Tonight, as night 7 of the Congress of Curious Peoples, we have a fantastic double header: magician and scholar Acep Hale lecturing on ""Legerdemain and Larceny'--a history of the con man--followed by a performance by sideshow talker legends Ward Hall and Bobby Reynolds onstage for the first time ever in Coney Island.

This is sure to be an incredible night! Full details follow; very much hope to see you there.

Acep Hale, "Legerdemain and Larceny"
Tonight, FRIDAY, APRIL 15th
CONEY ISLAND MUSEUM, 7:30 pm - $5

Coney Island, like most fairs, amusement parks, and midways has always had a reputation for hucksterism and the con job. Join magician and scholar, Acep Hale, as he explores the history of the con, taking the audience on a guided tour of the clowns, contrarians, murmurers and mystics that have held fast to lives of wandering wonder throughout the ages. Acep Hale is a street performing magician, musician, traveler, and rogue gentleman scholar. Driven by the 19th century belief in propaganda by deed he performs daily on street corners everywhere to prove that magic still lives around every bend, you don’t need a nine to five to stay alive, and hope springs eternal between the cracks of every sidewalk.”.

Sideshow Legends Ward Hall and Bobby Reynolds
Tonight, FRIDAY, APRIL 15th
SIDESHOWS BY THE SEASHORE, 8:30 pm - $15

Ward Hall (born 1930) has been around longer than anyone in the business and runs The World of Wonders Sideshow. He is "a modern-day P.T. Barnum and the last of the sideshow promoters. He's a national treasure who is loved and revered by showfolk, sideshow historians, and fans the world over."

Bobby Reynolds (born 1932) got his start at Hubert's Museum in Times Square and has been talking, performing in, and operating sideshows ...ever since. He still comes out of "retirement" every year or so to run shows all over the world. "With his two-headed babies, all frog band, and giant rat, Bobby has perfected the art of giving people the art of giving people what they didn't know they wanted."

Tonight, join Ward Hall, King of the Sideshow, and legendary side showman Bobby Reynolds as they perform

For more info--and to purchase tickets--click here and here.