience member picked one word off of one page inside a 280-page book, and then Karges tried to read his mind to figure out what that word was and then began writing letters on a marker board. He asked what the first letter of the word he picked from the book was. He said "n." "That's exactly what I wrote," Karges said slyly as he erased part of what he had drawn to make it look like the letter "n." But from then on, Karges had NO problem guessing anything anybody was thinking, including the serial number off of a Mexican bill a random audience member had in his wallet, phone numbers people were thinking, and audience members' birthdays (day, month, AND year).

Sure, Karges was amazing, but he was also entertaining in a funny way. Before one of his tricks, he said, "Now, this is the mind-reading portion, so you may want to clean things up." Brian Hanner, who was in attendance that evening, laughed heartily from the front row. "That guy right there..." Karges said and pointed at Hanner as if to imply he was thinking some not-so-appropriate thoughts. He developed a real rapport with the audience. When reading minds, he would say things like "forget about her" or "you've been busy!"

During the course of his show, he interacted with probably 30 to 40 different audience members, but one stood out above the rest - Brandon. Brandon had been called up on stage early in the show, and you could tell from the moment he got up there he was going to try to mess with Karges. I think he was trying to outsmart him and maybe even ruin the outcome of the trick, but of course Karges could not be bested. For the trick, Karges taped one coin over each of his eyelids using large pieces of masking tape to ensure he could not see anything. Mischievous Brandon made sure of that by pressing firmly on the coins, really massaging them into Karges' eye sockets. Brandon asked excitedly, "Do I get to rip this off, too?" Karges responded with a jokingly serious, "No...maniac..." When the trick was finally over and the masking tape and coins came off, he seemed to really need a minute to get his eyes back to normal. Yeah, maybe it was all part of the act, but Brandon sure did take his job seriously. Karges would make jokes about Brandon throughout the show, and if any other audience members seemed like they were trying to outsmart him, he would ask if they were somehow related to Brandon. So you can imagine how hilarious it was when Karges unknowingly chose Brandon's mom to participate in a trick!

After a brief intermission, the lights dimmed. My coworker, Amy, was sitting next to me and said "If he flies out here..." but before she could finish her statement, he walked onto the stage. I laughed, but I guess I wouldn't have been totally shocked if it had happened. The second half of the show was what I have dubbed the illusions. These were the more physical tricks that required props and objects from audience members. I was blown away when he took three men's rings from the audience, hooked them all together (like the classic metal rings trick), showed them to each of the men, and then pulled them all apart. You could actually hear the rings snapping as he detached them from each other, but he returned them to the rightful owners unharmed. He also bent and broke a spoon with his mind, floated a table all around the stage while a woman from the audience had her hands resting on it, and LOTS more. During one illusion, I think every member of the audience was holding their breath as we all waited for the big reveal, and you honestly could have heard a pin drop. He was really able to capture the audience's full attention, which impressed me.

Karges' showmanship is what solidifies his act. Although he states outright what he does is just a show and he does NOT actually possess magical powers, he still acts as though what he is doing takes a lot out of him or requires intense concentration. During one particular trick, Karges held a small marker board in his hands and constantly made marks on the board while he was apparently intercepting thoughts as they were sent from audience members across the room. Who knows what he was writing on that board...it could have been chicken scratch. All for show. But it was an interest touch. At one point, he was reading the minds of three people in the audience at once. He really almost seemed stressed out for a minute...like he couldn't handle the amount of thoughts he was receiving at once. Again, was it just part of the act? Probably. Well...absolutely. Although he was up front about the fact that this is all for entertainment, he also got the audience thinking about the potential of the human brain. He threw out one of those statistics you hear all the time about how humans use only 20% of their brains, and can you just imagine the potential we all possess and what amazing things we could do if we could just access or awaken the other 80%? So while it may all be "just a show," he does try to get you thinking before you leave the theater.

For his final trick, Karges brought P.A.C. Manager Mike "the happiest manager in America" Morelli on stage and asked for his check for performing that evening. Mike handed him his REAL check, and Karges claimed if things went wrong, he would honest to God refuse to accept payment for his performance. His check was in one of three sealed envelopes, and he shredded two of them before opening the third. Luckily, he did NOT shred the one with his check, though he claims he has mistakenly shredded his paycheck four different times when the trick did not go as planned, and he had to refuse payment for those performances.

Remember when I said I wasn't sure if my husband would enjoy seeing a magician? Well, on the drive home from the P.A.C., he would not stop talking about the different illusions we had just seen. We were driving along in a contemplative silence, and he would suddenly say something like, "Well, obviously he had something up his sleeve during that one trick." Okay, dear. And he said things like that for most of the ride home, along with stuff like, "I really liked that guy, and I don't usually like magicians." Crazy, I know, but what a compliment to Karges! My husband was clearly not the only one impressed by the performance. Between the shrieks of disbelief, gasps of amazement, and moments of total silence as we all held our breath, it was obvious we had all just experienced the extraordinary.

-Hannah Hubbard

 1/15/12