PITTSBURG, Kan. — A man of jokes, Marty the Magician opened Friday’s special summer reading program at St. John’s Lutheran Hall with quite the entrance.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the world’s greatest magician ... Could not be here today,” he said as the youngsters giggled. “I’d hate to disappoint you, but you know what, from all the way from Ozark, Missouri, Marty the Magician!”

Marty Hahne, known to many as Marty the Magician, made an appearance in Pittsburg and Girard Friday for a “Dino Magic” show as part of this year’s summer reading program, “Unearth a Story.” From dinosaur-themed magic to audience participation activities, Marty dazzled a large crowd in the church’s gymnasium, just across the street from the Pittsburg Public Library.

“That’s one thing I love about libraries, they change the theme every year so it’s a really good, creative exercise for me to write a new show,” said Hahne. “... In the business, we call these high grass towns -- that’s an old circus term, so I’m playing the high grass towns, which I love.”

From the Missouri area, Hahne’s interest in magic began at the early age of eight after he found a book about the famous “Houdini.” From age 12, he began performing shows during the weekends and summer breaks before attending college at Kent State University, where he continued his shows. He went on to perform with Carnival Cruise Lines and then returned to entertaining family audiences.

“I am billed as a magician, but I’m really all about getting the kids to laugh and react and have fun,” he said. “I throw in just a little education, too, if I can. But I don’t worry about being the greatest magician they’ve ever seen. I just want to be likable, and fun. I always kid but it’s probably true that I’m 67 years old with the maturity of an eight-year-old and that’s about right ... (Literacy) is very important. It’s a true story that if they like magic, I actually learned to be a magician starting in the second grade by reading library books about magic.”

Hahne noted that the event in Girard saw a large turnout with around 60 attendees.

According to the Pittsburg Public Library, there’s more fun on the summer reading program calendar. At 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, the StoneLion Puppet Theatre is planning to return to Memorial Auditorium for a summer reading program special event. Children under eight must be accompanied by an adult at the program.

For more information, visit pplonline.org.

This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.