Space is limited, so don't delay!

The 39th Annual Magic Collectors' Weekend will be held in suburban Chicago (Schaumburg, Illinois) at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield hotel (woodfield.hyatt.com) from May 1-3. This year's guest of honor will be Harry Anderson.

An outstanding lineup of speakers has been arranged for the event. David Charvet will preview his upcoming biography of Willard the Wizard. Patrick Page will discuss his lifetime of experience in magic. World-class mentalist Ross Johnson will lecture on the legacy of Al Koran. Tom Ladshaw's presentation concerns the McElroy Brothers, a pair of homebrew-genius mechanical craftsmen. Max Maven will lecture on "The First Close-Up Magician."

Sean Owens, curator of the Salon de Magie, will present a copiously illustrated lecture on the famous magic museum's holdings. Conservation experts Vince Newkirk and David Gartler will discuss the care and repair of vintage posters. Jon Racherbaumer will interview Harry Anderson, and David Ben will speak about the life and magic of Paul Fox - a prelude to his upcoming biography.

The Saturday evening banquet show will feature David Kovac, Handsome Jack, Patrick Page and Harry Anderson.

John Carney's acclaimed one man show, Carney's Wonders, will be presented as part of the convention on Friday, May 2nd, at 8 pm. This is the first time Carney's show will appear outside of Los Angeles. Extra tickets are available for this performance, for $30, from Squash Publishing, http://www.squashpublishing.com.

Registration for the event - which is filling up fast, and includes both a desert reception and Saturday banquet - is $200 and should be submitted to Squash Publishing, 1719 W. Leland Ave. Chicago, IL 60640, http://www.squashpublishing.com.

I just bought my ticket! Whoo Hoo! I am looking forward seeing Mr. Carney. I was afraid that I had to sign up for the whole conference, but NOOO! I was able to buy a ticket for only $30!!! Such a deal!